Page 64 of Volatile King (The Kings of Wayward Academy #6)

R en

“Dude, are ya sure this is a smart move? I mean, we haven’t been able to find anythin’ on Mya. We don’t even know if her story is true, and ya wanna take her shoppin’,” Myles said, and I had to agree.

“No, I’m not sure. Mya says she only has the one set of clothes, and the guards are calling every half hour. She’s harassing them to see me, or to be able to leave.”

“Then buy her some clothes online and get her a fucking stuffed animal to keep her company,” Liam drawled. I snorted but covered it with a cough.

“Guys, she won’t open up or show her true intentions while she’s stuck inside and surrounded by guards. Maybe she’ll give us something useful if we take her out,” Nash said.

“Fine, but at least leave Ren here,” Theo said.

I looked up from where I was sitting on the kitchen counter.

“No.” They all looked at me. “I want…to arrive.” I growled in frustration. “Go. I want to…go,” I said.

“This is a dumb idea,” Blake chimed in, shaking his head. “No offense, Ren, but we don’t exactly have a great track record in public places. Now you two want to add a wildcard like Mya into the mix, all while Lawrence and Christov are still out there?”

“I have to agree with Blake, this is dangerous,” Liam said, and I glared at him.

“I can…do this,” I said.

Nash and I had talked all night and finally came up with the idea to have me, Ella, and Ivy take Mya out for a girls’ day.

The guys would act as our chaperones or bodyguards, depending on how you looked at it.

But we hoped it would help Mya warm up to us and let her guard down, or at least not see us as potential enemies.

We all agreed that she was holding information back, but was it because of trauma or for nefarious reasons? I honestly thought that it was trauma first. Liam disagreed, but he didn’t know how it felt to be that helpless…I did.

She was caged and at Lawrence’s whim for three years.

I couldn’t even imagine being in her place.

That could turn the saintliest person into a murderer.

What I wanted…no, needed to know was what was under the veneer.

Was she broken or plotting? Getting her to drop the act, good or bad…

was the only way to know who or what we were dealing with here and now.

“Guards with us,” I said, and they all looked at one another.

Theo was the first to toss his hands in the air. “You and Nash are obviously determined to do this, so I will go along with it, but I want it on the record that this is a bad idea.”

“I second that,” Blake said.

“I have to agree with them, Snowflake,” Myles added.

“It’s not a bad idea. It’s a stupid idea,” Liam growled. “But I’ll go.”

“If that is the case, then you can count me in as well.” I turned to see my dad standing in the doorway, his arms crossed and looking larger than life.

I shook my head. “Dad…no. We got…this,” I said, and then realized I’d said dad out loud. He looked as stunned as I was, but it felt right, so I didn’t take it back.

He sighed. “Fine, but you take a dozen guards, including Marcus,” he said as the doorbell rang. No sooner had Dad turned around to get the door when Vicky strutted into the room.

“Did I hear someone say shopping trip,” she asked, smirking as she cocked a hip.

“Oh, hell no,” Nash growled, and she shot him a glare.

Normally, under any other circumstances, I would agree, but Vicky had a superpower when it came to bringing out the worst in people. That might be exactly what we needed.

“Why not? It’s just shopping,” Vicky said.

“Um, because nobody?—”

I cut Theo off.

“Yes.” Everyone, including Vicky, stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “Yes, you can…come,” I said and smiled. No one said anything. Slipping off the counter stool, I walked out to say hi to Ivy and Ella.

If nothing else, I couldn’t think of a better way to torture Nash for a day. I imagined it was like a living nightmare, and maybe it was petty, but watching Nash squirm with me, Mya, and Vicky there…well, that was too good to pass up.

Ivy ran over when she saw me, and then examined me like I should be bleeding from open wounds.

“You okay?”

I smiled. “Yes. Did too much…really,” I said, and caught Ella signing to my dad.

I don’t know what to do, Eddie. He really hurt me. I love Lip, but it took me a long time to forgive him, and now every time I see Lip or Myles, I’m reminded all over again.

Dad signed back.

I can’t tell you what to do, but I do know a broken man when I see one, and Ethan is lost without you.

Ella rubbed her eyes, and Dad pulled her into a hug.

“Is everything okay,” Blake asked, walking into the foyer. He eyed the two of them suspiciously.

Ella nodded and plastered a smile on her face.

Just old memories making me emotional .

She turned and spotted Ivy and me off to the side. Ella came over and pulled me into a warm hug. I held her back, so thankful to have her in my life. Knowing she had always supported Mum and Dad and helped however she could made me feel like I had an ally in her, no matter what.

I missed you so much. Ella signed as she pulled back.

I missed you, too. I’m so happy you’re coming with us. Did Dad tell you what is going on?

Dad? I blushed. I like that you’re calling Eddie that. I know it makes him happy.

“I do understand what you’re signing, you know,” Dad said, making me laugh.

Ella waved at him like she was shooing him out of the room, and with a chuckle, he slowly walked out. That made me smile.

Yes, your father has told me everything, and I do feel bad for Mya. I remember her and how broken-hearted Nash was at the time. This has to be strange for all of you, and I’m happy to help.

It’s no stranger than you having to deal with what Dad did. Blake signed.

Ella grabbed his shoulder and softly tapped him in the chest as she shook her head.

No. You need to stop acting like this.

Mom, he hurt you. He cheated on you and had a son that we just learned about.

Blake was clearly still upset, but I believed that his anger toward his father was about more than just Ella.

Blake struggled with trust. Trusting the guys to understand him, trusting that he was good enough, trusting in himself.

He trusted his dad, and knowing that the man he looked up to had made such a huge mistake, shook the foundation of who Blake was at a fundamental level.

Yes, he did. And if I had wanted you and Theo to know, I would’ve told you.

What happened is for your father and me to sort out.

Ethan has always been a good father to you and Theo, and once we work through this, we will be great parents to Lip.

I just need some time to work out my feelings, but I don’t need or want you and Theo protecting me or treating your father like a pariah. Understood?

Blake crossed his arms, and I could see that he wanted to argue. The rest of our merry band chose that moment to leave the kitchen. Not oblivious to the tension in the room, everyone got quiet.

Ella clapped her hands and smiled. “Ready…to…go,” she said, and my mouth dropped open. It was the first time I’d heard her speak, and she had a soft, sweet voice like a little bird.

With that, we turned as one for the door. I had no clue how this was going to go, but with this crowd…anything was possible.

4 :45 pm

Forty minutes later, we had picked Mya up and were walking into the mall.

She’d traveled in the SUV with me and Ivy in the back, and Nash sitting up front.

She’d sat perfectly still the entire time and hadn’t said a word.

Hands on her knees, back straight, her eyes had been trained on Nash.

It had officially turned creepy when she didn’t move or blink for fifteen minutes.

It was like she was in a trance or zoned out to another planet.

Ivy grabbed my arm, holding me back from Vicky, who was complaining that this was not the mall she preferred. She waited until everyone, other than a few guards, was far enough away so that they couldn’t hear us.

“Girl, there’s something wrong with her. More than the whole back from the dead thing,” Ivy whispered. “Wait…are you sure she’s not like a vampire or something?”

“Pretty sure,” I said, with a smirk. The horrified look on Ivy’s face was real. I could see her never wanting to be alone in the same room as Mya. Not that I could blame her, I didn’t want to be either.

Ivy shivered.

“She literally stared at Nash like she was going to go all Hannibal Lecter on his ass and then wear him as a second skin. And what was up with the no blinking? I mean, come on, that was weird. Right?”

That was an image that was going to stay with me forever. Thanks, Ivy.

“I agree.” I shrugged. “What you like…living with Lawrence,” I asked, trying hard to give Mya some grace for all she’d been through.

It was difficult when she was threatening the life I’d built. Yes, I had five guys, but we were each an integral part of how we worked together, and Nash, for better or worse, sat at the top of that. He was more than their friend. Nash was a brother, but also their chosen leader—their king.

“True, but still…just keep an eye on her. I could totes see her pulling out a shiv and stabbing you. She’s totally vibin’ that level of WTF.”

I snorted and stared at Ivy. “She was…not…in prison.”

“She might as well have been,” she said.

That comment hit me. I knew Ivy was trying to be funny in a sarcastic kind of way, but what she said held truth.

What would I have been like chained inside a house for years?

Held prisoner for the crime of love, no trial offered, and no hope of escape.

Lawrence had made himself judge, jury, and executioner.

He wielded his power in the name of something greater… Nash under his control.

Ella slowed down until she was walking beside me.

She smiled, and I took a deep breath. She quickly signed that she would take the lead on trying to get Mya to open up.

She gave me a quick one-armed squeeze, then marched off to catch up to Mya, who was surrounded by four of the guards and Nash, who was surprisingly calm considering the situation.

He’d clammed up after we spoke to Mya that first night. I thought we’d come far enough that he felt he could share what he was thinking and feeling, but once more I was left guessing.

“What the hell!” We all stared at Vicky. She stood at a sales rack, holding up a dress that looked pretty to me. “Where have you brought me? Do you see this? I wouldn’t put my dog in this, and I don’t even have a dog.”

“You know…I’ve got to hand it to Vicky. She’s entertaining. I’ll never forget Thanksgiving,” Ivy said, giggling.

I wouldn’t either, but not for the same reason.

Ahead of us, Mya was trying to slip around one of the guards to get closer to Nash. But the guard stepped back and kept himself between them. This was going to be the longest and most taxing shopping trip of my life, I could feel it.

Who would’ve guessed in a million years that I would prefer Vicky over Mya? At least she was the Devil I knew, and other than her barbed words, she was…harmless. Mostly.

Nash stopped walking and pointed to a store that sold a little of everything, including jeans, hoodies, semi-dress clothes, and even underwear. Before I reached them, Ella dragged Mya inside the store.

Game on.