Chapter Twenty

Bailey

"D id you buy up the whole store?" I laughed as Maureen bounced through my front door carrying four full grocery bags.

"Hey, the night is young, and you know how hungry I get when I'm drunk." She set the bags down on the kitchen table and leaned in close. "And I plan to get very fucking drunk."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Everything okay, Maur?"

Her brow furrowed as she emptied out all the bags, spreading a mass array of chips, dip, cheese, frozen pizzas, crackers, ice cream, and chocolate bars all over my table. "If by okay you mean why do I plan to eat my feelings and drink away my sorrows, then nope." She popped the p with pursed lips.

I retrieved two pint glasses from the cabinet and filled them with ice. We needed drinks, stat. "What's going on?"

As I perused the bottles of liquor, trying to decide on what our first cocktail of the night should be, Maureen snatched the vodka and shoved it into my hands. "I need a Bailey special ."

Oh, fuck. She really was upset. The last time we drank dirty martinis was senior year after she walked in on her mom fucking her accountant. Her mom swore her to secrecy. The last thing Sheriff Gray needed was another reminder that he wasn't good enough for his wife. She came from old money and despite their early connection, Mrs. Gray quickly grew tired of a Sheriff's salary.

I grabbed two martini glasses and my shaker, pushing the pint glasses to the side. "Coming right up. Now start talking."

She plopped down in a chair and pulled out a bag of weed and rolling papers. "Well, my dad found out about one of my mom's side pieces and she thinks I told him. What a fucking joke. So now she's refusing to pay my tuition for school next year."

My mouth dropped open. "Oh, shit, Maur. What the fuck is wrong with her? You've been keeping her dirty secrets for years. Why would she think you'd spill now."

She shrugged as she pinched some of the weed and sprinkled it inside a rolling paper. "She's on opiates half the time so who the fuck knows? I think she was just looking for an excuse to stop me from going. She's miserable and wants everyone else to be too."

Fuck. Maureen has dreamed about getting away from here since we were kids. "I'm so sorry… Maybe she'll cool off in a couple of days. How did your dad react?"

She licked the paper before rolling and twisting it between her fingers. "How he always does. Work. He's been sleeping at the station for two days. It's that or he'll turn into a raging alcoholic again. You know how hard he's worked to stay sober."

My heart ached for her. I threw my arms around her shoulders. "Fuck. I'm sorry. "

"You and me both. I guess this means I have to get a job now. I should be able to save up enough money by the time I'm thirty." She groaned as she lit up the joint and took a long drag before passing it to me.

I shook my head as I coughed out smoke. "No. Fuck that. I'm giving you the money."

Her eyes widened. "No, Bales. I'm not taking your money. I'll figure it out."

"Maur, I have more than I know what to do with. Please, let me do this for you. I know how much you want to go to school. Besides, I'm thinking of all the amazing clothes you'll send me once you become a famous costume designer." If she stayed here in Wickford Hollow, she'd end up in a loveless marriage just like her parents. The pool of men here was less than appealing.

Maureen groaned again. "I don't know. Maybe you're right, and she'll cool off."

I raised my martini. "Well, here's hoping she does. But if not, I got your back. Either way, you're going to that school."

Her eyes welled with tears, but she quickly blinked them back. "Cheers, bitch. Here's to a fun night with no drama." She took a big sip of her drink. "I love you, Bales."

"Right back at ya, bestie." I winked as I mixed a fresh batch of martinis.

After piling an obnoxious amount of cheese onto a massive cutting board, we grabbed our drinks and headed into the living room.

" So , what's going on at the house of whips and chains?" Maureen cooed.

A little vodka dribbled down my chin as I laughed mid-sip. "No beating around the bush with you, huh?"

She cocked her head to the side. "I bet they're beating your bush, bitch. I thought I noticed you walking funny."

I threw a pillow at her as she burst into a fit of giggles. "I forgot how classy you are." I laughed. "But yeah, everything is good. I'm still trying to get a read on Raine. He's bringing things out of me I've never felt before."

Maureen perked up. "Like kinky stuff?"

I nodded. "Kind of. It's more about the control. I have this need to give it to him. All of it. He pushes my boundaries, and I like it."

Maureen kicked her legs up on the couch. "Ooh, girl. That is what I'm talking about. I've been watching so much porn since you told me about them. Not gonna lie, I'm jealous of your sex life."

I shrugged. "Trust me, it's not always easy. I have four very strong personalities I'm trying to navigate through. After the sex, we still have to live together. It can be a challenge."

Maureen rolled her eyes. "If half of them are as hot as I think they are, then I would happily juggle their mood swings. It's the price you pay to cum hard."

We burst into another fit of laughter. "You make a good point." I poured the rest of my martini down my throat. "I think it's margarita time."

Maureen's head bobbed up and down as she finished her drink as well. "Fuck yeah."

We spent the next hour having a lively debate about vibrators versus actual cock, drinking margaritas, and eating chips and salsa. She gasped and squealed as I described what it felt like to have four fingers inside me at the same time.

"Okay, bitch. You are officially my hero," Maureen drawled. "I'm so happy you finally told me about them."

That familiar twinge of guilt reverberated through me. I didn't want to be a downer, but I promised her no more secrets. "Maur… something else happened at Wickford. After we had coffee yesterday."

She sat up and poured herself another margarita from the pitcher. "I'm already not liking the sound of this. "

I swallowed down the lump in my throat. "When I got home, the guys were cleaning up glass in the foyer. Someone threw a brick through our window. And by someone, I'm pretty sure it was Billy. There was a note covering it with the word freak on it."

Maureen's cheeks flamed. "Motherfuckers." She leaped up and paced around the living room. "That's it, Bales. I know you don't want to ruffle feathers, but he has got to be dealt with."

I nodded. "I know. You're right. It's getting out of hand now. They came to my fucking house and vandalized it. What's next? We have to figure out what to do about them."

Maureen took big gulps. "Well, we have to tell my dad. Maybe get a restraining order against him?"

I sighed. "Yeah but I have no actual proof it was him. You know that's the first thing your dad will ask for."

Her eyes lit up. "What about security cameras? They're easy to install. Next time he comes around, boom you're on camera, bitch."

That would take too long. "But then I'm just walking around my own house on eggshells waiting for him to show up again. And Maur… if Billy gets into my house, the guys will kill him. I don't mean that figuratively. Like they will actually murder him."

Maureen shrugged. "Good. Maybe that's what he deserves for fucking with the coolest bitch in Wickford Hollow."

I shook my head. As much as I hated Billy, I didn't want his blood on my hands. "I'm going to say no to murder, Maur. There's got to be another way."

She waved her hands around, spilling some of her drink on her hand. She licked it off. "Okay, okay. No murder. Jeesh."

The expression on her face made me giggle. No one else could make me laugh the way she did. "It will come to us. Let's just forget about it for now. Besides I wanted to tell you about something else. I went inside Bishop Mortuary today."

She gasped. "Finally? Yes, Bales! I'm so proud of you. I know how hard that must have been. "

I nodded. "Yeah, it was surreal. But I'm glad I went. I've been thinking about opening it back up. I think my parents would want that."

Maureen clapped her hands together. "Yes! And who else would be better at it than you? You literally live with dead people. Plus I'm sure people would prefer to not have to drive to Ever Graves to bury someone."

"Exactly. I don't have the heart to sell it and it doesn't feel right to let it sit there empty. It will give me purpose again. As much as I love my guys, I can't just sit around that house all day."

She waved her hand above her head, snapping her fingers. "Because you a boss bitch. Like I said before, my hero."

I had never worked before. Not a day in my life. I was fortunate to have the money my parents left me. But I didn't want to end up like Maureen's mother any more than she did. I needed something other than my love life to focus on.

"There was also an envelope addressed to me in the desk drawer. I think it's from my parents."

Her jaw dropped. "Wait, what? You haven't opened it yet?"

I shook my head. "No, it's in my car. I don't know why I'm scared but it's like if I open it, then it will literally be the last words I have from them."

Maureen threw the pillow back at me, hitting me square in the head. "Girl, go get it. You know you want to. It could be important."

She was right. I was being silly. I jumped up and stumbled to the side. I was tipsier than I thought. "Okay, throw the pizza in the oven, and I'll be right back."

"Yay," she squealed as she made an off-balance dash to the kitchen.

Fuck, we were already drunk, and it was barely nine pm. My stomach grumbled as I threw on my coat and slippers.

The wind almost blew the door off its hinges. It howled through the night like a pack of wolves, whipping my hair around my face till I could barely see. I pointed the clicker at my car to unlock it and jogged toward it, instantly regretting the trek outside.

I was probably making more of the envelope than it was. It could just be some old photographs or medical documents for my records. That was another reason I was afraid to open it. Fear of disappointment when I really wanted it to be a letter from my parents.

I sloshed through the mud, cursing myself for putting on slippers and not my actual boots. I was too fucking buzzed to think clearly.

As I reached for the handle of the driver's door, I glimpsed a shadow, passing behind me, in the reflection of the window. My stomach dropped. Oh, fuck. My feet sank further into the mud just as a wall of muscle rammed into me from behind.

I opened my mouth to scream but it was too late.

A hand closed around my mouth. "Shh… there'll be plenty of time for that later."

Billy .

No. No. No.

I bucked against him, flailing my arms around as I tried desperately to break free.

A deep sinister laugh erupted out of him. "Let's get you inside where we can have some fun."

I screamed into his hand as he dragged me up the front porch, but my voice got lost in the wind.

"No one's gonna hear you out here, freak."

I went limp, like a dead weight in his arms as he pulled me back into the house. I kicked my feet against the floor in an effort to warn Maureen.

He just grunted and squeezed me tighter. "You ain't going anywhere."

I fought him all the way until we got to the living room. And then I froze. Maureen was gagged and bound to a chair, her eyes watery and full of fear. Chad stood behind her, holding a knife to her neck.

A switch inside my brain flipped and all I could think of was one thing.

Murdering them both.