Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 123212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Well, well. Maybe Colton was right, I really don’t want to miss this.
I step out of the way and wave them through before pointing out the living room. They’re quick to jump into action and start making their way toward it with me being far too nosey for my own good and following behind them.
I step into the living room just in time to watch the smug grin on Jacqueline's face drop in horror, realizing that she’s been caught.
Fuck yes. That was so damn satisfying.
She quickly pulls herself together. “What is the meaning of this?” she demands, waving her hand toward the police. “This is a private matter.”
Colton laughs, his eyes briefly flicking toward me. “You really thought that you’d get away with this?” he questions. “I’m Colton Fucking Carrington. Bitches like you have been trying to weasel your way into my father’s bank account for years. You’re a snake and you’ll never get your hands on a single dime, but it’s okay, you won’t be needing it where you’re going.”
Her eyes bug out of her head and a laugh bubbles up my throat. Jacqueline shoots her nasty glare at me. “You think this is funny?”
“Yeah, actually, I do,” I tell her, making a show of pulling out my phone. “You’re a fraud who took advantage of Colton while he’s trying to grieve for his lost father. You’re getting exactly what you deserve, but it’s going to be even funnier recording you getting arrested. Do me a favor and make it super dramatic. Throw in some squeals and maybe those crocodile tears that I bet you’re so good at. It'll make great footage for all my social media accounts. I wonder if it will go viral?” I pause for a brief moment, scoffing at my own idiocy. “Duh. Of course it will. This is Charles Carrington we’re talking about. I bet I could sell it for a good price too.”
A high-pitched squeal comes tearing out of her and she runs at me, claws out and ready to go. The two cops dive for her and I quickly hit record. “This is great, by the way,” I say as she screams while making sure to keep Colton’s face off camera. “Keep up the good work.”
Jacqueline is handcuffed and as she’s pulled away, Officer Laney begins reading her rights. She’s taken outside and we follow the cops to the door, watching as they start carting her downstairs and then all too soon, the door is closed and Colton and I are left standing in the quiet foyer, neither of us knowing what the hell to say.
I look up at him, meeting the eyes that make my heart both race and break at the same damn time. His stare softens and is quickly filled with regret. Although I’m desperate for some kind of apology and to feel him pull me into his arms, I simply don’t have the strength to deal with it right now. So, I do what any other self-respecting girl would do and walk away.
Chapter 19
I stare up at the graying clouds above as I lay in the thick, manicured grass of the Carrington property. I don’t know how the hell Charles managed to make the grass this damn soft, but it’s no surprise that he was so proud of it. Well, to be honest, the softness of the grass probably has absolutely nothing to do with him. He probably didn’t know the first thing about taking care of the lawn, but he certainly took the credit for it.
Back home, our grass was always brown and kinda prickly and the thought of lying in it sends chills racing down my spine. I think this is the first time in my life that I’ve ever voluntarily laid in the grass and I’m really starting to see the appeal.
The past month has been hell. I’ve suffered through all sorts of shit from the people of Bellevue Springs, things that no seventeen-year-old girl should ever have to face. If I could do it all over again, I think I’d try harder to talk Mom out of coming here, but she’s so damn happy here. How could I have been the reason she missed out on that?
Mom knows most of the bullshit that’s been going on, but if I were to tell her about Jude, she’d pack us up and leave. One part of me screams for it, screams to be released from this hell, to be somewhere that I won’t have the constant reminder of what he did to me ... but the other part, the part that desperately wants to be accepted, that part of me won’t let me leave.
To be honest, Colton is a massive part of that too.
If I were a smart girl, I would have been out of here after I was cornered by those boys and had acidic grease poured all over me. Hell, if I were smart, I would have left after the first time that Jude welcomed himself into my room. I thought I was stronger. I thought that I could handle it, but I was wrong—so fucking wrong. I knew Jude was a predator and I knew he had me in his sights. Walking out to the pool area was a bad move, but allowing myself to be out there alone, that was just stupid.