Page 9 of Raise 'Em Up

“You should have told me you wanted one. I have five more back at the house,” I say, then snuggle down into my seat and get ready for take off.

It won’t be much longer until I’m with my girl again. I hope she’s okay.

“It’s hotter than Satan’s ball sack,” Teo grunts as we exit the airport and flag down a car. The flight was boring and the snacks were lame. Next time we are sitting in first class.

“Welcome to Florida,” an Uber driver says with a smile as he climbs out of his Escalade and opens the back door for us.

Colt and Len thank him, but I’m too busy staring at my phone. Rylee still hasn’t answered any of my messages and I’m starting to think maybe her phone is broken.

Climbing into the SUV beside Teo, I look out of the window at the endless water surrounding us on this bridge. It’s almost nighttime, but there are still people out on boats, and the beaches are extra crowded.

“So, I tried to get us a suite at the hotel, but they are booked up for the holidays. My mom said we could stay with her, but the place is kinda small for all of us,” Teo says to us as we get stuck in some traffic.

There was a moment where we wondered if Rylee had even gone back home. Thankfully, Mateo’s mom texted him, asking why Rylee was back so soon. Turns out, while she didn’t talk to Rylee, she saw her around the hotel in passing.

That has us all breathing a sigh of relief, knowing she was safe, at least. With Mateo’s uncle and Len’s dad, you can never be too sure.

Colt yawns and removes his glasses to rub his eyes. I know we are all in need of some sleep and food.

“Should we call the hotel and see if they can track down Rylee?” Lennox asks and Colt sighs.

“I tried already, they wouldn’t give out personal information about their guests.”

Traffic is light and soon we are pulling up to the valet. “Thank you for everything, Liam,” Lennox says, handing the driver a few bills as a tip.

“Here’s my card, call me if you need any more transport while you're here. Good luck on getting your girl back,” he says with a smile and I wince. I’ve been so out of it, I didn’t even know that Len was telling the Uber driver our life story.

The guys grab the bags and climb out of the SUV. Someone comes to take our things, but I hold on to my bag, replaying the words Liam said over and over.

Rylee left, and though we have our suspicions about why, now it’s time to find out the truth, but I do know one thing as fact…

“I never lost her,” I grumble under my breath, my mood souring once more. “And I’ll prove it.”

When I wake up, my head is pounding. I feel like death, like I’ve got a bad hangover. Only, I didn’t drink anything.

“Fucking hell,” I mutter as I look at myself in the bathroom mirror. My eyes are still puffy and swollen from all the crying I did last night. And with the dark circles under my eyes, it looks like I haven’t slept in days. My body sure as hell feels like it too.

When my belly rumbles, letting me know I need to feed it—seeing as how I haven’t eaten in over a day—I give myself a once over and sigh. I should probably shower, but I don’t have the energy.

After I’m done peeing and washing my hands, I head back into the room and slip on a pair of sweats and a hoodie. Not giving a single fuck about what I look like, I give my hair a quick brush and toss it up into a messy bun before grabbing my room key.

I’m about to grab my debit card, then I think, why? My grandfather owns this hotel. I should be able to eat whatever the hell I want and not pay for it, even if I don’t work here anymore.

Frowning, I leave, truly not in the mood to care about anything right now.

When I get to the restaurant, I ignore the odd looks of the guests and sit at a table. With this being a more classy establishment, I’m sure they’re not used to people walking around the hotel in anything other than their best clothes.

Well, screw them. They didn’t have their crazy ass Dean threaten them, kick them out of school and send them home, only to find out when they get there that not only does their mom know who their dad was, but he had no idea about having a daughter, and he’s the son of a millionaire who owns a chain of hotels.

And if they have experienced all that, then maybe we can form some sort of fucked up club.

“Hi.” A girl I’ve never seen before stands next to the table, holding open a notepad ready to take my order, giving me an odd look. I can tell she’s trying not to judge, but I don’t blame her. I’m a hot mess. She must be a new hire.

“Hi. I’m Rylee.”

Her eyes widen. “Oh, Rylee. Your, ah, your grandfather told the staff about you. I’m Lacy, what can I get you?”

“He did?” I ask, raising my brows and letting out a disbelieving laugh. “Guess the old man isn’t holding back anymore. Good on him.” I sigh and rub my face. “Well, Lacy, can you turn back time and make it so that the last forty-eight hours didn’t happen?”

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