Tormented Royal by Lily Wildhart
Chapter Twenty-Five
To say a night in a holding cell is uncomfortable might be the understatement of my entire life. The upside is that I’m probably safer here than I’ve been at home since Smithy left town. No one can terrorize me in a jail cell.
Well, other than the officers, and they’ve been okay, despite still not allowing me to make a phone call.
Lying down and staring at the discolored ceiling while shivering is basically how I spent the night. I'm officially living the dream.
“Miss Royal, you are free to go.” I look up and find an officer unlocking the door to the cell with a really fucking angry East looming over him. “The charges have been dropped.”
I sit up, eyes wide as shock floods my system. I have no idea how that’s possible, considering my cousin’s the biggest asshole in the world, but I won’t question it. At least not until I’m alone with East.
I stretch out before standing and exiting the small, cold cell. East wraps his jacket around my shoulders, all while wordlessly glaring at the officer. “Let’s get you home.”
I look up at him as he puts an arm over my shoulder and tucks me against his side. “Thank you.”
The words are little more than a whisper, but he squeezes me tighter before leading me out of the station to his waiting car. He opens the door for me and helps me in before running around the front of the car.
I try to wait until he’s in with the engine running to question him, but he beats me to it. “What happened?”
His knuckles turn white as he grips the steering wheel, his cheek twitching as he clamps his jaw shut.
I pick at the skin beside my thumbnail, hating how small I feel having been saved by him yet again. I never saw myself as the damsel in distress type, but I seem to keep ending up in situations where I need rescuing. Shame floods me at the thought as my stomach twists, making me feel like I might be sick. “I have no idea. I got home last night, and the cops were waiting for me. They said Blair had pressed charges for assault and then carted me away. Lincoln came and basically told me he wouldn’t help me. So I figured I was on my own, but they wouldn’t give me my phone call after he left.”
“He’s such a fucking asshole.” His words are clipped, his rage obvious in the set of his shoulders as he maneuvers the car toward our homes. “He was supposed to get you out, not leave you in there. He told me it was handled, otherwise I’d have been here sooner.”
He takes a deep breath as my eyes go wide. Here I was thinking Lincoln and I were making progress. I guess I was wrong. “So, how’d you get me out?”
He glances over at me, his gray eyes like a raging storm. The eyes are the one thing he and Lincoln have in common as far as looks go. Their eyes are the same liquid steel, and they’re like an endless pool to get lost in. “I pulled a few strings. Let’s just say that your family shouldn’t be a problem again.”
I gasp, my eyes wide. “Do I even want to know what that means?”
He shakes his head once, and I look down at my feet. I didn’t think I’d end up caught in the web of crazy that is Echoes Cove while I was back here. It’s only one year, but it feels like each day I stay here, the more entangled I get in the inner workings. Though, it feels like I have no idea what's actually going on around this place.
We spend the rest of the drive in silence, with the sound of his radio filling the space along with the black cloud of his rage. I mean, I’m the one who spent the night in a cell, but he’s definitely more worked up about this than I am.
Am I pissed at Blair? Absolutely. But am I shocked that she did it? Absolutely not. I knew the second I hit her again that I’d regret it at some point. I hadn’t considered this to exactly be how it would blow up in my face, but I knew something would happen. She’s too spiteful and petty to just let shit go. Though I still have no idea why she attacked me in the first place.
I really should start working through all the bullshit swirling around me. Maybe I need a journal or a whiteboard or something. Just to try and work shit out.
That’s a future me problem. For now, I’d like to get home, shower, and sleep for a few hours. Maybe then I can try to figure out what actually happened last night. With Maverick and with Blair.
I thought my life was a rollercoaster when I was out on tour with my dad. That shit has nothing on Echoes Cove. East puts in the code to the gate and drives up to my house. I jump out of the car and head for the front door, finding yellow tulips waiting for me again, with another blank envelope, red wax seal and embossed black card.
Yet another thing to add to the ever-growing list of mine.
East slams the door and stalks over to where I’m standing, flowers in hand. “What is that?”
“Flowers, they arrive here every now and then,” I say with a shrug. He plucks the card from my fingers, and the blood drains from his face. My heart races because I’d put money on him understanding this more than I do. “What?”
“Do they always come with this card?”
He takes the flowers from me as I unlock the door and disable the alarm. Once we’re inside, I put the flowers in a vase with some water, and he seems to be taking note of how many vases of flowers there are now. “What does the card mean? I figured it was a fan of Dad’s, and since I love yellow tulips, I’ve kept them.”
“I’m not sure what it means.” His eyes flicker down to his feet, and I swallow down the disappointment I feel. I know he’s lying to me.
What is it with these guys constantly lying to me?
I shrug and move to the refrigerator, pulling out one of the meals Mrs. Potts put together for me, shoving it in the microwave to heat since I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday. Lasagna for breakfast would probably send Smithy into a conniption fit, but he isn’t here right now. “Fair enough. Well if that’s all, I’m going to eat, shower, and head to bed. Thank you for dealing with Blair.”
He opens and closes his mouth a few times before shaking his head. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be at home if you need anything.”
He comes over and kisses my forehead before turning and leaving out the front. The roar of his engine fills the space and I let out deep breath. I thought we’d come leaps and bounds, especially after our not-quite-date night earlier this week, but now I feel like we’ve taken about ten steps back.
One day I’ll figure out what the fuck’s going on around here, but today’s not that day. Today calls for sleep, food, and not leaving my bed.
Absolute perfection.
* * *
I wake up to someone pounding on the front door, and I scramble from my bed, half asleep still. My feet clap against the hard wood of the stairs as I rush downstairs. My brain is hazy, but I have enough wits about me to wonder what the fuck is going on. I try to not care about my somewhat feral appearance as I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the window as I rush to the door.
I open the door ready to yell, and I find a stoney-faced Mac standing in front of me. Thank God I showered before I slept. “Uhm, hi?”
I blink a couple of times, and he stands there, silent, with his arms folded across his chest.
“What are you doing here?”
“Let me in, Octavia.” His voice is low and rumbly, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard my dad’s old head of security sound so mad. I step aside without question and wave him in. That’s when I notice a few paparazzi camped out by the gates.
Fucking awesome. This is just what I wanted.
I groan as I move to shut the door. I’m super tempted to flip them all the bird. A picture of me looking like this and acting like that, would be worth more money than I want any of them to have. So I resist the urge and lock the door once Mac’s in the house.
“What the hell’s going on around here, V?” Mac’s voice booms through the entry hall, and I wince at the volume of his apparent anger. “Five years you were under my watch, and not once did anything like this happen. Less than three months away, and you’ve been in the media more times than I care to count. The latest being pictures of your arrest.”
“Okay, look, I can see that you’re mad, but how about you tone it down a little, and I’ll explain. Coffee?” I walk toward the kitchen without waiting for a response from him. If I’m going to get a dressing down from a disappointed Mac, I need coffee to make it through. I pour myself a mug from the pot I brewed before my nap and pour him one too before sitting down and waiting for him to catch up.
What is it with all of the men in my life generating their big dick energy in my direction? I’m tired of being everyone’s go-to to be pissed at.
“You had better start explaining, Octavia, otherwise I’m either pulling you from this place or moving in. Because something isn’t working.” He leans against the wall, arms folded, and I sigh. I don’t technically owe him an explanation, and he doesn’t have the power to make me leave; but he helped raise me, so I understand some of his frustration.
I walk him through everything that’s happened since I got home, and I wish I could say that it abates his anger, but at least it’s redirected for the time being.
“These boys need to be taught a thing or two,” he growls before finally sitting down and drinking the tepid coffee.
I bark out a laugh at the thought of him dealing with the four of them. “I’m not sure you’d do anything but give yourself high blood pressure and a potential heart attack. The four of them aren’t really big on the whole authority figure thing.”
He huffs a dry laugh and leans forward on the counter. “That sounds like they need a swift kick up the ass. But since I’m here, what can I do to help with this mess?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure there’s much to do besides ride it out. Smithy’s had the security increased on this place, and you’re welcome to have a look around to make sure it’s up to your liking. But beyond that, I’m kind of keeping myself on the down low as much as I can.” I smile sadly at him and clutch the coffee cup in both my hands, hating how helpless it all sounds. I always thought I was a bad bitch, but being back in Echoes Cove is testing every single thing I ever thought to be true.
He stands, circling the island to wrap me up in those giant arms of his, making me feel like a little girl again. The fatherly comfort that radiates from him nearly makes me cry, and it hits me once again how alone I’ve really been without my dad around. There’s nothing like being an orphan with literally no family left in the world—and my mom doesn’t count because she left. She’s never coming back, and I’ve made my peace with that.
“Let me take a look at your security system, and if anything’s lacking, I’ll sort it out. I wish there was more that I could do.”
I squeeze him a little tighter before letting go. “You’re here. That counts. But you have other people that need your special brand of protection now. I’m a big girl, and I have big walls here. I’ll survive. It’s not like I have a few thousand fans trying to break into my tour bus.” I laugh at the memory of Mac trying to wrestle the door to the bus shut as a bunch of teenage girls tried to get to my dad. In the moment, it was terrifying, but looking back, it was kind of funny too.
He shakes his head, chuckling a little as he rubs a hand down his face. “Teenage girls are way more feral than anyone gives them credit for.”
* * *
Mac left after checking my security. He upgraded the software so the cameras start recording ten seconds before the buzzer is pushed. He also installed an app on my phone so I can interact with people at my gate wherever I am out in the world. I had to give him more reassurances than I’ve ever given to anyone in my life that I’m okay. That was a few hours ago, and I’ve basked in the peace and quiet of the theatre room since.
I drop Indi a text to let her know I’m okay before I start the next movie, even though she has no cell service since she’s camping. I can already tell she’s going to be spitting feathers when she gets back to civilization and realizes what happened while she was gone.
I’m halfway through the action movie when my phone buzzes, telling me someone’s at the gate. I pull up the app and see a guy who can’t be much older than I am, standing with a giant box. “Hello?”
“Delivery for Octavia Royal,” is all he says. I check out the van behind him, which looks legit enough, so I buzz him in.
I pause the movie and pad out to the front door, ready to meet him. It’s a little late in the day for deliveries, but what do I know? I reach the entry hall as the knock echoes around the entryway, making everything seem far more sinister than it is.
Get a grip, Octavia. It’s just a delivery.
I hope.
After the last few months, anything’s fucking possible at this point.
I open the door and find the acne-ridden guy holding the box out to me. “Octavia Royal?”
“That’s me. Who sent this?” I ask, skeptical as hell as I take the box from his outstretched hands. The black rectangular box is heavier than it looks, and I sag a little as I take its weight in my arms. Apparently I need to work out more.
He shrugs and thrusts his gadget thing in my face. “I have no idea, I just make the deliveries. I don’t ask questions. Sign here, please.”
I take the stylus from him and squiggle on the screen. He takes the gadget back with a nod before loping back to his van and driving down the lane to the still open gate. I wait until he’s gone and close the gate, securing it once more before taking the box to the kitchen.
I contemplate calling East before opening it, but that seems way too dramatic. It’s only a box. From an unknown source. With unknown contents.
Fun times.
I take a deep breath and undo the black ribbon that secures the lid, practically holding my breath as my heart races like I’m waiting for a bomb to go off or something.
I really need to watch fewer thrillers. My mind is in hyperdrive right now.
As I pull the ribbons of the bow, a card falls to my feet.
It’s the same black card that always comes with the flowers. Except this time, there’s red lettering on the back.
For the Gala,
With Compliments
TKS
Well, that isn’t creepy at all. I’m kind of glad I made the decision to not go to the gala.
I lift the lid and find black tissue paper inside.
Whoever this is needs a new color scheme.
I work my way through the tissue paper and gasp when I finally uncover the contents. I lift the soft material from the box, eyes going wide when I realize what it is.
The floor-length gown is breathtaking. The creamy champagne material is covered in white lace, and the neckline plunges down to the navel. It has a choker design with a high back and capped sleeves.
It really is stunning.
Creepy, but stunning.
I lay it over one of the barstools and rummage through the rest of the tissue paper, but there isn’t anything else in the box. No extra notes or anything.
I bite down on my bottom lip, trying to decide whether or not I should maybe tell someone about the dress when my back door swings open, and I find East standing there with Lincoln, Finley, and Maverick.
What a way to make this day better.
The alarm sounds, and East ducks to the keypad to turn it off. I keep forgetting he got the codes from Smithy.
“What is that?” Lincoln asks as he pushes past East into my kitchen.
I roll my eyes as they all enter the room, Finley closing the door behind them. “Hi, guys, yes, come on in why don’t you. Make yourselves at home.”
My sarcasm is met with mixed reactions.
Mav saunters over to the fridge behind me, grabbing a soda and slapping my ass as he does, making me yelp. Of course since we’ve fucked, he’s overly touchy now, even if he was an asshole to me afterward. The tension as he looks at me is suffocating, so I glare at him, and he winks as he slides onto one of the stools at the counter. I wonder if the others know. Surely not. Finley leans against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. East heads for the coffee pot, and Lincoln inspects the dress. Surely they’d say something if they knew. Lincoln huffs, and I turn my attention back to him and his earlier question.
“It was a gift,” I say, finally answering him. I point toward the card, and he picks it up, scowling as he does before passing it around to the others, despite my frown. East is the only one who reacts, the same way he did when he saw the flowers.
East scowls at me, which seems to be his current default setting. I’m getting kind of sick of it. I don’t know what's going on with him, but I’d like my chill, laid-back friend back. “I thought you weren’t going to the gala.”
I drop onto the stool as Lincoln folds the dress back into the box and sigh. “I’m not, not that it’s any of your business. Can you stop looking at me like you hate me? I’ve had a day already, the last thing I need is all of this big dick energy pulling me down.”
Maverick barks out a laugh, but East looks a little horrified.
“We wanted to stop by and make sure you were okay after yesterday,” Finley finally pipes up, watching me intently. Maybe he does know, but if they’re not outright saying it, I’m sure as hell not either.
I hold my hands out to my sides, lifting them in a sort of mock surrender. “Well, as you can see, I’m fine. So if that was all…”
“That was all,” Lincoln says abruptly, pocketing the note that came with my dress. I’m too tired to argue with him about it. I’m officially learning to pick my battles when it comes to these guys.
I jump from the stool and glance at each of them in turn. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when I became more comfortable around them, considering everything that’s happened since I returned to Echoes Cove. It’s strange, but having them in my space doesn’t make me want to light them on fire, so I guess we’re making progress compared to just a few weeks ago. Maybe it’s some weird Stockholm Syndrome type thing where I don’t hate them despite all the shit they’ve put me through.
“I’m tired. If that’s all, you guys can leave so I can sleep.”
Mav jumps down so he’s standing behind me, closely enough that I can feel his hard dick rub against my ass. “Sure you don’t want me to stay?” he purrs in my ear, quietly enough that I’m sure no one else can hear. “I can make sure you have a real good time again.”
A shiver runs down my back, but I shake my head. Last night was a mistake. I have no intention of repeating it. Even if the orgasm was so good my brain melted. His hands circle my waist, and it feels like an electric current passes through the room. I need to stop this before the others notice. Because if they don’t know yet, it won’t be long until they figure it out if he keeps this up.
“I’m sure,” I say firmly, making Finley laugh while Mav looks a little disgruntled. That is firmly a him problem.
Lincoln's gaze zeroes in on me, and the heat of it is enough to scorch before his eyes land on Maverick. He definitely didn’t know, but I’d put money on him knowing now. He’s way too astute to miss Maverick being extra handsy with me.
“Am I missing something?” East pipes up, noticing the new tension in the room, and I step even further away from Maverick.
“Nope, not at all,” I say, popping my p. “It’s officially time for you all to go.”
I usher them out of the house, despite their objections, and close the door behind them. I lean against the door once they’re gone, finally feeling like I can breathe again.
All I wanted was a nice, simple year back in Echoes Cove.
I should really know better by now.