Page 45 of Hers To Keep
I have yet to see my mother again since that horrid night at Servite Manor. If I am to believe Carrington’s sordid comments from New Year’s Eve, where we are going is exactly where she’s hiding out. If I’m going to figure out why I am here, in order togain an upper hand on Wesley Servite, I need to know what she knows, and her overall connection to this place.
She betrayed Chaz, who I believed to be her warped soulmate, blaming him for everything in the blink of an eye. Who’s saying she won’t turn on Wesley with the proper motivation? Which is why I need to figure out what it is she wants.
Jade, Stella, Kai, Drake, Ruby, Jax, and I pull up to the valet entrance of The Gallant Hotel, in a limo Ace sent over for the occasion.Who would have ever thought us troubled teens from the debauched slums of Pleasant Hills would travel by limo more often than not?
The hotel before us is grandiose, as expected with bright lights, impeccable architecture complete with arched entryways, all surrounded by rose bush gardens and various Greek god and goddess fountains displayed across the lawn. It’s at least twenty stories tall and is truly the epitome of luxury and elegance. No wonder it’s a prime location the wealthiest people in town frequent.
“So why didn’t you ride here with the birthday boy?” Ruby asks, as we exit the limo that brought us here. “I’d think he’d want to, you know, show off the little slut he has on his arm?” Her black skin-tight dress emphasizes every curve of her body, accentuating her perfect hourglass figure, and long model-like physique. Her five-inch heels make her stand at least six feet tall, meeting Jax’s height with no problem.
“Ruby, enough,” Drake growls from beside her as we head for the front entrance, where we find a set of steps draped in a long red carpet leading to the front doors of the hotel. The outside is buzzing with teenagers, mostly from the academy, dressed to the nines in glittery dresses, ass-baring miniskirts, and minuscule lingerie, but who am I to judge? Here I am looking exactly the same.
“What? It’s just a question. Or is it he’s now eighteen andmoving on from a child to a real woman,” she adds, referring to the fact that she’s already eighteen and I have a couple weeks to go.
“Fuck off, Ruby!” Jade sneers, stepping into her. Ignoring her, Ruby rolls her eyes, flipping us off and walking toward the door with Jax by her side. Drake turns to me, a blank look across his face, as he shakes his head and without a word moves to follow them.
“Say it, Dragon, by all means don’t hold back. Got something to add to your sister’s petty remarks?” I ask angrily. I’m not in the mood to put up with the judgment from these two tonight, when they have no clue what I’m dealing with. I expect it from Ruby, but it shocks me after all that’s happened that Drake’s still quick to judge my decisions.
“Not anything you’d care to hear,” he mutters, turning back to face me.
“Try me,” I challenge, stepping toward him. His eyes quickly roam over me, crassly judging my chosen attire, and he shakes his head once again. I threw a black leather jacket over the skimpy crop top, my nipples clearly poking out from the frigid January night. His eyes move down to the fuck-me, black heeled boots I paired with my outfit making my miniskirt barely cover my ass. I guess Drake isn’t so keen on my outfit.
“Not this time, Scar, you’ve dug your own grave. I’m done trying to get you out. I guess I’ll just have to sit back and watch him bury you in it,” he says, turning around and continuing to walk toward the hotel entrance.
“Then why are you even here?” I shout after him, but he doesn’t look back at me as I speak.
“Well, that was awkward. What’s up with you two, anyway?” Stella asks, walking up behind me.
“Nothing,” I groan, turning to face them. “So we ready to get fucking wasted tonight, because I need a drink or ten.” Kai eyes me warily as he moves to wrap his arm around my shoulder. Jade and Stella take off toward the entrance, with us following behind them.We’re silent for a few steps, Kai shocking me with his action after weeks of ignoring me before I break the silence with the question that’s been eating at me for weeks.
“He told you, didn’t he?” I ask, referring to what Drake found out about The Horsemen, Ace, and his family. Not to mention what they did to him.
“He didn’t have to. I knew from the moment I saw him all bruised up and beaten that it wasn’t some underground cage fighting he got himself into. I knew he’d snuck out to follow them. I told him I’d go with him, but that night he left before I got home, and well, he wasn’t answering his phone. I had no clue where he was. Then he texted me saying he was going to skip out on the cabin, which I figured he’d do. I offered to stay back with him, but he told me he wanted to be alone.” A look of guilt clouds his hooded eyes as he shakes his head. “I shouldn’t have listened to him; I should have stayed. Then maybe I could have…”
“You couldn’t,” I say, interrupting him. “There’s nothing you could have done to prevent what happened. Drake should have known better than to go snooping around. He’d been warned, we all had. Since the day we first set foot here, we were told to walk with our heads down, but he chose not to listen.”
“And you’re actually taking his side. Why am I surprised, you are fucking the bastard. Must be some hell of a dick, Scar,” he says crassly, pissing me off. I shove his arm off of me pushing him back, but he doesn’t falter even in the slightest.
“Fuck you, Kai! You do not know what you’re talking about!” My yelling catches the attention of a few classmates around us. Jade and Stella quickly turn as well, watching intently, wondering what the hell we’re arguing about.
“That’s because all you do now is keep secrets. Scar, we used to be family. All of us. Now you act like you don’t fucking remember it,” he shouts getting louder. The entire crowd lined up at the door is now watching our debacle intently. I see Drake, Ruby, and Jaxleaning against the door watching us attentively, confused looks plastered on all three of their faces.
“Family doesn’t treat family like shit for the decisions they make. I chose to be with Ace, and you guys can’t get over your alpha male bullshit and accept the fact that I now have someone else to look after me. That you guys aren’t the only ones I need.”
“You found a new family.”
“That’s not what I…”
“I’m damn proud of you, Steele. Just don’t come crawling back to us when he throws you out on your ass because daddy told him he can’t date out of his class.”
Kai spins around to leave, but he doesn’t make it far before Ace appears and grabs him by the collar getting in his face.
Kai laughs hysterically doing nothing to fight Ace off. “Gonna beat the shit out of me too, asshole?” Kai taunts, and I see the raging anger blazing in Ace’s eyes. This is going to get ugly quick if I don’t put an end to it. I rush over shouting at both of them.
“Stop!” I yell as I approach them. Ace quickly moves over to me letting him go.
“Are you okay? What the fuck was he doing to you?” he asks, tenderly tucking my hair behind my ear.
“Nothing, we were just having a conversation.” I glance toward Kai, silently asking him to walk away as I turn back to Ace bringing my arms around his neck and pulling him in closer to me, hoping to distract him from the argument he saw us having. “Happy Birthday, baby,” I say, softly placing a kiss against his lips.