Theo:
Well, fuck. That’s going to make keeping an eye on her difficult. I get it, though. I’d prefer to keep you alive too.
Smirking,I check my messages from Liliana as well.
Lili:
Dad says he needs me to stay home for a few days. Don’t push her, and don’t fuck this up.
Me:
I promise. Ah, you should probably know that Barrett her therapist tried to fuck Rachelle over today. The Kings Society got to him. She had a panic attack.
Lili:
I hope your father ruins his life and makes him beg to end it.
She’s feisty,loyal as fuck, and sexy. I love the way she immediately jumps toward the worst possible punishments for people who hurt Rachelle.
Me:
I punched Barrett, and Dad is working on ruining his life now in his office. Barrett is headed to jail.
“Ready?”Rachelle asks, straightening.
She’s wearing a pair of form fitting leggings with a sports bra that makes my mouth water. There’s a bracelet on her wrist that I noticed when we were at the lighthouse, and I wonder if she ever takes it off. I also noticed that Lili was wearing a matching one.
“Yeah,” I agree, walking toward the stairs with her and putting my phone away. “Let’s grab some water, stretch, and we’ll get moving. Lili texted to check on you.”
“She mentioned she was going to have to hang at home for a bit,” Rachelle says. “I figured she might since I’ve been taking up so much of her time.”
“It’s the summer, and you’re always connected at the hip,” I remind her. “Mr. Cruz is well aware of that. I’m sure there’s another reason why he wants Lili home. He has a big family, maybe they’re having some sort of gathering and it has nothing to do with how much time you’ve been spending together.”
Nodding, she and I walk down the stairs and through the house, and I detour at the kitchen to grab two reusable bottles of water.
“Mr. Cruz is kind of scary,” she admits. “He’s very intense.”
“He is,” I agree, handing her a bottle after I fill it. “It’s what makes him really good at his job. Mr. Cruz is also becoming very protective of you through his daughter. I heard a very interesting rumor circulating toward the end of school.”
“Ugh, I really hate those,” she sighs, following as I leave the kitchen with my own water to walk outside.
There’s a chill in the air, forcing me to glance at Rachelle as she shivers.
“You’re not in Florida anymore, baby,” I say, sighing as I pull off my hooded sweatshirt to hand it to her.
“That thing is huge,” she says, shaking her head even as she shivers. “I’ll warm up as I run. I always forget how much cooler it gets in the summer once the sun goes down.”
“Mmhmm,” I say, shaking my head as I pull my sweater back on. “Follow my lead for stretches, please. I don’t want you to pull something.”
Quietly, she watches as I begin, mirroring what I do. After a few minutes, I can tell she’s about to burst from curiosity.
“So what was the rumor?” she asks, making me hide a smile as I stretch out my hamstrings.
“Miss Hailey had a visit from Mr. Cruz the weekend before she packed up her shit after she was fired,” I say. “Apparently, he scared the fuck out of her, and she was shaking the Monday that she left. The rumors never specified that it was Lili’s father, but no one else would put the fear of God into her for fucking with you.”
“Well Miss Hailey also threatened Liliana and her position at the newspaper with what she did,” Rachelle says stubbornly. “He could have done it just to prove a point not to mess with his daughter.”
“Doubtful,” I say. “Yes, it was partially to ensure Lili didn’t have any repercussions from the stunt, but my dad and he were livid when they found out what happened. Their daughters are untouchable.”