Page 67 of More than Fiction (Misty Springs #1)

Sophia

“Guys, what the hell just happened?” Trevor asked, twisting his ball cap around backward.

His voice broke the quiet tension we held onto after the police escorted Corbin out in handcuffs.

My eyes flicked to the door Corbin had disappeared through. I hated the helplessness that gnawed at my chest.

I had to do something, anything .

Brent stopped his pacing by the window and spoke up. “I know the guy who owns the auto body shop the police towed Corbin’s car to. He’ll have some insight on what happened to it.” He came to stand over me, a worried smile on his face. “We’ll get it straightened out, Soph. I promise.”

He kissed my forehead and walked out into the hallway, his phone glowing in his hand.

I felt a tingle in the back of my nose as tears stung my eyes.

Devyn came to stand by me. Her hand rested on my arm, the other wrapped around Sam’s bicep. “Sam and I will go down to the station. His cousin works there. We’ll try and find out what we can.”

“Thank you.” My eyes blurred with the beginning of tears.

“Corbin isn’t alone in this, neither are you,” Sam added as they turned to leave.

I felt a flicker of hope spring to life. I’d been down before. I’d fallen from grace and felt like my whole world was crumbling beneath me, and my friends were there for me.

And here they were again, but this time for Corbin .

I sat up, testing the pain in my side, hoping I could get out of bed to help. It felt like something was twisting my insides between my ribs. I slowly settled back down.

“I don’t know what to do. I feel so helpless.” A solitary tear broke free and streamed down my cheek as I looked at Lana, who hadn’t left my side since she got here.

She wiped the tear away. “Hey, don’t worry. We’ll get some answers. In the meantime, you need to rest. The nurse said you have stitches—we don’t want them to burst.”

My breath rattled as I sighed.

Rest , how could I possibly rest?

One moment, I felt the happiest I had in a long time. It felt like Corbin and I were turning the corner on some monumental moment, something defining—a definition I needed to understand desperately.

The next, we were careening off the road, and I woke up here—with him beside me.

And now, he was being arrested?

The echoing sounds of loud, complicated shoes filled the air moments before Andi stormed into my room.

Her energy was as big as her hair, styled in a larger-than-life afro. She wore a bright yellow jumpsuit with matching chunky glasses, lighting up the small, dim hospital room.

A man walked behind her, someone I didn’t recognize. He was polished with a bit more of a roguish exterior.

“Sophia!” Andi walked up to me and hugged me tightly.

“Ow,” I croaked.

She stepped back and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I am just so glad you’re okay!”

She looked around at my remaining friends, the tension in the air still palpable. “Where’s Corbin?”

We quickly filled in Andi and Sullivan—I learned his name was—on everything we knew.

I remembered hearing Sullivan’s name before. Corbin mentioned he was a friend of his and a lawyer for Buescher Enterprises. But after meeting Davis, I was slightly concerned about the kind of friends that Corbin kept.

“Sullivan is one of the best, Sophia. He’ll make sure Corbin gets out of there,” Andi assured me .

“Aww, Andi-wandi, I knew you liked me,” Sullivan said with a coo.

Sullivan casually strode over to my bed. His navy-blue eyes locked with mine, and he flashed me a cocky grin.

“I knew Corby had a girl in Misty Springs. I just knew it,” he said, shaking his sandy blonde hair back and forth.

“Yeah, they totally like each other,” Trevor added.

“Shut it, Trevor,” Cassie scolded as she stood from the chair that Corbin had stayed in all night. “I’ll take lawyer guy to the police station now that he knows the details.”

“Lawyer guy is my father. Call me lawyer boy,” Sullivan said with mock authority, crossing his arms.

Cassie glared at Andi. “You sure about this guy?”

“Just wait until he’s in action. He turns into a shark, trust me,” Andi affirmed.

Cassie and Sullivan walked toward the door, meeting Brent in the doorway.

Cassie murmured something to Brent as Sullivan nodded along, the three of them in a strategic huddle.

“I’m going with them,” Trevor quickly announced as he bounded after Cassie and Sullivan.

Everything was happening so fast that I had difficulty processing it all. Everything felt like a dream—or a nightmare.

I wish it were.

Andi’s phone rang, and she quickly answered it, pacing the room with clipped one-word responses.

Her eyes grew wide as she paused mid-stride. She hung up the phone with a short bye and started mumbling to herself.

“What? What’s going on?” I asked.

“There is another board meeting tonight . They are voting on a new CEO.” She turned in a tight circle and began pacing again. “Fuck! Davis. It’s Davis. It’s got to be him. He’s organizing the whole thing.”

“What about Ned? Is he involved, too?” I asked.

“Who knows? Maybe.” Andi stopped her pacing and then strode toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Lana asked.

“I’m gonna find that fucker Ned and make him sing.” She stormed out of the room in a sunny yellow blaze of fury .

My heart sank at the thought of someone Corbin trusted turning against him. How many enemies was Corbin up against? How many knives waited for his back the moment he let it turn?

Brent stepped to my side. “My friend has Corbin’s rental, but he didn’t want to talk over the phone. I need to go to his shop.”

He looked at Lana. “I don’t have a car. Cassie drove me here. Can you take me?”

Lana looked down at me with concern.

“I’ll be fine,” I assured her.

She nodded toward Brent. “Let’s go.”

“We’ll get answers, Soph,” Brent assured me as he and Lana stepped away.

The once-crowded room was now empty—save for me—lying helpless in my hospital bed.

Corbin walked out of the hospital room with his head held high, like a soldier heading into battle. But I’d seen the tension in his jaw, the flicker of worry in his eyes.

I looked down at my trembling hands and willed them to steady, fists clenching in my lap.

If this was war, it was a war he wouldn’t fight alone.