Page 72 of Queen Rose

Nate

Iscrub my hands over my scalp, side-eyeing Xander. “I really want to go after her.”

“Don’t.” Xander shakes his head. “Trust me. Aria needs the time alone. She’s more shaken by what happened than she let on. To have Farrah come to her party and attack her at her own home? Low. But I think she dealt with it well. I guess we’ll see how things are this coming week when we get back to school.”

My jaw twitches. Xander knows Aria well. But does he know her better than I do? I really don’t think so. To get my mind off the idea that I should be with Aria right now, I huff out one of the questions I’ve been saving up for Xander. “Why haven’t you stepped in? At school, I mean. Why haven’t you shut this nonsense with Farrah down?”

“Because Aria asked me not to. And she’s right. That’s her cheer team member. That’s a girl who used to look up to her. And that’s someone whose head has gotten way too big. If Aria doesn’t handle her on her own, it’d be bad. But I think what everyone just saw out of Farrah, and the way Aria took care of it, may have done the trick. Everyone who's anyone at Rosehaven is here and heard every word. They saw what a bitch Farrah was being. I think that might truly be it for her.”

I grit my teeth. My gaze travels to the huge fucking windows at the back of the house, where there’s a view of the staircase Aria used a minute ago. As I watch, her dad scans the room behind him, then jogs up the stairs. My eyes narrow. God, did he hear all that? Is he going to check on her to make sure she’s okay or berate her for embarrassing the family? A sick feeling rumbles around in my stomach. Frowning, I look across the room to where a guy I’ve never seen before joins Aria’s mom. Her lips brush his cheek, then she whispers in his ear, aligning her body more closely with his. He turns and kisses her forehead. My gaze dips. I blink. What am I watching? This man’s hand is all over her ass. Holy shit.

When I elbow Xander, he frowns, but his gaze follows the direction I’m pointing. “Who is that with Aria’s mom?”

He gets a weird look on his face. “You haven’t met her dad? That’s Will Warrington. He always gets a little inappropriate when he’s been drinking. It’s basically the only time he shows Elle attention or affection.” He shakes his head and goes on to say something else, but my brain isn’t with our conversation any longer because my mind is whirring at top speed.

Everything comes into sharp focus and starts to click.

The weirdness of her dad calling her his “good girl.”

The freaky overprotectiveness.

The harsh glares.

“Who was that guy that just went upstairs, then?”

Xander’s brow furrows. “Probably Conner. He stays here all the time.”

Her dad’s business partner. Christina’s boyfriend.

Oh, shit. Her panic attacks. Her need for control of sexual situations.

What has he been doing to her?

“Xander. Come with me.”

“What?” His dark eyes meet mine.

“Aria. I think she’s in trouble.” There must be something in my expression that relays to him the seriousness of the situation.

Without further need for discussion, we bolt for the patio door, hurrying inside and racing up the stairs.

“Do you know which room she used today?”

“Yeah.” I turn the corner and lead our sprint down the hall until I get to the guest bedroom in question—the room Aria and I fucked in earlier. The room where her dad—no, Conner—saw what we were up to. I throw the door open ready to tear into this guy. I know in this moment that I would kill for this girl. I would do anything to keep her safe.

Xander’s right behind me, eyes darting frantically around the room. “Where—”

In the back of my head, I hear her words again. I wanted it to be you. Not him.

A primal roar explodes from my chest, shattering the silence. “Aria!” I grip my head with my hands, and my eyes meet Xander’s for a split second before they squeeze shut, disbelief of the situation ramming into me like a freight train.

“Talk to me, Nate,” Xander grits out.

“He has her. Conner has her. He’s going to hurt her. Xander, I think he’s been hurting her all along.” My teeth clench hard.

Xander freezes as my words sink in, and all the pieces click into place. “Holy fucking shit.” His jaw hardens, his eyes widening in astonishment. His words drop from his lips one at a time, gritty and low. “That sick fuck.” He heaves out a breath, running his hands through his hair and making it stand on end. “All this time. She’s never said a thing. I promise you, she’s said nothing.”

“No time for that. Come on.” I take off through the upper floor and the two of us split up, shouting her name and throwing doors open, just in case she’s up here, but I know damn well she’s not. He’s got her. And I’d bet money he’s the one responsible for Christina’s death. And now it makes perfect fucking sense that it would happen in Aria’s room. Christina must have figured something out or seen something, and it got her killed.

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