Page 68 of The Devils They Are
Don't get me wrong, the whole situation sucks for her. I'm not sure what Rylan sees in her, but whatever she is going through, he needs to keep out of it. But given the look of concentration on his face, nothing I've said has gotten through to him.
Great. We're screwed.
Spencer has him by the balls and unless we do something, we're all in trouble.
Maybe I do need to go to Hunter. Of course, I'm not going to say anything about Rylan—his secrets are safe with me. But right now, we need a clear-headed approach. And if we have the opportunity to seize back power, we need to take it.
Rylan will thank me later.
He just has to rid himself free from Spencer's grasp before she poisons him.
"I'm getting sick of all these change of plans without the three of us consulting together."
Hunter glares at me, and if I were anyone else, they'd be cowering. But instead, I throw him a wink.
"Or are you just annoyed that I had a good idea, and you didn't think of it first?" I tease.
He snorts. "Be careful with that audacity, T. It's not as bulletproof as you think it is."
"Can you make it happen or not?"
"Of course I can," he replies. "But I'm still not completely sure why this is the best course of action."
Shrugging, I squat down and scoop up a crispy leaf, crushing it in my palm. The Ridgeview Park is fairly deserted. Only a few people are still around, getting their nighttime walks in before the sun fully sets.
After my little chat with Ry, I decided we needed to speed up things. The longer this drags out, the more damage Spencer is going to cause.
"Keep your enemies close," I tell Hunter. "Besides, I think it would be a good idea for Ry to take a step back."
As usual, Hunter doesn't miss anything. His brow twitches in annoyance. "Agreed. He's acting weird lately and I don't like it. Those renovations are going to set us back."
"There's something else as well," I pause, leaning against a bench. "The repairs at Cedar are still a while off. Rylan is going to find out if they have a more definitive timeline for completion. But I think we need to look into the fire."
He frowns at the suggestion. "It's not our problem, T."
"Except they made it our problem when Cedar had to merge with us. Whoever started that fire had motive. I want to make sure that it's not for our detriment."
Hunter considers the proposal, and a series of emotions flash across his face. I've got him on board before he even says the words.
"Fine," he begrudgingly agrees. "But you're the one who's going to have to deal with the new arrangement."
Grinning, I kick off from the bench, heading toward the parking lot. "That's okay with me. I think it's about time I find out what makes Spencer tick and why she has everyone in a choke hold."
Chapter twenty-four
Bexley
"Thanksforcomingwithme," I murmur softly, keeping my gaze firmly locked on the outside world that passes by.
Arch glances over from the driver's seat, his sad look visible out of the corner of my eye. "Of course," he replies. "I'm so sorry, Bex. You shouldn't have had to do this alone."
All I can do is nod once. The secret is out—well, only to Arch. But it feels like the whole world knows. Even though it's impossible, now that I've voiced my new reality, it feels like everything has changed.
I know he's trying hard not to be overly pitiful or sappy. I'm thankful for that. But it still feels like someone has reached into my chest cavity with a burning fire poker and stabbed me in the heart repeatedly. Anxiety has become overwhelming. I'm waiting for the avalanche to come—the inevitable rolling effect of people knowing and tiptoeing around me in case I break at any given second.
Truthfully, I don't know how to act. Or how to feel. There's a huge battle of turmoil and rage lashing out. Part of me begs to break down crying again, while a bigger part is stoic and emotionless. But there's no running from this. Time is just not on my side. If I could dodge this forever, I would.
We pull up to the curb in the main town square, bile threatening to rise up my throat. There it is—the damn funeral parlor again.
