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I turned toward my car and decided I didn’t want to care much about anything right then. I needed to let go and maybe get into some trouble. Drive fast. Beat the shit out of something. Get drunk. Smoke some pot. Whatever.
When I got depressed that night Justin and Luna came over, I vowed not to drink my problems away. However, it had been weeks since I’d had anything to drink, and today seemed like a pretty special occasion. I also figured if I talked to the psychologist about it, he could advise me on my poor choices. As long as I didn’t lose control of myself and took the advice of counsel, I didn’t see a problem.
I also had a feeling Damian and Asher could make me forget. Ifanyonecould help me find trouble, it was those two.
“If the two of you assholes are capable of not being dicks or perverts for a night, get in. I mean it. We’re talking full-on truce. Otherwise, stay the hell out of my way.”
I unlocked the car and got in. Shoving the clutch and brake in, I put the gearshift in neutral and started the engine. It roared to life almost immediately. When I saw them moving around to the passenger side, I reached over and unlocked the door. Surprisingly, Damian climbed in back, and Asher sat in the front.
“Holy shit, I love this car so much,” Asher said.
“Be careful, Wilder,” Damian said from the back. “Asher might just fuck this car.”
I laughed and backed out. “I can’t blame him. It’s a nice fucking car.”
“I’ll be disappointed in you if you don’t show it off,” Asher said.
“Then I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You should both put on your seatbelts.”
“Oooh, are we in the presence ofwildTemperance? Because I have to say, I like her,” Damian quipped.
“Mmhmm. AndwildTemperance won’t hesitate to throw you in the trunk for pissing her off, so shut up, sit back, and enjoy the ride. And if either of you have a fun place we can go, feel free to shout out directions.”
We passed through the first of the gates, the guard waving us through.
“Interesting,” Damian said. “In that case, I have a place we can go. Turn right when you get out to the road.”
“Perfect.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
TEMPERANCE
It took nearly an hour to get to Damian’s destination, but it was well worth it. Even him annoying me about Rick was worth it. He repeatedly asked what our relationship was. He said, and I quote, “I don’t know how to explain it. There was just…somethingthere. Something you aren’t saying. It was in the way he looked at you.”
Then he proceeded to ask if I was his mistress, which I nearly puked over. “Rick’s a snake. Whatever your relationship with him is, you should stay away from him.”
I got a good laugh over that one. “Allow me to kindly remind you thatyouare a snake, Damian. I was warned bymanypeople to stay away from you, so I don’t think taking character advice from you is wise. No offense.”
He grumbled something I couldn’t hear over the roar of the engine and stayed quiet for a while after that, only speaking when he needed to give me directions.
When we pulled up to the front gate, Damian gave me the code to punch in. I looked on in wonder as it opened, revealing the largest house I’d ever seen up close in my entire life. It was every bit of twenty thousand square feet. It had to be.
“Holy fuck, Damian,” I said as I slowly drove down the drive.
“You like it? This is all mine. I bought it the day I turned eighteen in July. Something my rat bastard of a father can’t get his hands on.”
Pride laced his voice. He may have been a rich, snobby bastard, but he was proud of himself for owning something of his own—free and clear from his father. Given what I knew of Sebastian, I could certainly understand why he’d want to get far away from him.
“I love it,” I replied.
As we traveled down the drive, we came up over a small hill. My breath caught in my throat as I saw the landscape behind the house. It wasnothingbut ocean. Everything surrounding the property was foliage and trees, but once we popped over the hill, it was expert landscaping surrounding the house leading down a small bluff to sandy beaches and the wide-open ocean.
Tears formed again as I parked the car and stared. I’d always wanted to go to the ocean. Dad and I made plans years ago. We wanted to go to Florida and see the white sand beaches. We’d saved for years. We were supposed to go for my twenty-first birthday.
When I first arrived in California, I’d asked Rick to take me. It hadn’t even occurred to me at the time how that would have affected me long term. I’d just wanted to see the ocean. Knowing me, I would have regretted it. I was supposed to do that with my dad. Myrealdad, and Rick—despite being my biological parent and a great guy—wasnotmy dad.
At least, not back then.