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He stopped pacing to level me with tormented eyes. “Cal's loan on this garage is about to be called in. He fell a few months behind on his payments, but if I agree to my parents' wishes, his delinquency will be overlooked.”
My entire universe shifted out of alignment.
“That can't be legal.” I whispered.
“It doesn't fucking matter. Goddamn it. Why can't they just leave me the hell alone?”
It was almost as if I stepped out of my body to watch Bastian struggling with what he wanted and what he knew he had to do. “I'll be out of the apartment by tonight.” I felt oddly calm, though the words were breaking my heart.
His head snapped up and his eyes burned into mine. “I don't want that.”
I felt my heart shatter into jagged little pieces. As much as I wanted to be with him, his parents were making that impossible. “I don't either, but they won't stop until I do.”
“Lark.” His anguished voice mirrored exactly how I felt.
He pulled me into his arms. “I'm not going to let them win. I'm going to talk with Mr. Wright. There has to be something we can do.”
“Until then, I'll move in with Poppy.”
“I don't want you to,” he whispered.
“Your parents aren't giving us any other choice.”
He kissed me—the sweetest most tender kiss. “You just moved in.” Rage lurked under the tenderness when he added, “I'll help you pack.”
“Please, no. I couldn't bear it if you were there. I'll call Poppy. I'll be gone before you get home.”
“This is fucking temporary, very fucking temporary.”
“I hope so, God, I really hope so.”
***
That night at dinner, I shared with the Wrights what the Rosses were up to. I had never seen either of them so livid. Mr. Wright had asked me to think about my living arrangements when I moved in with Bastian and I had. Truth was, I loved living with Bastian even as much as I loved being with the Wrights. For two people who had come from homes where love wasn't given freely, we were each other's home. For the Rosses to take that away from Bastian and me just for spite, was so, so wrong.
Mr. Wright's voice shook from anger. “You can absolutely stay here.” He wanted me here, wanted me to experience a bit of childhood before I moved on to adulthood. I could tell he wasn't angry about the change of address, but at how Bastian and I were being manipulated.
“How's Bastian holding up?” He asked.
“Furious and he wants to talk with you.”
“Anytime.”
“What will you do about a job?” Poppy asked.
“I'll find something. The Rosses don't control the entire town.”
“You can say that again.” Dr. Wright's response to that brought a smile to my face.
Poppy changed the subject, but the Wrights didn't as easily shift their focus, and though I didn't know what they were up to, I knew that this subject was far from over for them.
***
Bastian did go to Mr. Wright, who did some investigating, even pulled my uncle into it, and it turned out everything the Rosses were doing was just on the right side of the law. Technically, there was nothing to be done to stop them short of Bastian and I calling it quits or having someone with even more money and connections stepping in to call their bluff. That was unlikely though, considering they were the richest family around.
How long did they plan on playing the puppet master—a year? Two? If Bastian didn't fall in line with their wishes, would they continue to manipulate him out of spite? What really sickened me was that they had finally found Bastian's Achilles heel—playing on his loyalty to his friends to force him to do what they wanted.
***
