The color bled from December’s face. “She probably knew them, didn’t she? The person who hurt her?”
“Most likely, yeah.”
December’s skin paled a few more shades, and I wanted to stop. I didn’t want to do this to her anymore, but she wanted the truth. She wanted to be a part of this.
My throat jumped, so many things about this fucked up. “We’ve had everyone followed. Our dads, uncles, grandfathers.”
“Everybody but one.”
We all panned to Knight, but he had eyes on me.
Knight crossed a leg at the knee. “We haven’t looked into who actually started all this, the reason why your sister even did that haze and was out there in the first place.”
“You mean her girlfriend?” December sat up, and I bobbed my head once. “But why?”
“We honestly hadn’t even thought to.” LJ rested lanky arms on the table. “Not until Royal went down to California to see Paige and thought of her ex.”
“That had been my mistake,” I said. “Since Paige was clearly assaulted, I only kept my radar on the men of this town, but a woman could have been involved. It was real bad blood between your sister and her, Em, and I feel like a fucking idiot for not thinking about her. The reason they broke up? Really broke up was because the woman was married and wouldn’t leave her husband.”
Her lips parted. “What?”
“Yeah, it’s true. Paige knew she was married. Knew it was wrong. Even still, she continued to see her. The woman led her to believe she was end game, toyed with her for months.”
December cringed. “What happened?”
“She wasn’t end game.” I looked up. “I don’t know whether the woman chickened out or if it all was a lie… the whole thing concluded when her husband caught the two of them together. In the woman’s house, her bed. Paige was naked, embarrassed, but her ex let that fucker she called a husband toss Paige out without any clothes into the street like she was trash.”
The horror I still remembered in Paige’s eyes that day after it happened, and it took so much coaxing to even get the truth out of her. She was so embarrassed, heartbroken. Both parties had no business doing what they’d been doing, but it’d only been one to be tossed out naked into the road while the other slammed the door in the other’s face.
Paige had been enraged, wanting ultimate revenge. She could have gotten it from us, but she wanted it for herself. She wanted to be moving the pieces of the Court behind the scenes, to end this woman’s life like she knew the pull of the Court could. The Court could destroy lives, the benefits of living in a small town run by few. A few power plays, and the woman would be stripped of everything she held dear, to feel just an ounce of what she allowed Paige to feel. Thinking back, maybe that’s why everything had turned out the way it had. Revenge was a delicate and dark line to tread.
I wished it had been me in the end, that she let me do this for her. My friend might actually be alive, my soul able to be traded if only to keep hers.
December was shaking at this point, and I brought her into me. Her face had transferred two shades of pink, the flush close to accompanying tears but she held them inside.
Her lashes lowered. “Who is she, Royal?” she asked, easing closer to me. “Who is this woman who destroyed Paige’s life?”
I didn’t have an answer for her but couldn’t admit that and stayed silent. It was Knight who ultimately talked, my voice for me when I didn’t have one. How ironic since he was as quiet as he was.
“He doesn’t know,” he’d said. He frowned. “None of us do.”
This clearly shocking December, she sat up.
I cupped her arm. “She didn’t tell us, tell me. I think she thought we’d do something if we knew.”
“Damn right we would.” LJ smiled, and I did a little too. We’d do anything for her, anything.
I wet my lips. “She was supposed to tell me, all of us, after she finished the haze. She promised.”
“So her secret dies with her.” Fury ghosted December’s delicate features, dark hair against her flush cheeks. “And this woman gets away with everything she might have done in connection to the murder? Actually, she had everything to do with this. She’s the reason Paige even got into this stupid shit.”
What she said was all true, reality. A harsh breath flew from my lips. “We hoped finding her cell phone would lead us to the right place. Whoever has it. Hurt her, a direct link.”
“Or doesn’t.” She threw fingers through her hair. “What if they destroyed it? You really think someone would be that stupid to hold on to something like that?”
“You’d be surprised,” I said. “All it takes is one slipup for this whole thing to fall apart. Especially, if there are a lot of moving pieces.”
With my dad involved, there would be. He covered his tracks, but since he clearly didn’t do this, the other party or parties were rogue variables. They could slip up where he wouldn’t, and that, and only that, gave us hope.
“But we’ve checked everywhere for that thing, Royal,” Jax said, usually the voice of hope. He never gave up, always happy to fight another day. This whole thing had messed us all up. He laced his fingers. “We literally have torn up this entire town for that phone, and we haven’t found it. December might be right.”
The other guys said nothing and maybe that’s what they were thinking too, but I couldn’t go there. Not yet. I needed hope. I needed to bring justice for my friend.
