Twisted Palace (22 page)

I scramble out of the car, nearly taking a header on the pavement in my haste.

“Ms. Myers,” I call out.

The petite, dark-haired woman stops, just inside the fence. “Yeah?”

“I’m Ella Harper.”

To my relief, her face registers no recognition. I straighten my blazer—one that I ruined by ripping the Astor Park badge off in hopes that it makes me look like a journalist. “I’m a reporter for
The Bayview News
. Do you have a minute?”

Immediately, a shield falls over her face. “No. I’m busy.”

She turns away, but I yell her name sharply. “Ruby Myers, I’d like to ask you a few questions about the statement you gave in the Davidson murder.”

I can only see the side of her face, but it’s pale and stricken. Suspicion spikes through me.

“I-I got nothing to say,” she stutters, then puts her head down and rushes to a vehicle parked three spaces away.

I can only watch as she climbs in and speeds out of the parking lot.

“Did you see that?” Val demands.

I turn to find her at my elbow. “What? That I suck as an investigator?” I want to stomp my foot on the ground like a spoiled kid. “I couldn’t even get one answer out of her.”

“No. Did you see what she was driving?”

“God, not you, too. Reed was hassling me about not knowing the difference between a truck and a car. It was an SUV?”

“That’s a Lincoln Navigator and it runs about sixty grand. This one still has the showroom shine, it’s so new. You said she was a catering waitress, right? You’re telling me she just found a bunch of money?”

“You think someone paid her to lie about Reed?”

“Maybe?”

I think it over for a beat, then hiss out a breath. “There’s only one person who really has anything to gain by pinning this on Reed.”

“Who?”

I lock eyes with Val. “My stepmother.”

A
fter I drop
Val off at home, I immediately speed back to the hotel. It takes me all of two seconds to find Dinah. She’s lounging on the sofa when I storm in, her eyes glazed and her hair slightly mussed up.

“Where’s Steve?” I demand, glancing around. If I’m going to confront Dinah about possibly paying off Ruby Myers, then I don’t want an audience. Steve will just antagonize her, and then she’ll clam up.

Dinah lifts one shoulder, her barely-there nightgown sliding halfway down her slender arm. “Who knows? Probably buying a sixteen-year-old hooker down at the wharf. He likes them young, you know. I’m surprised he hasn’t crawled into your bed yet.”

Disgust fills my throat. “Do you do anything but sit on your ass all day?”

“Why, yes. I shop. I go to the gym. Sometimes I fuck your stepbrother, Gideon.” She laughs drunkenly.

I loom over the couch, my arms crossed, but a part of me is hesitating. My plan was to come out and confront her about Myers, but I don’t know how to start. How would she have paid Myers off? Cash, right? I wonder if Steve would let me look at their bank withdrawals. Or does she carry around a bunch of cash?

Instead of accusing her right off the bat, I decide to use a different approach. Drunk people have lower inhibitions. Maybe I can squeeze some information out of her without her knowing I’m even doing it.

So I sit on the opposite end of the couch and wait for her to keep talking.

“How was dance practice? You don’t look very sweaty.”

I shrug. “That’s because I quit.”

“Ha!” she exclaims way too loudly. She points a shaky finger in my direction. “I told Steve that you joined just so you could sleep with your boyfriend.”

I give another shrug. “What do you care what I do with Reed?”

“I don’t. I just enjoy making the Royals miserable. Your unhappiness is a little extra something special.”

“Nice,” I say sarcastically.

“Nice gets you nowhere,” she snarls. But then her whole face crumples, and for the first time since I walked in, I notice that besides smelling like a brewery, her eyes are rimmed with red.

“Are you okay?” I ask uneasily.

“No, I’m not okay,” Dinah snaps, except this time her voice shakes a little. “I miss Brooke. I really miss her. Why did she have to be so greedy and stupid?”

I swallow my shock. I can’t believe she’s the one who’s bringing it up! Okay, this is perfect. I sneak a hand into my pocket and fiddle with my phone. Do I have a recording app? Can I get Dinah to say something incriminating?

“What do you mean?”

Dinah’s eyes take on a faraway glimmer. “She said you were like us. Are you?”

“No,” I blurt out, and immediately regret it. Damn it. I should’ve said yes.

But Dinah seems too lost in her own world to notice my disagreement. “You need to be careful of those Royals. They’ll take you in and then stab you in the back.”

I watch my words this time. “How so?”

“It happened to me.”

Was this before or after you slept with Gideon? Before or after you decided to take down the Royals?

“How?” I ask instead.

She fiddles with one of the heavy rocks on her fingers. “I knew Maria Royal. She was the queen in Bayview. Everyone loved her, but no one saw how sad she was. I did, though.”

I frown. Where is she going with this?

“I told her I knew where she’d come from and how lonely it could be when you weren’t born into these circles. I was being friendly,” Dinah mutters. “But did she appreciate that?”

“No?”

“No, she certainly did not.” Dinah slams a hand on the coffee table, and I flinch in surprise. “The Royals are like the apple in the fairy tale. Golden on the outside, but rotten to the core. Maria didn’t come from money. She was poor trash from the wharf who opened her legs at the right time to the right man—Callum Royal. Once she was pregnant, he had to marry her. But Maria wasn’t satisfied with Callum’s devotion. She always wanted more, and woe to any woman who stood in her way of total domination over the males in her circle. She was a manipulative bitch who enjoyed playing both sides of the table. To the women, she was spiteful and cruel, running others down constantly. To the men, she was nothing but sweet words and compliments.”

Wow. This is a side of Maria Royal I’d never heard about. Reed and his brothers remember her as a saint. But then the comments Steve made when he dragged me out of school pop up in my head.

No living person is a saint
.

On the other hand, Dinah isn’t exactly the most trustworthy person. And she probably paid someone off to send Reed to jail. I’d be stupid to believe anything she says.

Besides, even if Maria
was
a bitch, Dinah’s obsession with the Royals still doesn’t make sense. “You and Brooke had it in for the Royals and Steve because Maria Royal was rude to you at one time?” I ask in disbelief.

She sighs heavily. “No, honey. Maria Royal represents every other rich bitch around here. You’ve encountered these types at school. They’re the kind who believe their own shit doesn’t stink.”

Like Jordan Carrington. I guess in some ways, Dinah’s lecture isn’t completely crazy. Except the difference between us is that I don’t give a crap about Jordan while Dinah obviously cared a lot about Maria’s opinion.

“And the one time I tried to reach out to her, she slapped me down. Called me a whore and said I was nothing like her.”

“I’m sorry.”

It doesn’t come out sincere enough, because Dinah starts to cry. Big, fat tears roll down her face as she sobs. “No, you’re not. You don’t get it. You still think the Royals are wonderful. The only person who understood was Brooke, and she’s gone. She’s gone.”

It’s the perfect opening, so I take it. “Did you kill Brooke because she was trying to horn in on your piece of the pie?”

“No, damn you, I didn’t kill her.” Anger drips from Dinah’s tone. “Your precious Reed did.”

“He did not,” I answer between clenched teeth.

“Keep telling yourself that, sweetie.”

I face her mocking gaze head on. “Did you pay Ruby Myers to say that Reed threatened to kill Brooke? Did you?”

Dinah smiles. A cold, humorless smile. “And what if I did? How will you prove it?”

“Her financial records. Callum’s investigators will find out the truth.”

“Will they?” She releases a short, angry laugh, her hand snaking out to grab my chin. “The Royal resources won’t buy Reed’s freedom. I’m going to do whatever it takes to see that piece of murderous shit in prison, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

I slap her hand away and jump off the couch. “You’re not going to pin this on Reed!” I spit out. “I’m going to prove that you paid off Ruby Myers. And maybe I’ll even prove that you killed Brooke.”

“Go ahead, Princess. You’re not going to find anything on me.” She tosses back her booze and then refills her glass.

Sick of her smug, awful face, I hurry off to my room and slam the door. The moment I’m calm enough to hold my phone without dropping it, I call Reed.

“What’s up?” he asks.

“I went to Ruby Myers’ house and—”

“
What
?”

He yells so loud that I have to pull the phone away from my ear.

“Are you kidding me? What are you trying to do? Get yourself killed?”

“You and I both know her statement is a lie,” I shoot back. Then, lowering my voice to a whisper, I say, “Dinah is up to her ears in this. She virtually admitted to buying Myers off.”

“Ella, dammit, stay out of this. Dad has investigators crawling all over this case and we haven’t been able to turn up new information. If Dinah’s involved, then you poking a hornet’s nest is only gonna get you hurt. I can’t have you hurt.”

“I can’t just sit around.” I stomp over to the window and yank the curtains open. Housekeeping always shuts them for some stupid reason.

Reed sighs. “Look, I know. I know it’s tough for you. But you just gotta accept that this is the right thing for all of us. If I accept the plea deal, it goes away. Instead of a year of uncertainty and then a few more years of appeals with all our dirty laundry parading across the front page, we get it over and done with.” More quietly, he adds, “It’s not gonna last that long.”

Tears well up in my eyes. “It’s not right. And I don’t want you gone for even a day.”

“I know, baby.”

But does he? There’s aloofness in his voice, as if he’s already putting distance between us. A little desperately, I say, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” His voice is rough and low and gravelly. “Let’s not fight. Let’s try to put this aside and enjoy the time that I’m still here. Before you know it, I’ll be back.” He pauses. “It’s going to be okay.”

But I just don’t believe him.

T
he next day
, I try to act as if nothing awful is happening in our lives. As if Reed didn’t just announce he’s going to prison for a minimum of five years. As if my heart isn’t breaking every time I look at him.

He’s right in one sense. If we spend the next five weeks or so dwelling on the horrible future, he might as well start his sentence today.

So I go through the motions at school, acting like nothing’s wrong, but by the time the final bell rings, I’m exhausted from all that pretending and more than ready to go home.

I’m halfway across the parking lot when a sharp voice calls my name.

Instantly, I go stiffer than a board. Great. Jordan.

“We need to talk,” she says from about ten yards away.

I try to get the car door open, but Jordan’s at my side before I can escape. I turn around with a sigh. “What do you want?”

An evil gleam lights her gaze. “I’m calling in the favor.”

Every muscle in my body coils tight. Crap. I was really, really hoping she’d forget all about that. But I should’ve known better than to think that Jordan Carrington forgets anything, especially when it’s to her advantage.

“All right.” I fake a smile. “So who am I duct-taping to the school doors?”

She rolls her eyes. “Like I’d get an amateur to do my dirty work.” With a wave of her manicured hand, she says, “I think you’re going to like this favor, actually. It requires almost little effort on your part.”

Suspicion trickles down my spine. “What do you want?” I repeat.

Jordan gives me a big, broad smile. “Reed Royal.”

I
t takes
a few seconds for Jordan’s words to sink in. Once they do, I can’t stop a loud burst of laughter. She wants Reed? Um, yeah. Not happening, bitch.

“I’m not sure what that even means, but either way, Reed’s not on the table,” I say cheerfully. “So you should probably come up with something else.”

She cocks a brow. “It’s this or nothing.”

I grin. “Then I pick nothing.”

Jordan laughs at that. Or maybe she’s just laughing at me. “Sorry, did I say
nothing
? I meant, if you don’t uphold your end of the bargain, then ‘nothing’ is what your social life will be. As in, I’ll tell your father all about how you lied to him about the dance team so you could bang your boyfriend at a hotel. I’m pretty sure you’ll be grounded for life after he finds out.” She bats her eyelashes. “Or maybe he’ll pick up and move you to another state. Actually, maybe I’ll recommend that to him. I’ll even give him some brochures for really good prep schools upstate.”

Damn her. That’s totally something Steve would do, force me to transfer schools. If he finds out I lied about the away game and spent the night with Reed, he’ll lose his shit.

“So,” she says, her smile returning. “Should I tell you the details?”

“What do you want with Reed?” I ask through clenched teeth.

“I want him to take me to Winter Formal.”

My jaw falls open. Is she freaking serious?

Jordan rolls her eyes at my shock. “What? It’s not like
you
can go with him, unless your dad is suddenly on board with you dating a killer?”

I stare at her. “What happened to your whole speech about
you
not wanting to be with a killer?”

She shrugs. “I changed my mind.”

“Yeah? And why’s that?” I mutter.

“Because Reed’s star has never shone brighter.” She flips her dark, glossy hair over one shoulder. “When he was first arrested, his social status plummeted, but now he’s all these pathetic chicks can talk about. Unlike your trashy ass, the social hierarchy matters to me.” She shrugs again. “I want to go to the formal with Reed. That’s the favor.”

A disbelieving laugh pops out. “I’m not lending you my boyfriend for a night!”

Frustration darkens her eyes. “He’s a trophy, dumbass. Don’t you get that?”

Reed’s not a trophy
! I want to shout. He’s a human being. He’s smart and gorgeous and sweet when he allows himself to drop his tough-guy act. And he’s
mine
. This girl is insane if she thinks I’m going to say yes to this.

Jordan sighs when she sees my immovable expression. “I’ll tell you what—how about I throw in a spot on the dance team?”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means I’m letting you rejoin the team,” she answers in exasperation. “God, are you fucking dense? We both know you didn’t want to quit—you were just being a bitch for no reason. So you can come back if you want.”

I falter. I did really enjoy my time on that stupid team.

“And I won’t even ask for another favor,” she says with an overly bright smile. “All I want is Reed on my arm at Winter Formal.”

That’s
all
she wants? Gee, she’s asking for
so
little. Not.

I plant my hands on my hips. “And then what?”

“What do you mean?”

“What happens after the dance? Do you think he’s going to be your boyfriend or something? Because he won’t.”

Jordan snorts. “Who wants a boyfriend who’s going to be in jail for the rest of his life? I want Snowflake Queen. That’s it.”

“Snowflake Queen?” I echo blankly.

“Everyone at Winter Formal votes for a king and queen. Like homecoming.” She flips her hair over her shoulder. “I want to be queen.”

Of course she does.

“I mean, I’m already a lock for it, but going with Reed will seal the deal. A bunch of people are talking about voting for him because they feel sorry for him.”

Astor Prep kids are weird as hell. I study her face. “If I agree to this, we’ll be even?”

“Even Steven,” she chirps.

Swallowing my irritation, I fling open the car door and flop onto the driver’s seat.

“Well?” Jordan hovers at the side of the convertible, her expression expectant.

“I’ll think about it,” I spit out. Then I start the engine so I can drown out the sound of her laughter.

When I get home from practice, I find Ella curled up on her bed, wearing what looks like a pair of my old sweatpants and a tiny, tiny tank top. I’m surprised to see her.

“Steve know you’re here?” I ask warily.

She nods. “I told him I needed to study for a chem test with Easton.” Her chemistry book is beside her, but Easton is nowhere to be found.

I grin. “Do you actually need to study or was that an excuse?”

“No, I really do have to study,” she answers glumly. “But we both know your dumb brother isn’t going to help me. I figured if I studied here, at least I could see you. Steve’s downstairs, though, so we need to be quiet.”

I walk over to the bed to give her a quick kiss. “Let me change into sweats and then I’ll help you. I took Chem last year, so I remember all the work.”

Before I can duck into the bathroom, she sits up and says, “Wait. I need to tell you something.”

My gaze sweeps over her barely there tank top. Knowing I’m only going to have a few more weeks with Ella makes the fire burn hotter every time I lay eyes on her. “Can you tell me while your shirt is off?”

She grins. “No.”

“Fine. Be that way.” I hop up on the bed and roll onto my back, folding my fingers across my abdomen. “What is it?”

She clears her throat. “You need to take Jordan to Winter Formal.”

I bolt upright. “Are you nuts?” I stare at her in astonishment. “I didn’t know we were even going. I thought we’d do something else. Just the two of us.” I freaking hate Winter Formal.

“I thought everyone went.” Ella tosses her phone toward me. “See?”

I pick it up and see Astor Park’s Instagram feed, which is full of pictures of the Winter Formal preparations. The school’s obsessed with this dance, and I’ve been grateful for that, because it’s taken some of the heat off of Ella and my brothers over my case.

“The girls go because it’s the social event of the semester. The guys go so that they can get laid afterward,” I say bluntly.

“Nice. Well, you don’t have to sleep with Jordan after the dance. The bargain was for you to take her to the party and nothing else.”

“Bargain?” I’m losing my train of thought because Ella’s shirt is riding up and I can see a sliver of skin above her waist.

“For me being on the dance team and going to the away game.”

I swallow a groan. “So this is what you promised her? That I’d take her to Winter Formal?”

“No, it was just a debt to be called in later.”

“Why does she want to go with me? I thought she hated me.”

“I don’t think she hates you. I think it’s some kind of weird notoriety thing. You go with her and she gets to parade you around like a dog on her leash. The beauty and the beast sort of thing.”

“She’s the beast, right?”

Ella responds by tweaking one of my nipples. Which hurts, dammit.

“Oh, and she wants to be crowned Snowflake Queen or some shit,” Ella adds. “She thinks going with you will up her chances.”

I grab her fingers and drag them to my mouth. “I don’t want to go to a dance with Jordan. If I go, you’re holding the leash.”

“I’m not a leash holder.”

I place her hand at the base of my neck. “I belong to you. Everyone at Astor knows that.”

She turns an adorable shade of pink. “I belong to you, too. But I made a deal.”

“Why are you even paying off this debt? No one’s holding you to it.”

Her fingers trace my collarbone, sending a buzzing sensation down my spine. “Because a deal’s a deal. I always keep my word.”

“Deals with the devil don’t count.”

“If you don’t do it, then she’s going to tell Steve I lied about the away game,” Ella admits, pulling her hand away. “And she said she’ll try to convince him to send me to another school. Maybe even out of state.”

The school thing, I could handle, especially since I won’t even be around after January. But another state? No way. That means Ella wouldn’t be able to visit me. Plus, my brothers need her and she needs them. This is her family. She doesn’t deserve to be separated from them.

Still, I can totally see Steve doing something drastic like that. Ever since my dad told him about the plea deal, Steve’s been better about letting Ella spend time here, but he doesn’t want us dating. He’s made that more than clear. If he finds out I took her virginity at the away game? He’ll freaking kill me.

Ella sits up and swings a leg over my waist. “You have to do it, Reed. Please?”

One thing I’ve learned about Ella is that if she sets her mind to something, there’s no moving her. She’s that stubborn. She’s going to fulfill her end of the deal with Jordan no matter what the cost, and this cost isn’t that terrible, I guess.

I grab her hips and hold her still. “Are there any details to this deal? What does she expect from me?”

Ella picks up her phone and checks her text messages. “She said you have to wear something. Can’t remember what it is.”

“Did you already agree to this before you even asked me?” I demand.

“No, I swear. I just told her I’m okay with it if you are.” Ella’s hands drop to my chest. Her hips start moving.

My eyes flutter shut, but I hear myself respond, “We always wear tuxes. What the hell else would she want me to wear?” Another thought pops into my head. I snap my eyes open. “Are you planning to go, too, or are you leaving me at Jordan’s mercy?”

“Aw, I’d never abandon you like that. I thought I’d go with Wade. Val’s not going, so I can keep an eye on him.”

Oh hell, no. I don’t like this plan at all. “Wade can’t keep his dick in his pants,” I growl.

“I know. Why do you think Val’s not going?”

“So I’m supposed to go with the she-demon, and you’re going to hang out with a guy whose mission is to bang every available chick along the Atlantic coast?”

“Give your friend more credit,” Ella chides. “Wade knows better than to hit on me.”

“He better,” I say sullenly.

She leans down to kiss me, but pulls back before I can slip her some tongue. “So you’ll do it?”

“Yeah, I’ll do it,” I grumble. “Even though I still can’t believe you’d be okay with me going to a dance with
Jordan
.”

“Hey, at least it’s not with Abby,” she grumbles back. “I can handle you going with Jordan because I know you hate her, but Abby would bother me a lot.”

“Because she’s my ex?”

“Because she’s your ex.”

“But she’s my
ex
. Meaning, I no longer want to go out with her, haven’t wanted to go out with her for a long time, and do not intend to go out with her in the future. That kind of ex.”

Ella makes a growly sound. “She better stay that way.”

A chuckle escapes. “I like jealous Ella.” Something else occurs to me. Winter Formal is in two days and this is the first time Ella’s even brought it up. “Do you have a dress?”

“Can’t I buy one at the mall?”

“Oh, babe. You still haven’t learned, huh?” I lift her off my aching dick and set her on the side of the bed. I stalk over to the dresser and fish out a sweatshirt for her. “Put this on. We’ll talk to my dad.”

“Right now? The stores are all closed.”

She stands there without moving, so I shove the sweatshirt over her head. “Winter Formal is like a prom on steroids. These chicks spend more money on their dresses than some folks spend on a car.” I shove her arms into the sleeves and roll them up. “I don’t want you to have a hard time that night.”

“Jeez, Val was right. You guys really do have a special dress for everything. Where should I get the dress, then, if not the mall? You know, where many, many dresses are on sale?”

“I don’t know where you buy it, but Dad probably will.”

Downstairs, we find Dad and Steve in the study. The two men are bent over some papers that look like a flight plan.

“Got a minute?” I ask, knocking on the door.

Steve glowers at the sight of Ella in my clothes.

“Nothing happened,” I feel compelled to mutter. “We were talking about Winter Formal and Ella said she doesn’t have a dress.”

“So the two of you are attending Winter Formal together?” Dad asks, peering over the papers at the two of us.

“Like hell they are,” Steve says stiffly.

Ella glowers at her father. “We’re not going together. Reed’s taking Jordan Carrington, and I’m going with Wade.”

Steve instantly relaxes. “All right.”

I hide my displeasure at his obvious relief. “Anyway, Ella needs a dress,” I mutter.

“Is this really a big deal?” she says in irritation. “I’ve got dresses.”

“I don’t know,” Dad says slowly, “but I chaperoned the formal a few years back and I remember seeing a lot of designer dresses. If Reed is telling me you need a dress, then I suppose you do.” He rubs his chin and then turns to Steve. “You dated that one woman…Patty, Peggy—”

“Perri Mendez?” Steve supplies. “Yes, she owned the Bayview Boutique.”

“She still does. I saw her at the Chamber of Commerce dinner a few weeks ago. Let’s see if she can make something happen.” Dad gestures for Ella to come to the desk. “Sit down and look at Perri’s website. Find a dress you like, and we’ll get it for you.”

Ella takes a seat. “What am I looking for?”

“As fancy as you can find,” I recommend. “This is pageant country.”

She clicks through a series of photos, then stops on a page. “I like this one.”

I can’t see which one she’s talking about, because her hand is blocking the screen.

“Save the picture and I’ll send it to Perri,” Dad tells her.

“Thanks.”

“Told you Dad would handle it,” I say with a grin.

She rises from the chair, and the two of us edge back toward the door, only to halt when Steve’s sharp voice pierces the air.

“Where are you two going?”

“Just up to my room. Don’t worry, Easton is already there,” Ella says, her feet already across the threshold.

Steve frowns. “Keep the door open. Your new boyfriend wouldn’t like it if he knew you were hanging around Reed so much.”