He’s right. He does need rid of his dad, and we have to be willing to do whatever is necessary, even if that involves bullying a certain girl into leaving town.
“We should also put your plan in place this week. Even if she isn’t in on her father’s schemes, both of them need to leave, and the quicker we can do that the better.”
“Fine,” I concede, not wanting to hurt Sophie further but knowing that Preston is right; the Montgomerys need to go. “But I’m telling you, I know what I saw tonight. Maybe she is somehow involved, but she was definitely afraid of her old man.” I insist one final time.
Preston just nods, neither agreeing or disagreeing.
“I’m beat man, I’m heading to bed. We can sort this out in the morning.” He states before getting up and heading into one of the three bedrooms in the pool house, once again leaving me alone with my own thoughts while I play with The Feral Beasts lighter, flicking the spark wheel and causing the gas to ignite, generating a small flame, repeating the action over and over again, while I stare unseeingly at the little pulse of light.
If The Feral Beasts are some sort of criminal organization or gang then how do they connect to the Montgomerys? God, if they are a bunch of criminals and are on the Montgomery or Donaghue payroll then what the fuck are Preston and I going to be able to do? It’s one thing to gather blackmail material against his dad, but to take on a whole criminal organization? That’s way too much, even for us.
I’m only giving myself a headache thinking about all of this, and I’m not going to get anywhere with it tonight. Preston had the right idea heading to bed.
I smile to myself as I remember I’ve got a brand new hot as fuck image of a sexy seductress in my spank bank that I need to try out.
Chapter 17
SOPHIE
The day after the party is a Saturday. I barely slept last night after Barrett left. Between going over what I overheard in my father’s office and replaying my moment with Barrett, my mind was a chaotic mess of questions and confusion.
I need to get out of this house, get some fresh air and gain some perspective. A new environment, away from this place, and my father, where I can attempt to get my thoughts in order and put this whole puzzle together.
With that in mind, I decide to head out and explore Crescentwood. While I was in the school library last week, I did some research on the surrounding area and I found a map of various walking and hiking trails in and around town. I printed the map off at the time, so now I dig it out of my bag, deciding to head out and do some sightseeing. God knows after the week I have had, some quiet time with mother nature sounds freaking perfect.
I spend the better half of the morning wandering around in the forest, following my trusty map. I don’t meet another soul the whole time. I can’t get over the natural beauty of the area. There were several viewing points highlighted on the map that I made a point of stopping at, and the views were breathtaking, showing me picture-perfect landscapes down into valleys and across lakes.
Walking along the trails, I think over everything I’ve learnt since coming here…My father is the leader of The Feral Beasts, in business with Mr. Donaghue, and by the sounds of it, the other one-percenters. Mr. Donaghue is using Robert’s gang to do his dirty work, while Robert is taking advantage of the opportunity to propel The Feral Beasts into a new area of revenue
Thinking about it, there is no way this ‘business’ Robert and Mr. Donaghue are involved in is legal. It would certainly explain Robert’s insistence that I stay out of trouble, not wanting me to cause any unwanted attention or risk them getting caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar, or in this case, wrapped up in some sort of criminal shit.
Dagnabbit, all of this is giving me a headache.
It takes several hours before I finally manage to calm my mind and exhaust my muscles enough that I don’t feel twitchy and restless. By now my stomach is grumping, reminding me I’ve neglected it all day, not something I’m used to anymore.
Needing to refuel, I head back towards Crescentwood, excited to get comfy in what I have claimed as my booth at The Quirky Bird and settle in for the rest of the afternoon to read a book and devour some sweet treats.
I’ve spent all afternoon relaxing with a hot drink, sugary baked goods and an enthralling book, and it's getting late when I start to pack up. I'm just putting my book back in my bag when I glance out through the coffee shop window, taking in the quiet main street, and notice Tyler and Aiden sitting on a bench on the opposite side of the road.
They have a clear view of the front door of the café, but are far enough away not to draw attention and, I have to admit, if I didn’t know they were following me, I'd think they were just two guys chatting on a bench.
They are once again attempting to fit in, wearing designer clothes covering their dark ink, holding hot drinks and leaning back against the bench, chatting casually to one another as though they don’t have a care in the world.
Nevertheless, I'm sick to death of them following me. I’m tired of seeing their admittedly handsome faces everywhere I go, at the school gates, any time I come into town, hell, they even showed up at the grocery store in the middle of the night when I ran out for tampons and fudge brownie ice cream.
Now, I'm done! I had no idea how paranoid it made you to know someone was watching your every move, but it’s draining. They have officially pissed me off. I can't even come and get a coffee in peace, a much-needed break from reality after yet another week of hell.
Without having put much thought into what I'm doing, I turn left outside of the coffee shop, towards the edge of town, where, if I remember correctly from my trail map, there is a secluded forest path. I’m counting on no-one else being on the trail this late in the afternoon.
I really haven’t had a chance to work out what to do. I know my anger is driving my actions right now, but I can’t seem to let in any rational thought. I’m sick of being on the defensive, of letting all the men in this town threaten, harass and stalk me. I need to turn the tables, gain back some control.
The crowd thins out as we leave the Saturday shoppers behind and approach the edge of the forest. I pass a sign stating ‘Mission Creek Trail’, the trail I’m looking for, up ahead.
Damn right I’m on a fucking mission
Heading onto the trail, I soon realise this particular path consists of a narrow dirt track which twists and turns through the forest, shrouded in trees that overhang, practically blocking out the sunlight. I suddenly feel very far away from the town, and anyone who would hear my screams if either of these two men decided to hurt me. Maybe this wasn’t such a smart idea.
Too late to back out now, I pull up my big-girl panties – remember you are fierce as fuck. A fighter. No one messes with you and gets away unscathed – and continue to walk further along the trail. As I make my way around another twist in the path, momentarily losing sight of Aiden and Tyler, I spot an area with particularly thick shrubs and trees that could easily conceal me from the pair of stalkers.
I quickly duck behind the overgrowth, ensuring all of me is out of sight and wait for them to come round the corner.
I am fully aware of how juvenile it is to hide and jump out on them. However, I’m hoping it will catch them off guard, and make it difficult for them to justify their way out of. It would be an unlikely scenario that they just so happened to be walking down the same deserted path, right behind me no less,