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“Spoken like someone who only thinkstheyhad a shitty life.” His knuckles pale under his fierce grip on the steering wheel. “How about being tied to someone who killed your father? How about being that person’s puppet for years and years?”
“That’s what I’m talking about! You were gone! You should’ve stayed gone. You don’t have to be here.”
“My inheritance says I do!” He’s shaking. I’ve never seen someone so angry.
I blink at him, floored by his admittance. “So, you do what he says for money? That’s your excuse? You know most people our age don’t have any fucking money. They eat ramen noodles and live off of cafeteria food with dining plans that they could only purchase through student loans from the government. You know all of this. You’ve been outside this ridiculous bubble before, so don’t play dumb. And if you’re doing all of this for money—you followed me, you stood by when I was being hurt—just for money…” My voice cracks as I struggle to hold in my emotions.
“You seem really preoccupied by the things I did to you, Eden, instead of the things I’ve done to others at my grandfather’s behest. Yet, you act like you don’t know why. You put up this front.”
“Oh, the front is completely clear now. I thought you were someone different, but you’re not.”
“It’s my money,” he growls out.
“Of course,” I tell him. Why else would he want it so badly? The truth is, Leo didn’t make that money, and he knows it. “Can you let me out?” We’re on a paved street in the middle of the forest, but it looks like a better deal than staying in this car with him.
The tires squeal, and he quickly turns the wheel, sending the car in a little fishtail as we come to a stop on the side of the road. I almost get out of the car before he grabs me, but I fail. “Be as pissed as you want at me. Think I’m playing the victim when I’m not. Think I’m being just another one of those selfish bastards back at that party, but hemurderedmy father. His own son. So excuse me if the only thing I want to do is get the inheritance that’s rightfully mine and leave this hellhole.”
I stare at his grip on my forearm until he lets me go. Peering back at him, I see the lost look in his eyes, but the anger overtakes it all. “I hope you and your money will be very happy together.”
I step out and call Oliver as Leo revs the engine before speeding away from me.
32
Alaric
Istep on the gas. Next to me, Oliver’s hands are curled into fists on his thighs. We’ve bonded over our mutual hatred for Leo in this moment. Leaving Eden on the side of the road? When he knows as well as I do the Knights will do something to her? I don’t care what she said to him, he’s an asshole.
Oliver points out the front windshield, and I nod when I see her. She’s walking with her head held high, but as we close in, I notice the troubled expression on her face. I pull to a stop, and Oliver beats me out of the car to comfort her. He brings her to the rear door, and they both scoot in.
I keep sneaking glances at her in the rearview mirror, and when she happens to glance up at the exact same time, she smiles. “Thanks for coming to get me.”
“Of course,” I tell her.
Oliver says, “I didn’t know where Leo’s grandfather’s place was, so Alaric said he would drive.”
Eden pats his hand. “Plus, you hate driving.”
“Well, there’s that, of course.”
I peer at the two of them, and they seem like they’re in their own little cocoon—one that’s hard to penetrate. They have so much history together, so much prior understanding and friendship, and I don’t want that to diminish, but I also care for Eden in a way I wasn’t expecting.
“So, what happened?” I ask.
She blows out a breath. “What didn’t happen?” She takes a long moment to gather her thoughts before saying, “No more lies or deceit. No more secrets.” Pinning us both with a glare, she continues, “I can trust you both.” She regales us with the story of Vincent and Anne-Marie’s engagement party until I believe I’ve gone through every emotion possible. “Is it true?” she asks me.
“What?”
“Did Franklin Jarvis kill Leo’s dad?”
I hadn’t actually heard that before. “From what I know, he committed suicide, but to be completely honest, I wouldn’t put it past Jarvis. The relationship between them was always tumultuous.”
She rubs her arms. “Why does no one talk about these things? If they did, they might see that Franklin Jarvis is the epitome of evil. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to get away with so much shit.”
“With his position, he’s indestructible,” I tell her. “He has things on everybody. He’s single-handedly worked his way to the top until he’s practically running everything. He’s probably owed so many favors that nothing is going to stick to him.”
“Do you think he killed my sister?”
Her words punch me in the gut. “The only thing I know is that nothing happens in the Knights of Arcadia that he isn’t aware of.”