Charlotte reaches for my hand, clutching it. “I’m sorry about your parents’ home.”
I kiss the side of her head. “It’s just a place. They’re just things. The important parts made it out alive.”
Mom is in shock, I think. Dad just keeps staring at the charred house like it’s all a bad dream. The fire has been put out, but the house is ninety percent gone. My parents will have to start all over again. Everything was lost.
Roan pulls off his helmet and nods at me. I leave Charlotte with my parents to walk over to him. The snow hasn’t let up, which only makes this whole scene stranger. Soon, daylight will be upon us and we’ll see what we can salvage from the ruins.
“This…” He lets out a ragged, tired sigh. “This wasn’t an accident.”
My blood runs icy cold. “What?”
“We found gas cans. Probably why it spread so fast, cutting you guys off from coming downstairs.”
I blink at him. “You’re telling me this is fucking arson?”
Amber eyes blaze with fury. “I’ll do my best to get to the bottom of this, man. I swear to fucking God. Whoever did this won’t get away with it.”
“We know who did this,” I grind out, pinning him with a glare. “Question is, how do we prove it?”
Charlotte
“He’s so fucked,” Cal tells me over the phone. “The State of Oregon is coming down hard on Ewing. Not only did he have that nasty shit on his computer at home, he had it on his work computer, his iPad, and his phone. Now, girls are coming up left and right to testify against him. He’ll probably spend the rest of his miserable life in prison.”
At least some justice is served.
It’s been a couple weeks since the fire and I’m still wound up from it. Someone tried to kill ten people while they slept. The sickening part is, I’m pretty sure those other nine people were just casualties in the war I brought to their doorstep. Ryan wanted me dead. Plain and simple.
I keep waiting to be surprised.
I’m not.
He’s sadistic and cruel.
“…and make you drink cum for dinner.”
“What?” I choke out, trying to figure out what Cal just said.
“That’s what I thought. You weren’t even listening. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I assure him. “I’m going to eat something, pack a bag, and then I’ll be by tonight. Will you be done at your parents’ by then?”
He’s silent for a beat, not at all convinced that I’m fine, but he bites anyway. “Yeah. We’ll be here a couple more hours and then we’ll head back home.”
“Okay, see you soon. I’ll have Penny run me over there shortly. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
After we hang up, I try not to let the guilt consume me. I feel horrible that every day since the fire, Cal and his parents have been trying to make the little Campfire Chaos cabin their home until they can build something again. All their memories were lost. Because of me.
I swallow down all those negative feelings and leave the bedroom I share with Penny. Dad is out with Elise, leaving Penny and Jace to get up to whatever shenanigans they’re always up to. I find them in the kitchen, staring at Jace’s phone.
“Swipe right?” he asks.
“Dude,” Penny grunts. “That’s T.J. Billings’ mom. Gross. Swipe left.”
“This is fuckin’ lame,” Jace gripes. “You know and hate everyone. What about her?”
“That’s Elise! What a skank! How is she going to be seeing my dad but still have a dating profile?”
“Swipe right and see if she leaves her date,” I say, peeking between them. “What a bitch.”
They swipe left and continue on their hunt for women. I recognize one of the girls as Heidi. Ew.
“This one has nice tits,” Jace says. “I’m not looking for marriage, just a little hot sex. A man has needs.”
“You’re such a dog. And you’re not a man. You’re a beast.” Penny smirks at him. “Try finding someone born in the same decade as you.”
“I like ’em young,” he taunts, snapping his teeth at her. “Like you, little Penny.”
“Sick fuck,” she complains with an elbow to his gut. “You need to get off this stupid dating app and find a woman the old-fashioned way. You know, actually put some effort into getting laid rather than just dialing up pussy on demand. Your dick is gonna fall off, old man.”
Someone knocks on the door, so I leave them to their bickering. I barely get the door open before a body barges in, snatching me up. A shriek of surprise leaves my lips before I recognize the familiar scent.
Loden.
“Missed you, baby,” he groans, nipping at my neck. “They keep calling me back for legal shit and I just want to stay here permanently.”
“I missed you too. Adulting sucks. Better get used to it, though. Pretty soon, you’ll be an average Joe just like everyone else stuck here forever. You sure you’re ready for that boring life?”
“More than ready.” He squeezes my ass with his hands. “I haven’t been laid in forever. I could almost poke you in the ass and pretend you’re not my best friend. Sound like a date?”
“Gross,” I say with a laugh. “You’re such a freak.”
“The freak you’re going to marry when you get bored of Mr. Abercrombie.”
“Cal hates when you call him that.”
“Baby,” Loden says, pulling away to give me a serious look. “Have you seen him? He’s a fucking god with a perfect pierced penis. I’m jealous, you bitch.”
Jace clears his throat harshly. “Don’t call her a bitch.”
Loden rolls his eyes hard. “Can you tell your bodyguard to back off?”
“No,” I tease. “I kind of like watching you squirm.”
Loden plants a sloppy kiss on my cheek. “Well, you’ll get to watch me squirm a lot more now. Mr. Abercrombie’s daddy gave me the keys
