Beautiful Trouble by B. B. Hamel
Epilogue: Penny
One Month Later
For the first time in as long as I could remember, the Servant Manor wasn’t a hotbed of tension, fear, and anger.
It was kind of nice, actually.
Darren was happy. I don’t think I’d ever seen him happy before and didn’t even realize it until recently. Even as a kid, he’d always been kind of brooding, but now he was genuinely and utterly engaged with everything around him.
All thanks to Winter.
I loved having her around. She’d never replace Liv, but she made my days easier, both by being a friend and by softening some of Darren’s sharper edges.
Things weren’t perfect, of course. Anthony was a mess. He was still struggling with his guilt and all that, even though nobody was mad at him—okay, I was a little bit mad, but I still loved him—and I had a feeling he’d be dealing with everything for a long time. Erin pulled back into her own little world even deeper, and I had no clue what was going on with that. Mom didn’t talk much about what was going on, and even though she got along surprisingly well with Winter’s mother, she seemed a little distant and unhappy.
Which was probably normal for her, so maybe nothing changed there.
I wandered through the trees and along a narrow path that snaked its way through sticker bushes and trees. I walked this trail a thousand times over the years and it never failed to make me feel melancholy. I discovered it with Liv when we were little girls, and we called it our Secret Pathway. It led to various different things over the years: fairy kingdoms, Narnia, Hogwarts, buried treasure, dragons, and tons of other imaginary places. When we got older, we used to sneak down here and smoke clove cigarettes together and talk about boys and life and whatever we wanted.
I came to a small clearing with a low stone wall running through the middle. It was crumbling and must’ve been hundreds of years old—probably built by whoever first came here from England or whatever. It was ivy-draped and about ten feet long, and I used to sit on top with Liv for hours, kicking our feet and surveying our kingdom.
I first learned she was depressed in this place. She told me one afternoon when she was fifteen. She said things seemed so much harder for her and that normal stuff everyone else went through without issues was like being broken down and kicked in the teeth. She couldn’t understand it then, and I guess it never went away.
I came here a lot since she died. It was my sanctuary and much better than her grave. That place was sad as hell. I could smile out here and remember the good times with my sister.
I put a little vintage ring on the top of the wall. Other offerings were scattered around: matchbooks, toy cars, tiny statues, an alabaster buddha, whatever I could get my hands on and would fit on the wall. It was my shrine for my missing sister.
“Sorry I haven’t been out in a couple weeks,” I said, touching the stone. “I miss you, Livvie. I miss you a lot. But it’s getting better. Winter’s really great and Darren’s happy for once. Erin worries me, but she always did, so nothing new there.” I took a deep breath and looked up at the trees. “I don’t know why I’d ever deserve this. Peace and happiness? Those are things for decent people. Girls without blood on their hands.”
A twig snapped nearby. I looked over my shoulder.
Erin stood on the path, staring at me.
Her phone was gone. She wore dark jeans and a button-down shirt. Her face was blank, but it was always blank—she’d been good at controlling her emotions even as a little girl. I found it creepy back then, but I was used to it now.
“Did you follow me?” I asked.
“Yes. You’re not good at sneaking off.”
“I wasn’t sneaking. You never come out here.”
“Who are you talking to?” She came closer.
A strange chill ran down my spine. I suddenly didn’t want her anywhere near this wall. My shrine was my business. It was my special place, away from the family, where I could sit and remember Liv.
“Myself. What are you doing out here?”
“We need to talk.”
I tensed, hands curling into fists. “We can talk when I get back.”
“Unfortunately, it has to be now.” She came closer. I backed up into the wall. “You do remember what I said to you before, don’t you?”
“I thought you decided against that.”
“I told you, the deal was already made. You’ve been promised, and I keep my bargains.”
“Stop it, Erin. You’re freaking me out.” I looked around wildly. We were alone in the Servant woods, the safest place in the whole world.
Kaspar couldn’t get me here.
“He’s still in play. Just because Darren’s been tamed by his new little wife doesn’t mean I’ve walked away from the field. My alliance will continue, and the Servant family will grow.”
“What’s wrong with you? Things are good right now. Why do you have to ruin them?”
“Ruin them?” A flash of anger. Rare for Erin. “Things aren’t good. Things are far from good. Roman and Darren aren’t fighting, that’s true, but the other Oligarchs smell blood in the water. They’re sharks and they want to feast, and they will, I promise you that. You think this is over? It’s far, far from over, and when the dust finally settles, I’ll make sure the Servant family comes out on top.”
“What are you talking about? The other Oligarchs aren’t involved.”
Erin only slowly shook her head. “You never did have the vision or the spine for this life.” She made a vague gesture to my right. “That’s why you’re the perfect pawn to marry off.”
I looked over and saw him.
Standing at the edge of the forest. I didn’t know how he got there. He was big, muscular, a smirk on his handsome lips.
My nightmare.
“No,” I whispered.
“Deal’s a deal,” Erin said. “Kaspar’s not as bad as you think. He’ll treat you well at least.”
He said nothing, only stared at me. I wanted to scream. Wanted to run.
But it wouldn’t help. I was far enough from the house that nobody would hear, and I made sure to leave the guards behind when I left.
And if I ran, Kaspar would only enjoy the hunt.
“You can’t force me to marry him. Darren will come for me.”
“Darren will understand. You know our brother.” She smiled for the first time in a long, long time. “He may be enamored with his new wife, but he’s not stupid. He knows we need Kaspar’s help to survive the coming storm.”
I shook my head and started to back away.
But Kaspar came toward me.
“You’ll keep your word,” Erin said, speaking to him. “Treat her well. Make her your wife. And together our families will dominate the world.”
Kaspar’s smile broadened. He never took his eyes from me. He continued forward.
Erin sighed, rubbed her face, and turned away.
“Make it fast, please. You don’t have long before the guards realize there’s a gap in the perimeter.” Erin began to leave but hesitated and glanced back at me. “If it helps at all, I almost feel bad.”
“You’re sick.”
She turned and walked away.
Kaspar kept coming. I tripped over an old stone from the wall and nearly fell. As I gathered myself and turned to run, he was suddenly there, right on top of me.
“No,” I gasped as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me against him.
Big, broad chest. Warm skin. He smelled like cinnamon and grass seed. He held me tight then wrenched my wrist up behind my back. I gasped in pain.
He moved his lips toward mine.
I tried to pull away. It was agony. “I don’t want this,” I said, shaking my head. “Let me go, Kaspar.”
He moved down and kissed my neck.
“It’s okay, my treasure. When you wake up, you’ll be safe.”
Then he plunged a needle with his other hand into the opposite side of my neck. His lips never left my skin as he pushed something into my bloodstream.
I tried to struggle. He took the needle out. I blinked rapidly as the world dimmed.
“Kaspar,” I whispered. “You bastard.”
“I’ll catch you when you fall.”
His words were like honey and hellfire.
I fell into black.
* * *
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