Page 176 of Vexatious Queen

“I’m all done,” Rory said, walking up to the front of the room with his backpack over his shoulder. “I sent it to your email.”

“Okay, great.”

I set my cell down and was packing up when it vibrated again.

Rory looked down, and his smile fell. He snatched my phone off the desk and stared at the screen.

“What the hell is this,” he asked, his voice shaking.

“What do you mean? I thought you liked Lizzy?”

Rory turned my phone around to show me the picture of Lizzy with a pretty brunette. The two of them were smiling for the camera. She didn’t look much older than we were.

“Where was this taken?”

“The photo?”

“Yes,” Rory growled.

I held out my hand for my phone.

“You need to explain to me why you’re so angry before I tell you anything.”

“I’m sending this to myself first,” he said.

Pissed off, I marched around the desk, but not before I heard the telltale woosh of the photo being sent. His phone dinged a moment later.

“Excuse me, that was a private message. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I yanked my phone out of his grip and pointed it at him like a weapon. “Tell me right now, what the hell is going on?”

Rory ran his hand through his hair, then sat on the edge of my desk, his backpack slipped from his shoulder and thumped on the ground. He opened his phone and stared at the picture he’d sent himself. He traced the image of the brunette, and I crossed my arms, officially annoyed for a whole new reason.

“Rory, I swear you better start talking.”

His eyes lifted to mine.

“Did Nash or anyone tell you what happened to my family?” I shook my head. “It’s a long story, but basically, my dad worked for Lawrence. We didn’t have a lot to offer, and Lawrence knew that. He took advantage of the situation. He…he um.”

Rory pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.

“Whenever he came to town, he would use my sister. He brutalized her and told my parents it was either that or he would send men to do worse before killing all of us. She’s four years older than I am, but I’ve always been protective of her. The last time Lawrence visited, he hurt her so bad that we had to take her to the hospital. I hated him. I told her that I was going to kill him. She begged me not to. She didn’t want me to get hurt.”

His voice shook, and I sat down beside him, putting my hand on his shoulder.

“Oh my god, Rory. I’m so sorry. Lawrence has hurt so many people, it feels like every time I turn around, I learn something else.”

“He was a fucking dick, and I’m so happy he’s dead. I wish I’d gotten to pull the trigger, but it’s enough that he is dead.”

I squeezed his shoulder, finally starting to understand him better. It also made sense why the guys trusted him.

“So, what happened?”

“After she got better, she withdrew and became a shell of who she was. Then, not long before I came to Wayward, she took off. Just left a note saying that she couldn’t take it anymore. She apologized and was gone.”

He held out his hand holding the phone and pointed at the girl with Lizzy.

“That’s my sister. I’ve been looking for her since the day she left. I’ve been terrified she was dead.”

My jaw dropped, and my eyes locked onto the photo.