13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Skyla

B efore Wesley left, he insisted on sweeping the house. Honestly, I was relieved he offered. Did he go inside? Or did he just leave the photograph on the doorstep? Who knows, but I sure as hell didn't want to find out at night that he was hiding under my bed the whole time.

Thankfully, the house was clear. Wesley even offered to stay behind until Ronan got there. The way he said Ronan's name confirmed my assumption, that he suspects something is up with him. But it's not like I'm going to be the one to out us. I told him it wasn't necessary and before he could even argue, Ronan was calling me, demanding I tell him everything.

Now, Ronan and Liam are both at the house and we are sitting downstairs in the living room. Asher is in the kitchen, pouring himself his third drink of the day. I never noticed how much he drank before. Probably because we didn't live together, but honestly, it's a concerning amount. I'm surprised he's not already drunk with how full those scotch glasses are.

No one says anything as we sit in silence, until the front door is practically blown off its hinges and a furious Vincent storms inside. He's dressed in black from head to toe, his hair wet from sweat when he turns to face us. Scratch that, not wet with sweat. Blood.

There is blood splattered across his entire face and arms, his eyes practically bulging out of his head as he screams.

"Why the FUCK am I the last to know about anything? I leave town for half a goddamn day, and everything goes to shit?" he shouts at no one in particular, before he turns his eyes on Asher.

"Putnam, I swear to fucking god if you don't bring that bitch to heel—"

"Trust me, one more misstep and that fork is going straight in her fucking neck," Asher practically bites out before tossing his drink back.

Vincent seems surprised by Asher's cooperation. He was clearly looking for more of a fight. Unfortunately, that leaves him without a target, and he sets his eyes on me. He closes the distance between us, anger still boiling just under the surface as he crouches down in front of me.

"Siren, why the fuck didn't you call me?"

"I did," I say softly.

"You called me when your fucking stalker showed up at the house. Why didn't you call me when she assaulted you?"

I shrug my shoulders and shake my head.

"She slapped me, it's hardly assault."

"Not in the law's eyes," Vincent interjects.

Asher snorts. "Yeah, ‘cause you know all about the law don't you."

Vincent doesn't even look at Asher as he continues staring at me. Past the blood-splattered face, I see an unmasked hurt and I hate that I put it there. Vincent wants me to need him, to rely on him, desperately. I think he believes that's the only good he is to me. That he's only here as a protector and if he's not doing that…

"I was okay. I was safe. I knew you were busy, and I didn't want to—"

"I swear to Christ if you say bug me, I'll kiss you until your lips are bruised," he groans in irritation.

I can't help but give him a small, sad smile. That's what he promised me the other day, in Ronan's yard after he grabbed me a little too hard. He promised that from then on, the only bruises he'd leave on me would be on my lips. Good to see he's attempting to make good on his promises.

"I'm sorry," I say dejectedly, not having it in me to fight with him.

He blows out an angered breath, nodding his head as he stands up.

"Go clean yourself up and we'll talk," Ronan offers.

Vincent wordlessly nods and walks to the downstairs guest bathroom. Several minutes go by before there is a knock at the door. I frown at the sound, my body instantly tensing as Ronan stands to answer it. The living room is tucked out of view from the front door and Liam holds me closer than before. His hand running soothing circles on my back as the sound of the door opening echoes through the house.

Some murmured words are exchanged before Maggie meekly walks into the room. She looks around at the guys, not meeting Asher's eyes as she looks to me.

"Hey, Sky."

"Hey, Mags," I say softly.

She stands there stiffly, twisting her hands together before she speaks.

"Can we talk?"

I nod, standing up and moving towards her. I feel all the guys follow me with their eyes, but I ignore them as I lead her upstairs. When we get to my room, I take a seat on my bed and she does as well.

We sit there in silence for several minutes, her eyes on her twisting hands in her lap before I speak.

"So, you and Bridgette?" I ask.

Her eyes come to mine, regret and sadness in them as she nods.

"Kinda. Not really. I mean, not anymore, you know," she says, as she runs a hand through her thick red hair.

"As soon as she realized people were watching me console her in the dining hall, she shoved me to the ground. She called me a nasty lesbian and ran away crying," Maggie scoffs, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip as she looks away.

My heart hurts for my friend and I reach my hand out, resting it on her leg as I squeeze. Her watery eyes come to me, full of shame and disappointment.

"What's wrong with me? Why does it have to be her? She's mean and vindictive and a fucking cunt. So, why the fuck do I still want her?"

A tear drips down her face, and I close the distance between us, pulling her in for a hug as she begins to cry into my neck. I hold her and let her release all the pent up hurt inside. Truthfully, I couldn't tell her what the reason is for her not being able to get over Bridgette Brenton. Besides being beautiful, she has virtually nothing going for her. She's a nasty bitch, and my best friend is one of the kindest humans you'll ever meet. She deserves someone a hell of a lot better than Bridgette. Especially if that's how she's going to treat her.

"I'm sorry I was even worried about her today," Maggie says as she pulls away from me, sniffing and wiping away her tears. "She attacked you. I should have been checking on you, not the other way around."

I give her a sympathetic smile and a nod.

"It's okay. Maggie. You like her, you saw her hurt. If that was one of my guys, I'd have felt the same way."

"You're not mad at me?" she asks.

I shake my head. "I'm just sorry she's putting you through the wringer like this."

Maggie lets out a sarcastic laugh and shakes her head.

"It is what it is. She's just so afraid of being labeled, she can't get out of her own way to realize how happy we were this summer. We had the house to ourselves while our parents were out of town; we spent all day together and every night in bed. It was…perfect."

I listen intently, only she doesn't continue. She trails off before shaking her head.

"Whatever, though. I need to be done. After the plate thing, and then today? I can't have that kind of toxicity in my life, any more than required."

I twist my mouth down in sympathy and nod.

"Well, for what it's worth, I think you can do much better."

Maggie gives me half a smile.

"If this is the part where you admit that you've been in love with me this whole time and want me to join the harem, you have to let me fix myself up first," she says, as she waves her hand over her face.

I throw back my head and laugh.

"You caught me. I'm down bad."

"Psh, they always are," Maggie says with a roll of her eyes, her spark coming more to life by the minute. We hang out for another twenty minutes or so before she stands.

"I should probably get going. I'm massively behind in econ."

I grimace at that and nod.

"Luck be with you," I say as I stand with her, walking her down the stairs and out the front door.

When she's gone, I turn to find the guys murmuring to themselves in the living room. As I crest the corner, all eyes swing to me, though Liam is the first to speak. He gives me a heartwarming smile as I move around the couch.

"Hey, babygirl. Everything good?"

I nod, not choosing to air out Maggie's dirty laundry before I glance at where to sit. I could take up my old spot between Liam and Ronan, but a freshly showered Vincent is sitting on the other side of Ronan, looking broodier than normal. Ronan catches my eye, gesturing to Vincent with his head and a nod.

"Yeah, give Vinny some love. He's had a hard day," Liam teases, as Vincent flips him off.

I slide into Vincent's lap, and he welcomes me happily, scooting myself until I'm completely on top of him before pressing a kiss to the top of my head. I turn to see Asher is still in the kitchen, nursing a new drink.

"So, what were you guys talking about?" I ask.

"We were going over security precautions. Making sure no one can break in," Ronan says.

"And I filled your boyfriend's in on everything. We are good to go," Asher snarks.

The word boyfriend's sounds so bitter rolling off his tongue. It instantly makes me bristle, but I don't engage, focusing on Ronan as he takes my hands into his lap. I feel Vincent make a possessive sounding grumble beneath me that has me giving him a look. He simmers down, and Ronan doesn't pay him any mind as he runs his hands up and down my legs soothingly.

"Don't worry about it, baby. We're taking care of things, okay?"

I frown at that, feeling like they are trying to push me out of the plans and keep information from me. Liam jumps to his feet, grabbing the remote for the TV before turning it on.

"Movie night?" Liam asks as he drops down onto the floor in front of me, leaning his back against the couch as he begins scrolling for a movie.

No one agrees, but then again, no one really protests, which seems to be good enough for Liam. Asher hangs back awkwardly, like he's not sure if he should stay or go. Vincent and Ronan both give him withering looks before Liam glances at me, checking in as I give him a nonchalant shrug.

"Ash, you joining us?" Liam asks.

He pauses, his eyes coming to me and only me. We stare at each other for several seconds, before he wordlessly takes up the recliner on the other side of the room. He kicks the footrest up and settles back into it, before Liam turns on a comedy movie. I'm grateful for it, because I don't think I could take anything horror or thriller. I think we have enough of that crap going on in real-life, thank you very much.