Chapter 6

Six

Regan

A nother day went by with me lying around the house. There were no events, no parties, nothing going on except endless days of no one needing me to do anything.

I had stayed around the house after college for my dad. He had made comments here and there about wanting help and not wanting me to be too far from him, and I quickly caught on. So instead of going out into the world after graduating, I came back here to take care of my dad and wait for the day he would let me step in and help him.

But he seemed to be running as fast as he could with the help of all his doctors, and I still waited.

So the most I contributed to this world was art, and even drawing didn't interest me this week. I wanted a reason to get up.

Instead of doing anything worthwhile, I kicked my feet up onto the back of the couch, watching the next episode of Dateline upside down as if it could make it more exciting.

"What are you doing, Regan? Sit upright." My father's voice startled me, making me flip back fast.

He rarely came into this living room. He seemed to spend most days locked in his office here or at his company's building in the city. Even when he was here, I rarely knew it.

Now he sat across from me, making me nervous as he cocked an eyebrow.

"Where were you last night which had you not getting home until one AM and snuck through the back of the house?" he asked, his eyes hard and angry.

"Out with Elliot. I told you I would be," I said, trying to take short breaths to control my now racing heart.

"Then why were you seen walking through our neighbor's yard to ours? He called to make sure you were okay."

"Elliot took a wrong turn and annoyed me. I thought walking through the yard would be easier than staying in the car with him any longer."

His face softened the slightest amount, but he still wasn't happy with the answer.

"You set off a dozen security alarms and sent my guys into a frenzy. I tried calling you, and you continually ignored it. I nearly had a heart attack trying to get everything under control."

"I was on the phone with Harper," I said, trying to sound as innocent as I could. I didn't want him to have any reason to get more stressed.

"This is ridiculous, Regan. I leave you home with anything you need, and yet I have to be woken up in the middle of the night with an alarm about someone walking onto my property."

"Do you have sensors around the yard or something?"

"I have them at the wall you had to climb over. I run a security company. You think I don't have this place locked up well enough?"

"I mean, I assumed, but I didn't know for sure."

"No, because you don't think about anything past your paintings or this ridiculous show," he snapped.

The words cut hard and deep. Maybe this took up a lot of my time, but it wasn't the only thing I liked to think about, and if it were up to me, I would be doing a lot more. But I didn't dare argue back. Upsetting him further would be the last thing I wanted to do. His health already seemed fragile, and the stress couldn't be good for him. Everything I had read about his disease said stress would only make his symptoms worse, and I couldn't be the reason he got worse.

I shook off the sting as my dad's phone rang. He seemed so wrapped up in being angry that he answered while still at the table.

My dad hid so much from me, and I realized this was one of those things. He rarely, if ever, took phone calls in front of me. He would glance at the caller ID and then head to another room fast before answering. I wasn't allowed to hear what he had to say or what they were calling about. The realization nagged at me, only upsetting me more.

"What?" he asked, waiting as the other person spoke. "Like I give a damn. We told you two weeks, and I mean two weeks. To the fucking hour."

He stayed silent again, his lips pressing harder together. "If I don't have the money, you are going to lose a lot more than just your business. Time is running out. You've lost yourself a day."

My mouth dropped open, the words sounding more like something I would expect from someone like Rook rather than from my suit and tie, CEO father. I could only stare as my dad got up and glared at me.

"I have to go," he snapped at me. "Stay at home this weekend. I don't need you going out and causing even more problems. You're not to leave the house at all."

"What if I need food?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Order it. I have too much to do, Regan. I have meetings, travel arrangements." He paused, clearing his throat. "Doctor appointments. I have a lot on my list, and you are not helping."

"You're right," I said, giving in immediately as tears welled up. "I'm sorry."

He only shook his head and pulled out his phone as he headed towards the front of the house.

I sat, staring as the door slammed behind him. I didn't want to cry. I didn't want to face how much of a burden I seemed to be to him when all I wanted to be was an asset, but I couldn't help it.

I was failure, and I hadn't even tried to be.

As much as I wanted to follow my dad's rules and stay home, it was Hallows Night, Havenwoods annual Halloween festival, and we never missed it. I had slipped out of the house, leaving the TV on and hoping the noise would help not raise any suspicion. I didn't actually know how many cameras were in our house, and at this point, I didn't think I wanted to. I should be able to go out with Harper without an issue, though.

Harper had picked me up down the street, and ten minutes later, we were walking downtown.

"You think you can get away with being out?" Harper asked, surprised I had snuck out. I rarely went against my dad's requests, preferring to stay in his good graces, but I couldn't stand to stay in those four walls any longer today.

"I don't know. I hope so. It's like the place is mocking me. I walk around knowing I can't leave or my dad will get mad but not being able to stay and do nothing anymore because I get mad. I don't get it. I've done everything he wanted me to. Why not let me help with the business? Who else would he give it to one day?"

Harper rolled her eyes with a groan. "A man, probably."

My stomach rolled. "You think he would hand it over to a random person because he has a dick instead of giving it to me?"

"I think your dad likes powerful people and seems to think men are more powerful."

I ground my teeth together, knowing she could be right. "I can be as powerful as any man."

"I get it, but does anyone else? You hide away in the house and do what he tells you to. Maybe he truly doesn't know you can do it."

"But then the moment I try to show him, he's upset I'm not doing what I'm told. How am I supposed to win?"

She shrugged. "I think you need to decide what you want and go for it."

"Easier said than done."

As soon as we turned on the main street, I smiled. Everyone seemed ready for Halloween. The holiday had taken over—the entire street strung with orange and purple lights that draped between buildings and cobwebs that hung in each shop's windows. The cheesy, scary pop-up figures lined the street, and the screams and laughter from passersby made me smile. The main street had been closed off to cars, and we wove our way through the games, food, and vendors they had filled it with.

Harper yelled, grabbing my hand to drag me over to our group of friends.

Elliot stood with them, eyeing me as I walked up.

"Hey," I said to no one in particular.

"Where have you been?" Elliot asked, the cold tone making me sneer.

"Safe at home, no thanks to you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"I think it means you left your girl on the street with a robber to fend for herself. Care to talk about it more?" Harper said.

His mouth snapped shut. Whatever he had been about to say dying on his lips. I tried to focus on the rest of the group, everyone making plans for the night and the week, but my mind kept wandering.

I heard the bikes before I saw them. My eyes jumped to Elliot, who seemed to hear them, too. He smacked his friend's chest, nodding to the road behind us. I wasn't surprised at all when he took off, his friends following him in a line as he weaved through the crowd and disappeared.

The bikes revved again, and I froze.

There was no way it could be Rook. He wouldn't really come here to find Elliot, would he? Could he even know Elliot would be here?

Then again, he knew Elliot would be with me at the art exhibit, so he seemed to be keeping tabs on him.

The rev of an engine and flash of lights caught my eye. The road had been closed, but it didn't deter the six bikes coming down it. They split off, three on one side of the street and three on the other as they drove up onto the sidewalk, none of them seeming to care as people jumped out of the way for them.

It was hard to tell the difference between the bikes. Some had different colors, but they all looked similar. A black bike with green lights took off, moving to the middle of the street and popping a wheelie as it sped down the center.

People yelled, but the riders didn't care. For one second, I wondered if it could be Rook as the bike went down the center, but I remembered his had pink-hued lights.

Then I saw it. The blacked out bike, the blacked out clothes, the little pink lights. I knew it was him before he even noticed me. If he would even notice me. He probably couldn't even remember what I looked like.

The rider stood up, his eyes scanning the crowd as one of the other bikes pulled up next to him, a guy with a girl on the back, her blonde hair cascading down her back from the helmet. She didn't seem to be paying much attention to anything, instead tapping away at her phone.

I grabbed Harper, trying to pull her away from the bikes, but she seemed too busy with the guy she was talking to. The crowd had thinned a bit more, everyone staying out of the way in case they came down the street.

The blonde girl smacked the shoulder of the guy in front of her.

The maybe-Rook looked over, and for a second I thought he was looking at me. His helmet obscured his face like always, and I almost thought I imagined it until he waved to the others and pointed directly at me.

"Harper," I hissed. I turned my back to the bikes, and heading towards the middle of the street again.

The rev of all the engines at once felt deafening, the entire group heading towards us now. The crowd around me dispersed, leaving me nearly alone in the middle of the road.

The bikes circled me. The tires screeching on pavement until I was blind to everything beyond them. One turned, speeding away before heading straight towards the group again.

My feet felt glued to the ground even as the bike barreled toward me. The engine roared louder, the rider hitting the brakes less than a foot away. The back of the bike lifted, the helmet stopping inches from my face. I held my breath, the scent of burning rubber and gasoline filling my nostrils.

"Rook," I finally said.

The bike dropped back down, and he pulled off his helmet.

Underneath wasn't any more comforting. His face had been painted, the black and white skeleton face marred by splattered red paint.

At least, I hoped it was red paint.

He smiled. The creepy makeup made me want to take another step back, but I couldn't. Fear and excitement swirled through me until I wasn't doing anything but staring at him.

He leaned in further, our lips so close I could kiss him if I wanted. The smile changed, curving into a wicked grin as his eyes went heavy.

"Found you."