As if she’s never thought of it, her face goes slack.
I leave her with the thought, turning to meet Captain a few feet away.
Royce steps up with Victoria right as I do.
“What’d you say to her?” Victoria asks.
I glance over my shoulder, finding Chloe smirking after me. “Nothin’.”
I look back to Captain, who side-eyes his brother, before moving his stare back to me only to ask Royce a question a moment later.
“Where’s Maddoc?” Captain frowns.
“Not here, brother. Not fucking here.”
Fuck.
Royce takes a few backward steps, saying nothing else on the matter. “Let’s go see what dear old dad wants from us this time. Maybe our fucking souls, huh?”
With that he spins on his heels, not waiting for us to reach his sides as he steps through the doors.
Something has me looking over my shoulder, but when no one stands there, I push through.
Mac meets us just inside, letting us know Rolland is in Perkins’ office again, so we rush straight there.
Both their heads jolt as we step inside, and Perkins even attempts to hit the back button on his screen, but Royce reaches across and knocks the keyboard off the desk before he can.
Rolland glares at Perkins, then looks to the boys.
“You fucking kidding me?” Royce spits angrily. “Hiding shit, again?”
Rolland stands straight. “If I were hiding, I wouldn’t be here in plain sight. Why Connor panicked, I don’t know, but I had every intention of coming to you all after.” He looks across the three of us and frowns. “Where’s your brother?”
“Probably still drunk and in bed,” Royce bites.
I scowl but say nothing.
Captain turns the screen, and we all freeze.
A picture of Zoey sitting on her porch, Maria at her side reading her a story fills the screen.
It’s a side angle, so taken from somewhere on the property, not from the outside gate.
“What the fuck is this?” Captain’s voice rumbles with rage and he whips his phone from his pocket, dialing. He brings it to his ear.
“This was sent to me this morning, addressed to you,” Perkins tells him, tension lining his face.
“And you called our dad instead of Captain?” Royce shouts.
“Maria,” Cap says into the line in the next second. “Where’s Zoey?”
I grip Royce’s wrist as we wait for another word.
“Show me,” he growls.
A second later, a small tap fills the room and then her little gasp sounds.
“Daddy!” She laughs. “Hi!”
My muscles relax, and I look to Royce when his hand covers mine.
He nods, tugging me under his arm.
Cap steps from the room for some privacy and I look back to Perkins.
“Who sent this to you?”
Right then, Rolland’s phone rings. He glares from the screen to us. “It’s him.”
“Donley had this taken?” I jerk forward.
Rolland nods then goes to answer the line, but Royce snatches it from his hand, puts it on speaker and sets it on the desk.
Donley’s chuckle grates every nerve in my body. “I see you’re at the school, old friend, guessing you got word of my email, just as I had predicted?”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I snap.
“Ah, princess.” His smile is evident through the line. “Lovely to hear your voice.”
“How did you get the picture?”
“Which one?” he jokes and my eyes fly to Perkins.
He holds up his hands – four pictures.
“Donley!” I shout, slamming my hand on the desk.
“Found a guy with a great, long distance camera. All he had to do was climb a small fence. He was in and out in seconds. No harm done,” he says.
“Are you trying to fuck yourself?”
“On the contrary, princess. I’m protecting myself. The girl is fine, safe and sound. Even sent her a new little bear from Grandpa Donley.”
I clench my teeth. “Stay away from her.”
“Oh, I plan to. Soon as you’re mine, or his rather, but I see it as one in the same, hm?”
“She’ll never be yours!” Royce shouts.
Donley only chuckles louder. “You all have yourself a nice day.”
He hangs up right as Cap steps back inside with a glare. “She’s fine.”
“Cap.” I turn to him with tight eyes. “Maybe—”
“He’s trying to intimidate us,” Cap rushes out, giving a subtle shake of his head.
Not yet.
“He won’t touch her.” Cap looks to his dad. “I want a guard every fifteen feet, rotating every hour.”
“Done,” Rolland agrees.
Perkins slowly stands. “If I can help in any—”
“Never,” Cap growls before rushing from the room.
I turn back to Perkins. “Give Rolland the password to this account, and don’t touch it again.”
“This is my contact for here at the school.”
“Was your contact. Find a new one.”
Royce and I step out, looking around for Captain, but he’s already out of sight.
The two of us head to class, finding Victoria already sitting there waiting.
“Everything okay?” she whispers.
Not even a little bit.
Maddoc showed up the day after Donley sent the email, but he’s yet to show his face since. It’s been two weeks now, three since everything went down and now Spring Break is here. That’s ten more days I know I won’t lay eyes on him.
It’s bullshit.
My eyes snap to Victoria when she kicks me with her boot.
She frowns. “Stop staring at the TV like you wanna murder it and fast forward the commercials already.”
I toss the remote to the floor and drop back on the carpet, frowning at the ceiling.
With a heavy sigh, Victoria drops beside me.
“Wanna get high?” she asks.
“Not really.”
“Drink?”
“Nope.”
She sits up, looking down at me. “Wanna go sit by the pool and do absolutely nothing like we are now, but with a better view?”
I start to say no when she adds, “There’s a train track behind the property. You can see it from the upper deck. You’re a rich girl now, you can get us up there.”
I turn my head to look at her, a small smile on my lips.
She pushes to her feet, so I let her pull me up, and the two of us do just that.
We don’t even have to say a word to anyone, and the rope leading to the top deck is held open for us.
We find a seat closest to the large glass window that allows us to look over the ledge, and not two minutes after we’re seated, fresh ice waters and a tray full of grapes, weird little slices of meat, and cheese is set before us.
The man says nothing, sets them down and walks away.
“It’s no wonder rich people stay rich.” Victoria pops a piece of funky colored cheese in her mouth, only to drop it into her palm with a small gag, making me laugh. “They get tons of shit for free.”
I play it safe and pick up what looks like salami only lighter. “They probably give it to you, then charge your room for it later.”