Page 50 of Ashton

I swear if she had anything to do with this, she better start fuckin’ praying.

It’s been a week without Dad. Every day, it gets harder and harder to hang on. I made the decision to keep the school open, knowing Dad it’s what he would’ve wanted. I just don’t know how I’m going to survive without him. He’s been my entire world. And tomorrow, I’ll be laying him to rest. It’s too much for me to handle. I want to disappear and never return. On top of that, Edgar hasn’t been back.

I got Spence to drive me back to the house. I needed space from the guys. The more they crowd around me, the more suffocated I become. Sitting on the back deck reminds me of when I first got my cello. Dad would sit in the chair drinking his coffee as I practiced for him. I was a shitty player, yet he smiled through the entire thing. That’s where he sat every afternoon when he got home, and I dragged my cello out here—always supporting my dream of getting into the symphony.

Now, I don’t even care. I haven’t even bothered to see if Von had chosen anyone. The announcement of a new dean won’t be made until next week. The board members want a meeting with the new owner. I’m not ready for that yet. I’m not prepared for any of this.

I just want answers. The cops haven’t been much help to find Dad’s killer, and Serena keeps nagging me about Dad’s will. He was murdered, and she’s worried about what she’s walking away with. The only nice thing is my stalker hasn’t reached out since. I’m hoping that’s a good sign.

The back gate opens, and Maddox comes walking through. He’s dressed in a black leather jacket and a black beanie. His lazy smile sends butterflies dancing in my stomach. He stops at the bottom step.

He reaches for my hand, and my body tingles from his touch. I wrap my arms around his waist, pressing my face into his chest. A small sob escapes, and I tighten my grip.

“Shh, baby.” He pushes his fingers through my hair, rubbing at the base of my nape. “You cry whenever you need to, mourn when you want to. There is no time frame.”

I nod against his shirt. I want the pain to go away, to wake up without having a knife in my chest.

“Did you need help to pick out a suit for him?”

“No.” I sniff. “I did that already. I was just remembering, that’s all.”

Maddox tilts my head back, wiping my tears away. “He loved you. Your dad was an amazing guy. I loved him like he was my own.” Tears swarm his eyes. “I owe him so much.”

“I won’t stop until I find out who did this to him.”

“We all won’t, baby. But I need you to come back with me. Tomorrow is going to be a hard one, and you need to be with people that love you.”

That’s not what I need. I need names and revenge.

Chapter twenty-three

Ashton

Let us take a moment of silence, a moment to say our final goodbyes, a moment to find peace. Let us carry Prescott in our hearts as we continue our own journeys.

Those were the last words spoken at Prescott’s funeral. Our own journeys. It’s a little complicated when Jinx is on her knees, crying her eyes out next to her mother’s tombstone and her father’s open grave. Her parents are gone, and she has no one.

Then I look over and see Mom. Not a single tear has fallen. I wonder if she even cares that Prescott has been murdered, his heart cut from his chest. And she has theballs to stand there next to fuckin’ Roan and not cry. What a witch.

I feel so hopeless; there’s nothing to do to take away Jinx’s pain. All I can do is watch her cry. I wish there were more I could do for her.

What I want most is to find out who killed her father. The killer has to be in this school. And these cops refuse to do anything. How hard is it to investigate? Not a single suspect, my ass. They just don’t want to do their job.

As everyone descends, Jinx stays on the ground.

“What can we do for her?” Maddox asks, never taking his eyes off her.

“There isn’t much we can do except be here for her,” Atticus answers, looking heartbroken.

We know we’ve been overcrowding her, but it’s what we felt was right. Prescott might have been in our lives for a short while, but we also feel his loss. Who am I going to tease over family dinners now? Who will stick up for me when a professor tries to get me cut from the swim team? In a way, he was like a father to me. He tried to love me, and I didn’t want it.

All I have now is her. Why is she still here? I walk away from the guys and storm across the cemetery site. Roan looks up, and his smile fades. Who smiles at a funeral?

“Ashton, so good to see you, son.” She fake sniffles.

“Cut the shit, Mom. Why are you here?”

She places a perfectly manicured hand on her chest. “Prescott was my husband.”

---