Chapter 26

Twenty-Six

Regan

R ook had texted me yesterday, but I ignored it. I was still spiraling from the night at the abandoned house, and honestly, every day I'd spent with him leading up to that.

It seemed like anytime he got close to me, I lost all common sense and gave in to exactly what I wanted to do. I didn't care about what came next or the aftermath of what we did.

Until I woke up today and had a full freak-out over it.

Rook wasn't anyone I could keep hanging around. He wasn't someone who was going to date me or be loyal to me. He told me I would be his until he was done with me, and I knew that would be true. The only problem was I wanted to be with him. I couldn't make any sense of all of it, but I wanted to be around Rook. I wanted to sleep with him, go out with him, get to know more about him.

I wanted to date a killer, and I wasn't sure how to handle it.

He wouldn't even think twice about walking away from me, and I knew it, but that didn't seem to persuade me to stop liking him.

I paced my room for the thousandth time, trying to decide if I should even let the entire thing continue or break ties now.

That line of thinking had me grabbing my bag, calling for a car, and driving to the other side of town. What I needed to do before I went out of my mind was talk to him. I needed to make sure he really didn't want to be together, and that this was just fun.

I tried to push away the hope that he could want this, and then realized how stupid it was to think someone like him would want to be with me, or honestly, that I would want to be with someone like him.

Maverick Moto had been closed for hours, but I knew Rook might be here this late. I headed around the back, seeing the garage door open. But when I stepped in front of it, I couldn't even understand what I saw.

Harper with a bat, a man tied up in front of her. Rook and Aiden stood next to her. Hero was leaning back on the edge of the couch, watching as she yelled and swung.

It was like my mind couldn't comprehend it. I logically knew what they were doing, but I couldn't piece together how this entire scenario would happen.

Rook grinned as the bat connected. Hero yelled out and Aiden laughed when the guy screamed.

Then Rook saw me.

"Regan," he said, apparently as shocked to see me as I was to see this.

I spun, taking back off into the dark to the waiting car, not looking behind me as I prayed I wouldn't hear a bike catching up.

By the time I made it home, I had already missed seventeen calls from Rook and Harper.

They tried again.

And again and again.

I couldn't talk to them yet. My brain was still racing, trying to piece together what I saw.

Not only the idea that Rook and Harper knew each other well enough to hang out, but to, apparently, know each other enough to torture a guy together. I wasn't sure that any amount of thinking about this would make it make sense.

I heard Rook's bike pull up ten minutes after I made it to my room, but I hid. I couldn't face him, not when I could barely get my thoughts straight.

The front door slammed, and I could hear him stomping up the steps.

"Regan!" he yelled, sounding more mad than concerned.

I stayed quiet, not moving from my spot in one of the spare rooms. I knew if I saw him now, I would give in, and I couldn't do that.

He stomped through the house, walking past the door I was behind a few times as he yelled for me more.

Another ten minutes went by before the house went silent. I pulled the door open, peeking out into the hall. I didn't hear or see anything, so I stepped out.

His bike started, the rumble echoing into the house and making me freeze.

When the whine of the bike finally disappeared and the house went silent, I walked back into my room and screamed. The red words dripping down my window made my heart race.

Call me.

My hands shook as I pulled out my phone, hitting Rook's name.

"Is this your blood or someone else's?" I asked the second I heard the call connected.

I could hear his bike faintly in the background. "You are home. Should I turn around or are you going to hide from me again?"

"Is it yours or someone else's?" I asked again.

"Does it matter? It worked. You called."

"Whose is it?"

"Mine. Why are you hiding from me? What you saw wasn't?—"

"I know exactly what I saw. My best friend and the guy I just slept with, killing someone together . What kind of fucked up idea is that? I don't even want to know how you talked Harper into that. Let alone what you think you are doing with Harper. I don't want to see you right now, so don't you dare come back here. And you know what? You're going to respect that, Rook. You are going to respect that I don't want to see you and leave me alone right now."

"Regan, that is not what happened. We were?—"

"Shut up and don't call me again. And don't come here to do this creepy shit ever again, either."

I hung up, throwing the phone onto my bed before I followed, flopping down onto my stomach.

Maybe this was the sign from the universe I had been looking for. Like a big, light up neon sign telling me that trying to date a serial killer might not be the best choice in life.

Morning light streamed in and I heard the door to my room open. I didn't look up, already knowing it was either Harper or Rook.

"We need to talk," Harper said. I peaked out from under the blankets, seeing her standing at the end of my bed with her hands on her hips.

"I know."

"I should have talked to you first. I should have brought you with me," she said.

I sat up, pulling the blankets with me. "I don't get why you didn't. Or what you were even doing? Did Rook make you do something?"

She sat down, already shaking her head. "No, nothing like that. I have a job," she blurted out.

"With Rook?" My eyes felt like they bulged out of my head. He couldn't have really hired Harper, right?

"Oh my god, no. No! Down at a little shop in town. I've needed some money with my parents dealing with their divorce, but the manager is this creepy old man. Well, you saw him. He…" Her words died out, her lip curling. "He was trying to feel me up, and I was worried it wasn't going to stop."

"So you went to Rook?"

"I just didn't know how to explain any of it, and I knew you would freak out. Rightfully so, but I just needed to know he wasn't going to bother me again. I remembered what you said about Rook and his friends, and you seem to trust him enough, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask if they would help me."

Tears welled in her eyes, but she took a deep breath.

"Harper, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me you needed money? Or got a job? Or needed help? I feel like such a shitty friend. I didn't know any of this."

"No, it's not your fault at all. It's all just been so much, I haven't known how to talk about it. You didn't do anything. You are literally there for me every day," she said.

"But I should have noticed something was going on."

She smirked. "You think I can't hide my issues? Yeah, right."

"That's true. The master at hiding your emotions. So Rook and them took care of things for you?"

"They did, and as you saw, I even took care of things a little myself." She smiled, her shoulders rolling back.

"You liked it?" I asked, already seeing the answer on her face.

"I liked being in control of the situation. When he was grabbing me in the parking lot, I felt so helpless. I always pride myself on handling things, and it felt like there was nothing I could do. I liked being able to stop him. I mean, I obviously had some help, but that didn't matter to him when he's tied up and begging me to stop. Tables really turned on that asshole."

"And what happened to him after?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Hero was pretty pissed and I'm pretty sure he cut one or two things off. Rook?—"

"Rook, what?" I asked, interrupting as I held my breath.

Her lips pursed together tight as if she was holding back a laugh. "Rook tattooed ‘pervert' on his hands. He won't be able to hide from anyone."

My mouth dropped open. "Oh my god," I said, lying back.

"Are you mad?"

"I'm mad that I'm almost jealous that I missed it." I sat back up in disbelief. "I'm basically sad that I missed a man getting tortured? What is wrong with me?"

"I mean, I liked being there and helping a man get tortured, so if there is something wrong with you, there is something wrong with me. Does this mean you're not mad?"

I spread my arms, forcing her into a hug. "No. I wish you would have told me, but I get that sucks to talk about. Maybe let me in on it first next time you go talk to Rook about torturing someone?"

"I can absolutely do that," she said with a grin.

I huffed, realizing how little I knew about what was going on around me. From not knowing Harper had a job to not even being sure what my dad's company was doing. Not only was I locked away from the world around me, I was shut out by the people I loved. Maybe not on purpose, but I had been shut out.

I didn't want to be shut out or protected from the truth any longer.

"Tell me everything, Harper. Good, bad… Murdery. Just tell me. I've been kept from so much and you're my best friend. I support you, even if that includes cutting off body parts with Rook. Actually, please tell me if that's going to happen, so at the very least, I can be mentally prepared."

She laughed. "I really don't think that's going to be a common thing, but I will for sure let you know if it will happen again. Would you maybe want to hang out for a while?"

"That would be great. Do you care if I draw?" I asked, surprised at how excited I was to finish the drawing I had been working on.

"Not at all. Dateline?"

"Please."

She sat back, sinking onto the bed next to me. I wasn't sure if I was caught up on everyone's life yet, but I felt like I was getting closer.