Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

W e all sit on the couch across from Rylee, waiting for her to tell us what's been going on. Donny's leg bounces, and I know he wishes he could be next to her. As do I. . I just want to touch her, hold her, tell her how much I love her and have missed her. That no matter what's going on, all she ever has to do is tell us and we'll be there for her.

"Spit it out," Mateo growls.

"Okay, that's enough," I snap. "I get that we're all on edge. But I've had enough of the way you've been talking to our girl."

Mateo shoots me a glare, but doesn't say anything else.

"Thank you, Colton," Rylee says, but she's shooting daggers at Mateo while she speaks. "To sum it up, the Dean showed up at my dorm. Someone framed me, probably his daughter, and filled my locker full of steroids. He expelled me, and when I tried to fight him, he pulled out his phone and threatened to expose us all."

"Expose us? What does that even mean?" Lennox asks.

"It means that the Dean got his hands on the video my slimy fucking ex has of us. Dean Kondum was going to use it, share it with the world. And seeing as how you all had more to lose than I did, I wasn't going to let that happen."

"I'm going to fucking kill them," Lennox growls. "The both of them. I knew the Dean was bad fucking news, but now? Now he's gone too far."

"Did you just decide on your own to play hero and dip the fuck out?" Mateo snarls. "We are in a relationship, Rylee. That means we are there for each other. How the fuck are we supposed we get through things like this if you don't even talk to us? As much as I want to rip that fucker's dick off and make him choke on it, you should have come to us!"

Rylee jumps to her feet. "It's not like I could when the fucker was breathing down my neck. He made me write that note, he watched me pack my bags. He called me a fucking cab and forced me to get into it, making sure it went to the airport. He told me he would know if I didn't get on the plane… So, I was afraid. That man is powerful. What else should I have done?!"

"Called us!" Mateo shouts.

"He took my fucking phone," Rylee shouts back. The two of them are nose to nose, chests heaving, looking like they're about to fight or fuck. Maybe both?

"Enough." Standing, I get between the two of them. I turn to Rylee, and in a soft voice, I ask her, "Why didn't you call us when you got here?"

She lets out a heavy sigh and runs a hand through her red hair. "Because. I was tired, I wanted some time to get my head around everything that was going on. Only for me to walk into my mom's place and find dear old dad there."

"Wait, what?" Donny asks, looking at her confused.

"Yeah." She lets out a laugh. "To add the cherry on top of this shitty cake, it turns out I've got a dad. Well, of course, I've always had a dad, but I know who he is now. And here's the kicker, it turns out, the old dude who owns this hotel—" she holds her hands up, "—is my dear old granddad. Yeah, my dad is the son of a billionaire. Fun, huh."

"Wow," Donny whispers.

"Yeah. So, sorry if my mind has been elsewhere. My plan was to wake up after a very shitty sleep, have something to eat, and then do some thinking. Then my new father showed up asking to talk, that's when I saw you, and you know the rest."

"That's a lot to take in," Lennox says.

"You think?" She gives him a blank look.

"So, you didn't leave us?" I ask her.

"No." Her face softens.

"You still want to be with us?" Donny asks.

"Of course I do. I love you guys. I wouldn't just leave you like that."

"I'm pissed at you," Mateo mutters, but the heat is no longer there. "If we're going to do this, we need to be a team."

"You're one to talk," she sasses him, earning a growl. "Oh, don't growl at me, buddy. You're the last one of this group to pull his head out of his ass."

"She has a point." Donny laughs.

"Fuck you."

"Nope, that's his job." Donny hitches a thumb toward Lennox.

"Fucking hell." Lennox sighs.

I can't help but grin. Rylee sees me and smiles too.

"Hi." I pull her into my arms.

"Hi."

"I've missed you." I kiss the tip of her nose. "I'm so damn glad that note was bullshit."

"I'm a little hurt that you believed it." She bites her lower lip, looking like she's about to cry.

"I didn't," Donny says.

"Yeah right." Mateo throws a pillow at him. "You were the one who lost his shit."

"Well, after I had some time to think, I knew she would never do that!"

"Enough!" Lennox shouts. "Look, now that we know the truth." He turns to Rylee. "You need to come back to school. He can't kick you out over that."

"Nope." Rylee steps back, shaking her head. "Not happening. Sorry, but that man and his daughter are fucking nuts. I'm not going back there."

"So what, you're just going to give up everything you've worked so hard for?" Lennox asks.

"That's not the Rylee we know," Mateo adds. "The Rylee who, no matter what was thrown at her, never let it drag her down. The Rylee who kept coming back swinging."

"Well, that Rylee is tired!" she shouts. "I'm so damn tired." Her voice breaks right along with my heart. "All I ever wanted to do was go to school and get a good education. To cheer, the one thing I love the most in the world. But none of it has ever been easy. And I know life isn't going to be a cake walk, but it's not supposed to be this hard. I shouldn't have had to deal with any of the bullshit that's been thrown my way. But I kept going, because I knew what I wanted, and wasn't going to let anyone get in my way. But this isn't just about me anymore. Those videos will hurt all of you. I will not be the one to ruin your future."

Mateo steps forward, surprising me. He puts his hands on her shoulders, making her look at him. "We were assholes. We were beyond stupid. The shit we did, we were wrong. You didn't deserve any of that, and we will forever be doing whatever we can to make up for it. But you are not alone, Rylee. You have us. And we will fight for you. For us."

"Starting with getting you back into school. I don't know how yet, but by the end of this break, you will be back at Solidarity Academy, your name cleared, and that fucking Dean gone," Lennox says, with so much confidence in his voice, Rylee's eyes widen.

"And that bitch of a daughter of his will be gone from the Cheer house. Because if you're going to be living with us, we don't want her there. Not that we wanted her there anyway." Donny shudders.

"Wait, what? Live with you guys, since when?" Rylee looks at the group of us.

"Well, you're on the team. You deserve to live there. No one except Missi really has an issue with you. Once she's gone, the other girls will let it go," I tell her. "And the fact is, I think I speak for all of us when I say, we mostly just want you close by." I smile.

"And you're not allowed cats in the dorm. We're allowed pets in the Cheer house. You don't want to risk losing Peaches now, do you?" Donny adds.

"Oh, that's playing dirty." She sighs. "Fine. Fine. I'll come back, but only if you can guarantee me that the Dean will no longer be an issue, and that crazy bitch isn't in the house, or on the team, anymore. If you can't give me that, I'm not coming back."

"Done," Lennox says.

"You can't promise me that."

"I can, and I will." He stares her down.

I look at Donny and we both grin. I don't know what Lennox has planned, but if he's so confident in his words, then he must have something up his sleeve.

"But for now, we enjoy Christmas," Mateo says. "Let's go see what my mom is up to."

"Has anyone let Trevor know what's going on?" I ask, looking at all of them.

Donny's face falls. "Shit, I knew we were forgetting something."

My mom is all smiles the moment we knock on her door and she swings it open. I don't think I have seen her look so happy, and non-stressed, since my dad passed away. Her hair is pulled back into a low bun, and she has some color in her cheeks from the sun. She looks amazing.

"Ma." I grunt as she squeezes me as tight as she can.

"Oh, Nino, I have missed you so much," she mumbles against my chest, before moving back and pressing along my stomach. "You're too thin. Have you been eating?" she grumbles and I laugh.

There is a whirl of dark hair out of the corner of my eye, and soon, Nando is clutching my legs, almost knocking me onto my ass, causing me to grunt.

Donny holds me up. "Wow, I feel left out," he mumbles and Len scoffs. My mom lets me go completely and I waddle inside the best I can with Nando now sitting on my feet.

"You're getting too big for this," I grumble, and he looks up at me with the biggest smile. I know that them moving here was for the best, but I have missed seeing them whenever I wanted.

"Come in," my mom says, ushering us all into the small but tidy kitchen area. The walls are covered with framed pictures of her and Nando enjoying the beach, smiling. I wish Brenna were here too, but I knew it would be a battle not worth fighting.

I just hope she knows what she's doing, but regardless, I will always be here for her.

She's family.

"Teo, you have to come see my room!" Nando says excitedly, climbing to his feet. He takes my hand and pulls me down a short hallway to the bedrooms. Rylee laughs at something my mom says, but I'm too far away to hear it.

We stop at a door that has a sign on it with Nando's name. He swings open the door with a huge smile, and I make an exaggerated gasp at how cool it looks. He has a bunk bed with a huge Lego table in the corner.

"Wow, I know what Donny is going to be doing later," I say with a laugh. You would never know it, but he is obsessed with Lego. We have kits hidden in the closet, and a few Harry Potter builds on a shelf in the living room.

I take a seat on Nando's desk chair and watch him for a few minutes as he shows me all the new things he's acquired. He's like a kid on Christmas morning, and I find some of the tension leaving my shoulders.

Rylee's mom has gone above and beyond to make my family feel welcome and safe here. I owe them more than they will ever know.

"Knock, knock," Rylee says as she walks into the room and plops down onto my lap, giving me a smile. I know we fight, but that's just how we do foreplay. Truth is, I would be lost without this girl in my arms.

"Your mom wants to take us all to Chili's to get something to eat," she whispers, a breath away from my lips. If my little brother wasn't right there, I would kiss her.

"Yes!" Nando yells. "Mac and cheese," he says, standing and racing back into the kitchen. Rylee laughs, watching him go as I wrap my arms around her a little tighter.

"Thank you," I whisper. she gently pushes me away, rolling her eyes and pursing her lips.

I know she's about to sass back, but I stop her before she can.

"Such a fucking brat," I growl before taking her lips and biting on the bottom one until she whimpers. I lick away the sting and she moans softly, making my cock ache.

"I'm trying to be nice here and show you how much I appreciate what you did for my family, but you are making my palm twitch," I mumble and she laughs, then sighs, looking me in the eyes.

Running her nails along the back of my neck, she leans a little closer, whispering against my lips.

"You would think by now, Teo, you would know that I love you guys, and I would have helped your family regardless of if we were fighting or not. Plus, now that I know who my granddad is, it makes sense that they welcomed your mom and brother so easily," she says, then furrows her brows.

Shaking her head, she looks up at the ceiling. I know she's been through a lot lately, and I still haven't wrapped my head around her meeting her father, so I can only imagine how she's feeling right now.

Gripping her hips, I place her feet onto the carpet and stand, taking her hand.

"Come on. Let's get some food. I know Donny is going to start complaining of starvation soon." Rylee laughs once more, but this time it's hollow as she leads me back down to the kitchen, to where my family waits for us.

Glancing around at the people surrounding us, I can't help but smile.

This is my family. It may not be perfect, but it's mine, and I wouldn't change a thing.

"I'm sorry that we couldn't have a tree, Ma," I say as Nando and I finish putting some ornaments on a small palm tree that they have set in the corner of the room. Lennox moves from the kitchen and hands me a beer.

"Oh, Nino, don't worry about it. Just you being here is a blessing. I am so incredibly grateful to you, Rylee, and her mama," she says with a shaky breath. "I just wish your sister would come to her senses and leave that dreaded town."

Placing my drink onto a side table, I climb to my feet and pull Ma into my arms for a tight hug. She pulls away and blinks, trying to hide her tears. She's always been so strong. I guess I can see who I got my strength from.

"She loves Kyle, Ma, but I'll keep her safe," I say and she sighs, shaking her head before moving closer to Nando to give him a hug.

He grumbles, but allows it. He doesn't know how blessed we are to be loved so much. Especially coming from our neighborhood, and the family. We lucked out. Our mom is fucking awesome.

Tonight is Christmas Eve, and Rylee is at the penthouse, which has become our shared room. She's still not talking to her mom, and she's avoiding her father. I can't blame her, but I hope she takes advantage of having a dad that's alive and seems to want to have a relationship with her.

Donny is with her, cuddled up on the loveseat with his ridiculous blanket and Squishmallow as they eat a cart-full of room service junk food, which is totally going to ruin their dinner, and Colt is doing some recon for us. I was serious about kicking her slimy ex's ass before we head back to school.

So far we haven't been able to track him down. But if anyone can find some information about him, Colt is the guy for the job.

I don't care if we have to show up at his house. He's going to learn, he fucked with the wrong people. Not only has he threatened the woman we love, he almost ruined our relationship before it even started, and he's helping the Dean.

He needs to be fucking irradicated, and if I could get him in a ring right now, I wouldn't be leaving until he was either in a coma or a casket. Yeah, maybe it would be better to link up with him off the hotel's property.

"Where did you go?" Len asks me and I rub my chin, sighing. I give him a smile and shake my head before moving over to the small palm tree and lifting Nando up into my arms, swinging him around as he squeals and my mom laughs.

Chaz will get his comeuppance, but right now, I need to spend time with my family and enjoy the memories we're creating.

Len snaps a few photos and gives me a smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

I know the holidays are hard for him. He's missing his mom, and wishing things could be different. The door opens and I'm not surprised to see Donny, Rylee, and Colt walking through.

Rylee has a huge bag filled with wrapped gifts and I growl. "We already exchanged gifts. What is all this?" She hands the bag to Lennox and places her hands on her hips, giving me a purse of her lips.

Damn, she's hot. I love riling her up. "It's not for your ungrateful ass. It's for your mom and Nando," she snarks, and my heart picks up its pace. I swallow a few times and move closer to her. Taking her hand, I lead her out the door and into the hall.

"Teo, stop," she grunts, fighting me as I move her away from the others. Pressing her back against the wall, I grip her hip and pull her flush to me, taking her lips for my own, putting all my thoughts and feelings into the kiss.

Moving back, I press my forehead against hers as I catch my breath. "Fuck, I love you," I grunt.

Giving me a smile in return, I kiss her once more before releasing her to the guys.

When I enter the kitchen, Len is helping my mom make pasteles, pernil, and arroz con andules. It's always been a holiday tradition, and I'm glad she's continuing it here in her new home. There is a heavy absence hanging over the room, and I know that my dad is looking down on us.

Christmas was his favorite holiday. He would go all out, and when he thought Brenna and I were in bed, he would put on some music and twirl my mom around the living room. The twinkling Christmas tree lights were the only light to guide them.

I always hoped to have that one day, and maybe now with Rylee I do.

Christmas goes off without a hitch, and I find myself enjoying our vacation. Playing with Nando on the beach, Rylee and Donny making some crazy TikToks in the water, Len and my mom cooking together, and Colton relaxing for once.

All in all, it's been a great break, but we still have one more thing on our agenda, and tomorrow night, Chaz is going to meet his maker. Colton was finally able to get his home address.

He's been hiding at his mom's house since he heard Rylee was back in town. Fucking coward. He's lucky it's just me and the boys coming for him.

Rolling over on the sand, I lift my sunglasses and peek at Rylee. Her and Len are playing in the water, laughing as he splashes her. Donny is moving toward me with a tray of snacks, and I roll my eyes as he plops down beside me.

"You know when we get back to campus, Len and Colt are going to put you through hell in the gym," I mutter and he snorts, scrunching his nose, then running his fingers through his messy hair.

"I have a high metabolism. Plus, competition season is coming up. I'm not worried," he mumbles before shoving some fries in his mouth, groaning. "The food here is so good," he says with his mouth full.

Rolling my eyes, I search the beach for Colt. He said he wanted to check in on his mom, but that was hours ago. He probably decided to take a nap. We were up late talking about how to get Rylee back into school, and he is the master planner between us all.

I'm just the muscle and protector of my family. Plus, tonight will be another late night, if I have any say in it.

I have been wanting to smash that asshole's face in ever since I heard him and Rylee discussing blackmailing Lennox. Yes, now I know the truth, but he's lucky I didn't fly down here sooner and do it.

"Are you just going to lay here, or get up and join us in the water?" Len says, running over to us and dripping all over my leg. I glance out at the water once more, where Rylee is waving to me.

"Fuck it. Let's get wet."

"Are you sure this is his address?" Donny asks as we Uber to some fancy estate about twenty minutes from the hotel.

"This is the place he has listed on his employee form as place of residence," Colt replies and I scoff.

"I wonder who else this prick has blackmailed to afford this," I grumble and Len nods.

"You can let us out here. If you wouldn't mind waiting, I'll double the fare," Don says to Liam and he nods.

Opening the SUV door, we climb out and keep to the shadows along Rylee's ex's front gate. Looking up, I don't see any cameras, but you can never be too careful. Colt stops us and hands over the masks for us to wear tonight.

He didn't want to do traditional black ski masks because it's not like we're casing the place, so he found some light up ones.

"These are sick. I want to use them on campus. Sneak up on some of the team in the dark," Donny says with a fake witch's laugh, and Len smacks him in the stomach, hissing for him to shut up.

Colt stops walking and pulls out his phone with a sigh. "We better be quick. Rylee is already asking where we are," he says, so we pick up the pace.

"Back door," I point out, and we curve around the house to a porch. I immediately see our target through the kitchen window. He has some rock music blasting and he's head banging while making a sandwich.

We don't knock. We don't smash glass. All we do is turn the knob and step inside. I remove my mask, because we never wanted to hide who we were from him. Just in case the place had security.

"What the fuck?!" Chaz shouts when he looks up and sees us. Jumping, he drops his knife slathered in mayo onto the pristine marble floor.

"Oh, Chazy boy, I have waited a long time to meet you," Donny coos, stepping around us and moving closer to him. I watch as his face pales and he glances between the four of us.

"I didn't have a choice! That Kondum douche found out something about my past and was going to use it against me. I don't know how he knew I had the video." He immediately starts to cower and babble.

Rolling my neck from side to side, I give him a nasty grin as I prepare to beat him into the ground.

"That's good to know, but we're here because you thought you could tape us in the first place," Len says, placing a finger to his bottom lip in thought, tapping it a few times. "You really shouldn't have bothered because my father wouldn't have cared. All you ended up doing was pissing us off and ruining our relationship with Rylee. But don't worry, we're all good now," he continues.

"That slut never deserved to leave Sanderson. Who does she think she is? Mary fucking Poppins," Chaz blabbers, nostrils flaring in anger, and Donny scrunches his nose. I shake my head, because I have no idea what he's trying to say.

"Grab him," I order and Donny and Len lurch forward, restraining his arms behind his back. The weasel is weak, and he's no opponent for me.

"Oh, Chazy boy. My man, Teo, is going to love rearranging your face," Donny hisses with a devious smile, looking insane.

"No, please, I… I'm sorry. I don't have any more copies besides those on my phone. Just take my phone," Chaz pleads, but I've heard enough from this loser asshole.

Lifting my arm, I swing my fist into his gut first, knocking the air from his lungs. He gasps and I smirk.

"This is going to be fun."

Walking into the Penthouse, we try to be quiet, assuming Rylee is sleeping, but we shouldn't have bothered. Donny is giggling like a madman and Len keeps shushing him. We were only gone for an hour at most.

Rylee is sitting on the couch with a paperback in her hand, reading. She looks up when we enter and raises one of her eyebrows in question. I am on a fighting high, and all I want to do is bend her over the couch like our first time together, but I need a shower first.

The dickhead ended up pissing himself before I could even get a third hit in. Colt was disgusted and Donny began gagging, so I cold-cocked him, grabbed his phone, and called it good.

Len may have gotten a few kicks in as well when he fell to the kitchen floor, but I'm not one to judge.

Standing, she moves toward us and Donny rushes over, scooping her up into his arms, tossing her over his shoulder and smacking her ass.

"Donny, stop!" she squeals as he takes her to the bedroom.

Lennox moves closer to me as Colt grabs a bottle of water from the small mini-bar. "Think she knows?" he asks and I roll my eyes, then laugh.

"Oh yeah, she's onto us."