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All I want is for the madness to stop. I want my life back. No, that’s a lie. I don’t want my previous life; I want one where I get to make choices that satisfy me.
I want a life where Noble, Duke, and Lorde are my future.
“Here we go,” I mutter as Sebastian climbs onto my shoulder, nuzzling my hair and making his bird noises that sound as if he’s purring like a kitten. “Come on, guys.” Flounder jumps up front as I grab his leash, and he follows me out.
As I left the cabin property, I called one reporter that I knew I could trust. I’ve followed her for a few years, and she’s always willing to dig for the truth no matter what anyone else wants or says.
“Miss Titan.” Her hand reaches out as her cameraman begins rolling. “I must admit, I’m surprised to have heard from you, let alone to see you in the city without the bodyguards who ran off with you.”
“Me too, Isla.” The woman offers me a seat on the university steps.
“Before we begin, I have to ask who your friends are?” She scratches Flounder’s ear, his hind leg thumping in pleasure.
“This is Flounder. I rescued him a couple of years ago when I saw him trying to swim his way out of a pond.” He settles his head on my lap. For as goofy as he can be, he reads me like an open book and always knows when I need him. “And this”—I rub Sebastian’s belly—“is Sebastian, an African Grey Parrot. He’s a bit mouthy but loves fiercely.”
“How’d you wind up with him?” She offers him her finger, and he swats it away with a foot.
“He found me, actually. He’d flown the coop, so to speak. When I contacted his owner after seeing some online ads, she explained that she was too old to care for him like he deserved, and after seeing how well he’d accepted me, asked if I’d like to keep him.” He rubs his face against my cheek. “I couldn’t say no.”
“That is so sweet.” She clears her throat and asks me straight on, “You said on the phone, you knew who was out to harm you. Are you ready to spill the beans?”
“I’m not, no. I’m nervous and scared, and most of all, I wish to be wrong.” Pulling out the phone, I hold it firmly as I take a deep breath. Unlocking it and pulling up the information I’d been told about but only seen with my own eyes this morning, I hand it to her. “I know you’re more about the truth than rumors, so you tell me, can this be real?”
Her face pales as she reads what my men so desperately tried to hide from me. I don’t blame them, and I’m not angry. Not with them. But I’m terrified of what that could mean. Terrified that someone I put so much trust in could be so caustic towards me.
“This is…” Handing me back the phone, Isla pulls out her laptop and does a couple of searches before her eyes meet mine. “I think it’s right. I think that is the person who is doing this to you.” I swallow as she turns the screen so I can see what she’s looking at.
“How did you get this?” I whisper, but my ears are ringing, and it sounds like I’ve yelled at her.
The sound of screeching tires and slamming doors reaches me, but I can’t seem to focus as I stare at the words on the screen. Words shared between Vanessa—the woman I thought was my friend until she shot me—her mother, my long-time coach, and my father’s assistant, Mr. Scuttleworth.
“So many people.” Strong arms wrap around me and lift me into a chest that I’ve shed many tears into. “How could they do this to me, Noble?”
“I wish you hadn’t done this, little girl.” He kisses my neck as Sebastian protests while trying to hang onto my shoulder. “We didn’t want you to see how bad it was or who all was involved.”
“So, you guys knew?” I hear Isla ask as Noble sits down. Duke and Lorde stand guard around us because, obviously, the threat is much worse than I imagined.
“We suspected Scuttleworth from the beginning. Vanessa wasn’t so shocking; she had tried to kill Sol after all. But Vanessa’s mother and Coach Barnes were a surprise we hadn’t anticipated. In fact, we thought the co-conspirator might have been someone else, and I’m not entirely convinced it isn’t,” Noble explains, but I can’t seem to focus on much.
“Are you going to say who?” Isla leans closer.
“No. I won’t ruin the person’s life if I’m wrong.”
“I respect that. Most would be quick to name names. So I guess all that’s left is for me to air this tape.” Isla asks a few more questions, ones that don’t require my input, but my men pick up the slack. After she sends the information off to her station and Noble forwards what he has to the university, my father, and a contact in the police department, I’m carried away.
* * *
Duke
“I’m sorry,” we hear Sol whisper from her perch on Noble’s lap in the back of the SUV as we head back to our home. Most of the ride has been in silence. I don’t know about my friends, but I can’t say anything because I’m so fucking pissed with our girl.
No, that’s a fucking lie. I’m enraged, proud, terrified, and relieved. When we discovered she’d taken off, the fear that consumed us was something I knew we’d never felt before. After reading her note and realizing she had taken my phone, a calmness fell into place but didn’t take hold until we laid eyes on her again.
I’m pissed at myself because it was my idea to go to the media. If I’d never mentioned it, she wouldn’t have fled the way she had. It’s doubly hard to be so fucking angry when what she did will bring us closer to the end of this nightmarish ordeal. Knowing who her enemies are has given us an edge. Involving the media will expose them, and one of two things will happen.
They’ll get caught. Or they’ll come for her again and make a mistake.
Either way, we’re at the pinnacle where Sol’s life will finally become her own.
