However, something in my gut tells me we are all, in some shape or form, on the same page.
Certainly, from my chat earlier with Preston and Barrett, they seem to be on the same page as me.
I’m just going to have to trust this gut feeling I have that Aiden and Tyler have my back, even if it does go against my father’s orders.
Choosing to trust my instinct, I introduce everyone to each other. “This is Aiden and Tyler,” I explain to Preston and Barrett, hesitating only slightly, sensing both Aiden and Tyler tense behind me.
Before either of them can tell me to shut up, I quickly add on, “They work for my father.”
There is a moment of silence where both boys behind me glare furiously at me while Preston takes them both in, from their worn jeans and vest tops to their numerous tattoos prominently on display. They clearly weren’t out in Crescentwood when they realised I was awol.
Preston's face hardens even more than I thought possible as he cocks his gun and points it over my head, straight into Aiden’s face, snarling at the two men behind me. “Who the fuck are you people, and what are you doing in our town?”
“We aren’t telling you shit, dickhead. Given the state we just found Sophie in, you two are the ones that have some explaining to do,” Aiden fires back.
“Excuse me!” I interject, “The state you found me in? I wasn’t in any sort of state!” Jeez, they make it sound like they found me beaten and bruised or fucking hysterical. I had basically sorted the situation with Preston and Barrett before these fuckwits showed up to ‘save the day’.
Not that they know that, I guess.
“You were tied to a chair, love,” Ty tries to placate me, frowning at the redness still visible on my wrists, “We may not be from the upper fucking crust of society, but we know how to treat women, and it isn’t by fucking tying them up and threatening information out of them!” He growls, turning to glare again at Preston and Barrett.
All I can do is roll my eyes. I was tied up and sitting on a chair, not tied to a chair. There’s a difference. Besides, based on my father’s attitudes and the way he talks to his men, I seriously doubt they grew up learning how to treat women with the decency and respect they deserve, not that I have time to point that out right now.
Barrett, at least, has the grace to look embarrassed by their actions, but Preston, the asshole that he is, just shrugs. “Well if you all didn’t just barge into this town thinking you could do whatever the fuck you wanted, then we wouldn’t have had to go to such lengths.” He has a fuck you smile on his face, trying to rile up the guys behind me.
“She has nothing to do with whatever you think is going on. Leave her out of it. If you lay a fucking finger on her again I’ll cut it off, shove it down your throat and watch you choke on it,” Aiden threatens in a dark voice that I’ve never heard him use before, showing that he means business and sending shivers of fear up my spine.
No, wait, not shivers of fear. Excitement. Shivers of excitement. Jeez, I’m clearly more messed up in the head than I thought I was.
Even Tyler’s eyebrows raise subtly at the threat in Aiden’s tone. He is clearly as surprised as I am. “Now, we’re taking her home, before her father starts asking questions that, believe me, you don’t want him asking.”
With that, Aiden and Tyler head towards the door, ignoring the guns still pointed at them. They don’t get far before Preston steps in their path, blocking their way again.
“I don’t fucking think so. I want to know what business you have with my father. I know if you’re associated with him then you’re as corrupt as he is, and I’m not going to sit back and let that scumbag get away with his shit anymore.”
Aiden steps up to Preston so they are only inches apart, the two of them staring at one another for a long minute before Aiden responds, “I have no idea what Robert is doing with your father. Hell, I don’t even know who your father is. So, whatever problem you have with him, I suggest you take that up with him and leave the rest of us out of it. Now, like I said, the three of us are leaving,” he finishes, shoving past Preston and out the door.
Not seeing that I have much choice, I move to follow Aiden, with Tyler close behind me, but Barrett lightly grabs my arm. Turning back to look at him, he’s staring at me, all confused. “You’re really going to leave with these thugs? After what you just told us about your father?”
“Yeah, I am,” I confirm, “They may work for my father, but they have been covering for me for months now, protecting me from him. While they may seem a bit rough around the edges, I trust them a hell of a lot more than either of you.” I catch the hurt that flashes across his face, but what does he expect after what he went along with today? I know he believes what I told them earlier, but what they did, what they have been doing since I arrived, is not okay. Having said my piece, I turn and walk out the door, not looking back as I follow Aiden and Tyler towards their car.
Chapter 31
I‘ve barely settled myself into the front passenger seat of the car before Aiden is firing questions at me. “What the hell happened today? What did they do to you? What did they say? What did you say?”
The questions come out in rapid-fire, tumbling over one another, giving me no chance to answer any of them as he starts the engine and does a U-turn before starting us down a narrow lane overgrown with trees and shrubbery.
Ignoring his questions, I ask one of my own that has been bothering me since they showed up. “How did you know where I was?” I demand, glaring daggers into the side of Aiden’s head, watching him grind his teeth, refusing to answer me. Instead, it's Tyler who responds, leaning forward between the two front passenger seats.
“We, emm, may have put a tracking device on you, just so we could keep an eye on you,” he justifies, giving me a ‘what can you do’ look and a nonchalant shrug, clearly not feeling the slightest bit guilty about that invasion of privacy.
“You what?! What the hell is wrong with you people?” I’ve seriously had e-fucking-nough of testosterone-driven assholes who think they can do whatever the hell they want.
I had just about gotten used to their stalking, but this further invasion of my privacy? To be honest, I should have expected it. It’s a smart thing to have done.
“Yeah ok, not our finest moment, but you already know your father has ordered us to follow you. How else do you expect us to know where you are at all times?”
“I figured Oliver was informing you and my father every time I left the house?”
“He is. He lets us know anytime you ask him for a lift, and your father has told him to keep him updated on your whereabouts. We didn’t want to rely on information from your father or Oliver though,” Tyler explains. “Clearly, that worked in our favour today seeing as you decided to up and leave school early,” he finishes, giving me a stern glare, letting me know he’s not happy with me. Screw him. If he had had the morning I had, he would have left too.
“What happened today?” He asks softly after a moment's silence.
“It’s absolutely none of your goddamn business what happened today,” I snap back, getting defensive and not wanting to relive this shitty day.