Page 96 of Chaos at Westbrook High

Derek shakes his head, looking at me like I betrayed him as he snatches his duffel off the kitchen floor. “I’ll get a room downstairs.”

“No,” Elijah says, that one word stopping him in his tracks. “It’s either my room or the couch.”

Working his jaw, Derek not so subtly glances at the mini bar in the living room, then walks over to the couch, dropping his bag down next to it. Elijah tips his chin at James, and James grabs a trash bag from the kitchen. He collects all the bottles of liquor from the kitchen cabinets, then empties the bar. “Sorry, kid,” he says to Derek.

“Go fuck yourself.”

After James disappears down one of the wide hallways with the trash bag slung over his shoulder, Elijah checks his phone and glances between me and his children. “Go to bed. Stay together at school tomorrow and do not try to ditch your guards. Let them follow you wherever you go.”

“What if Wren and Levi want to fuck under the bleachers again?” Kai asks. “They do that a lot.”

Elijah pinches the bridge of nose. “Go.”

Damon, Callie, Wren, and Levi walk toward the stairs. I hesitate a moment before following them with Kai at my side, looking at Derek over my shoulder as I walk up. He watches me go before side-eyeing Elijah, who looks like he has more to say to my brother. A lot more. I almost feel sorry for Derek, but I shake that off and keep walking. I can’t get through to him and convince him to get his shit together, but maybe Elijah can.

Chapter 30

HAILEY

“Why is there a lock on the outside of this door?” I ask, stopping in the open doorway.

“Because Freya moved herself in a few weeks ago and kept trying to fuck Wren,” Kai answers, moving around me to fall back onto the huge bed in the middle of the room.

Levi glares, and I look at Wren, who shrugs and runs a hand over the back of his neck. “He’s not lying. We had to lock her in here at night.”

I cock my head at him, making him laugh as he drops two keys into my open palm.

“We won’t lock you in,” he says. “I promise.”

Believing him, I slide the keys into my ass pocket, awkwardly tucking my hair behind my ears as I walk inside the room and take a look around. It’s more like a studio apartment than a bedroom. The bed is made up with black and gold sheets and a mountain of matching throw pillows. There’s a sitting area on one side of the room with a black leather couch and a reclining chair, a coffee table, and a TV on the wall. Behind the couch, the wall-length, sliding glass doors lead out to a furnished balcony overlooking the city. On the other side of the room, there’s a walk-in closet and another door leading to the bathroom. The only thing I’m missing is a kitchen.

“Wow. This is…”

“It used to be Derek’s room,” Wren says quietly behind me. “When we were younger, he used to sleep over here almost every weekend. When our dad took him out for a few hours every Saturday, he told us it was for football practice.”

“Derek sucks at football.”

“Yeah,” Wren says. “He does.”

I set my bag down on the bed next to Kai, looking at the others over my shoulder when I realize they’re all standing behind me as if they’re waiting for something. I frown at them. “What?”

“Do you want revenge?” Damon asks. It’s the same thing Elijah asked me the day of Valerie’s funeral. My answer hasn’t changed. I would love to see Maverick Kingston in the ground or behind bars where he belongs, but I’m not going to get myself and my brother hurt or killed trying to put him there. Nothing I do is going to bring Valerie back. I just want to run my coffee shop and be left alone, for Derek and I to be able to live our lives without the fear of being caught by the sick fuck who took the person who meant the most to us.

“No,” I finally say.

I expect Damon to say more, but he simply nods as if he gets it, taking Callie’s hand and leading her out the door. Wren and Levi walk out as well, leaving me alone with Kai. Still lying on his back on the bed, he leans up on his elbows and watches me take out a T-shirt to sleep in. He doesn’t miss the way I set my photo face down on the bed next to my duffel.

He opens his mouth, and I glare at him, making him laugh as he snaps his lips shut.

I expect him to insist on staying, but he gets off the bed and stands in front of me, taking my face in his hands to press a soft kiss to my forehead. “You need anything?” he asks.

Chewing the inside of my cheek, I shake my head, ignoring the part of me that wishes he would stay.

Lifting my chin up with his knuckles, he searches my eyes, smiles devilishly, and then kisses my lips. “Get some sleep, beautiful.”

I don’t get any sleep.

I’m too worried about my brother and his psycho father to close my eyes and keep them that way, too pissed at myself for missing Kai like some kind of needy girlfriend.

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