Page 83 of Their Wicked Secrets: Untouched, Vol 5 of 6

I shake my head. Yeah, that’s not going to happen. “I’m fine, Mom. I was a little groggy, but it was mostly for Harper. She’s stressed out, and I wanted to take care of her.”

Her smile grows. “She’s such a sweet girl. And your friends seem to like her too.”

Fuck, should I tell her about all of us? Would she make a fuss about it? I don’t want her to not like Harper. The guys and Harper talked about telling our parents because at least half of them already know. I assume my dad knows, but I don’t have time to get into a discussion about it with my mom.

Not when I have a job to do.

“I’m glad we got to reconnect,” I say instead of blurting out the truth of our relationship. That we’re not so much a couple as a group. But then I’d have to explain that us guys aren’t together. And no one’s homosexual, even if Jack is bi. It just seems like the talk would go on forever and just lead to more questions.

I nod my head. “I’m doing some catch-up work.”

“Oh.” She glances at my laptop. “Of course. I’ll just go clean the kitchen.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

I feel bad. She’s lonely. It’s in her smile. I don’t know what I can do to fix it though. She needs friends. She had a few in New York, but Dad had been around more then too. If he wasn’t having an affair with Ashley’s mom, none of this would be a problem.

“If you need anything, let me know.”

“I will.”

Mom shuts the door behind her. I focus on the end of the principal’s speech. Then there’s a lot of voices as everyone exits the stage. I know this is being recorded, but if anything significant stands out, I need to let the guys know.

“I’m sticking my neck out for you.” Ashley’s whisper is harsh. “See that you don’t get my head cut off.”

Eli chuckles. “You’ll be fine. And in the end, her kingdom will be yours.”

“Yeah, that’s not as exciting as you think.”

Other voices converge on their spot, and I’m sure Eli has taken off to be with Harper.

“You like it dirty, don’t you, Ash?” Zach Gray’s voice rings in my ears.

“Fuck off, Gray. I’m not interested.”

“Come on, Ash. A little birdie told me you like it rough. Really get off on the pain.” Zach is insistent. “I could play into your fantasies, if you play into mine.”

“Still not interested. Go find a plaything who actually wants what you’re offering.” Her disdain is clear in her voice.

Zach chuckles. “You might want to be nice to me. You’ll want to be on my side when the horsemen fall.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Ashley sounds interested. “And who protects me when you fail?”

“I’m not going to fail. See that little bird over there that they hover around?” He sounds closer, like he’s leaning in. He must be talking about Harper. “I’m going to destroy her, and they’ll be scrambling to pick up the pieces. That’s when I make my move.”

“How are you going to destroy her when you can’t even get to her?” Ashley scoffs.

His chuckle is dark. “We all have our secrets, Ash. If you share yours with me, maybe I’ll share mine with you.”

“Hey.” Sidney’s voice is bright as she joins the group. “Are we going to walk the grounds or what? If I can’t eat the fried food, I want to smell it.”

There’s a tense moment before Zach says. “Can’t let my queen down.”

“Mind if I come along?” Ashley says. “I’m not sure where Emma and Hannah ran off to.”

“We don’t mind extras.” Zach’s voice has an oily tone. “In fact, we enjoy it.”

Fuck. This guy is next level creepy. But we need Ashley to talk to Sidney. If she can find out what Zach’s plan is, that would be a bonus.