Page 29 of Triumphant Kings (Boys Of Kingston Academy #3)

Declan

A s I head into my dorm building, all I want to do is turn around and head back to the hospital to be with Sadie.

Sadly, with visiting hours done for the night, I have no choice but to go home.

I’m a mess of emotions after everything that happened today.

Seeing Sadie being taken out on a stretcher, her body limp and lifeless, will forever haunt my dreams. Knowing she is going to be okay is the greatest relief.

But I’m hit with another wave of anguish at the reminder of what happened to her that night of the party.

The night I tried my best to get her to safety.

Knowing who did that to her, and that he’s someone who’s done it to multiple women before and after her, enrages me. He should be locked up for life, where he can’t hurt another person again.

I feel helpless because there’s nothing I can do to help.

With heavy limbs, sore eyes, and a tired mind, I make my way up to my floor on the elevator.

When the doors open, I step out and see Rolland, the guy who lives a few doors down from me. “Hey, Declan. Ah, just to give you a heads up. There’s some guy sitting outside your door. He looks pretty rough.”

“Ahh.” I look down the hall in the direction of my room, but I can’t see anything from where I’m standing because it’s around the corner. “Thanks?” I answer, not sure what to say or do.

“No problem. I hope everything's okay. Good luck.” He waves me off and steps into the elevator behind me.

Standing there for a few more seconds, I wonder who could be at my door. I’m not expecting anyone, I don’t think? And Preston has a key.

Maybe they got rooms mixed up or something.

But when I turn the corner, I come to a halt, surprised to see Preston sitting on the floor against my door, head back, eyes closed. His knees are up to his chest, arms draped over them.

My heart starts to race. Swallowing down the nerves, I head towards my door.

We didn’t leave things on the best of terms tonight. He was pissed that I knew something major regarding Sadie and he didn’t.

I felt bad and was sorry that I kept it from him, but also, it wasn’t my place to tell him.

Yes, we were friends back when it happened, but I was under the impression he didn’t like Sadie.

The last thing I wanted to do was betray Sadie’s privacy to someone who made it known to her more than once that he wasn’t her biggest fan.

Now I know I had it all wrong because Preston cared more about Sadie than probably any of us for all these years.

“Preston?” his name comes out shaky. “Why are you sitting outside?”

Preston lowers his head at the sound of my voice, eyes slowly opening. That’s when I see they’re bloodshot and swollen, like he’s been crying.

“I didn’t know where else to go.” his voice cracks.

It’s not something I’m used to seeing; he always seems so hard and put together. But I know better than that.

My steps quicken, and I drop to my knees when I reach him. “What happened?” I ask, worry thick in my voice as I cup his cheek.

He gives me a soft smile, but I can tell it takes a lot out of him to do even that small movement.

“I’m done.” He laughs, the sound more broken than humorous.

For a second, I think he means with me, and my stomach twists.

“I’m done with him, Declan.”

“Who?” I whisper.

“The devil.” Preston sighs heavily, eyes closing as he leans into my hand.

The devil?

Oh. His father.

“Did he hurt you?” I rush out, checking his face over for bruises or cuts.

“No.” He opens his eyes. “But he wanted to.” He laughs again, and this time it’s hollow. “He wanted to do so much more.”

My eyes flick between his, seeing just how broken my poor man is.

“Come.” I stand and hold out my hand. “Let’s go inside.”

He looks at my hand for a moment, and I think he’s about to ignore it, but he takes it, his larger one engulfing mine.

Pulling him to his feet, I take my key card out and let us both in. “Sit.” I nod towards my bed before heading over to the little kitchenette area.

I hear him moving behind me, the sound of him kicking off his shoes before taking a seat on my bed.

Once I get the kettle on, I turn back to face him.

My breath gets caught in my lungs. He looks so small, so childlike right now. Lost, hurt, broken. I hate it. All I want to do is fix him. And I plan to do my best to help.

When Preston looks down at his hands lying in his lap, he speaks.

“He was on me the second I walked through the door. Demanding I call Tina and take her back.” He huffs out a laugh before looking up at me.

“He wanted me to take her to the courthouse and marry her tomorrow. Can you believe that?” He shakes his head, and panic rises.

I know it’s not happening, but just the idea of losing him to anyone makes me sick.

Not when I just got him. “I told him no. That I was done with him, her, and anyone else he wanted me to marry. That he wasn’t going to have control over my life anymore.

That I was done with the Jones family name and he was dead to me. ”

Wow. That's... that's big. Like really big for Preston.

“What did he say?” I ask softly.

“What I was expecting him to say.”

The kettle clicks off and I quickly make us cups of tea before joining him on the bed. “Thanks,” he says, taking his before blowing on it and taking a sip.

“I take it he wasn’t very happy?”

“Nope,” Preston says, looking at his cup. “Words were shared, he loved reminding me just how worthless I was.”

“You're not,” I say with everything in me.

“Thanks.” He gives me a small smile, but I know he doesn’t believe me. Another thing I hate. Because this man is worth the world. I just wish he could see what we see.

“After some more words were said, he told me that he wasn’t going to let me leave this family unless it was in a body bag.”

“What?” My eyes widen. I’m not sure why I'm surprised. That monster made his son into his own personal punching bag one too many times. “What did you do?”

“Pulled a gun on him.” He shrugs, taking another sip. “Told him that he wasn’t going to touch me and pretty much if anyone was going to leave in a body bag, it was going to be him.”

“Preston,” I say softly, placing my cup on the bedside table. He leans over and does the same thing.

“It’s fine. I’m fine,” he lies, scrubbing his hands over his face.

“No, you’re not.” I take his hands in mine, pulling them away from his face. “And it’s okay to not be okay.”

He stares at me hard, blinking rapidly. I can see him slowly start to crumble, and it fucking destroys me.

“I’m broken,” he whispers, every word growing more and more hollow as he speaks. “I have no money. All my personal belongings are in that hellhole. I won’t even see them again because I will never step foot on that property again. I have no car, no place to live. I have nothing.”

“Yes, you do.” I kiss the palms of his hands, shifting closer to him.

“You have me. Sadie. Collin. Grayson. You're not alone. I know it’s hard for you to believe, but it's true.” I move until I’m in his lap, arms wrapped around his neck, needing to be as close to him as I can so he knows just how true my words are. I need to feel him, for him to feel me.

“Declan,” he croaks, but I keep going.

“You don’t need any of that. You need money?

Take mine. You need a car? I have three.

You need a place to stay? We can leave this dorm room and go back to my house.

You know the only reason I stay here is because I don’t like being alone.

” It's my voice that cracks this time. “But I’m not alone anymore.” I kiss him hard.

“I have you,” I murmur against his lips. “You have me. We have each other.”

“Yeah?” he breathes against my lips. “And Sadie.”

“And Sadie.”

“I love you,” he sobs out. “I love you so fucking much.” He wraps his arms around me, pulling me tight to his body, burying his face into the crook of my neck before breaking down.

“I love you, too, baby. I love you so much. I’m not going anywhere. You're not alone.”

“I don’t deserve any of you,” he says. “I’m not worthy of your love, your trust, any of it.”

“Yes. You. Are,” my words come out choked.

“You are worthy of our love and so much more. Don’t believe a word that monster says.

He’s a sad, angry, deranged man who only cares about himself.

He says things to hurt you because it’s what he does.

It’s not the truth. He’s the one who’s not worthy.

Of the money he has, the people in his life, and the power he holds.

And one of these days, hopefully soon, he’s going to lose it all.

Because I believe we are stronger than him.

You stayed for so long because you felt like if you fought back, you wouldn’t have anyone to fall back on to help you in your battle.

But you’re wrong. We’re on your side, Preston.

Whatever it takes. Money, influence, and connections, we have it all.

We will win this. He will lose. You are not alone,” I repeat again and again as he continues to break down.

His body shakes, his fingers gripping my shirt tightly, clinging to me like he’s afraid I’ll leave.

I’d never leave him. Not in a million years.

This man owns half of my mind, body, and soul. I’m his, just as much as I’m hers.

“I have you,” I murmur as I rub his back, squeezing my eyes shut as my tears spill alongside his. “Everything is going to be okay.” And this time, it doesn’t feel like a lie you say just to comfort someone.

We’re one step closer to our happily ever after. We still have a long way to go, and it’s not going to be easy, but as long as we have each other and a team of people at our side, we’re going to make it to the other side. And I’m going to do my damnedest to make sure we’re whole when we do.