“Why?” We made it to my room, and he grabbed his things immediately.
“I told you, I have things to do, Rebel.”
“And that’s it?”
“That’s it. Text me.”
He left, and it wasn’t long before I heard his bike start up and take off. I stood there for a while listening, but I couldn’t ignorethe nagging thought that whatever bad feeling he had was about to crash into our lives.
Thirty-Three
Regan
Ipulled into a parking spot at Sweet Haven and stepped out, the scent of coffee already hitting me. The cafe’s warm, inviting atmosphere was a harsh difference to the chill of the morning. I had chosen black flowing pants and a cute long-sleeve top, opting to skip the jacket for the sake of looking professional—though the cool air made me second-guess that decision.
My phone pinged, and I pulled it out to see two texts from Rook already. I thought he had been mad at me, with how he left today, but he had been quick to text me earlier and was still texting.
Rook
Are you there yet?
And did you drive yourself?
Regan
I did. And I just got here. What is going on that you are freaking out?
Rook
I’m not freaking out.
Regan
You are, too.
He didn’t respond, and that only made me worry, but I didn’t have time to think about it more. Instead, I rolled back my shoulders and headed inside. The scent of freshly baked pastries filled the air with the rich scent of coffee. Sunlight streamed through the large windows, casting a warm glow on the wooden tables and cushioned chairs.
My dad had never asked me for any type of meeting outside of the house or anywhere, honestly. Even when he asked me into his office, it wasn’t to talk about anything besides where I needed to go for the week. This had to be it. I had spent a year of my life waiting for the moment he would give me a chance, and as much as I wanted it before, for the first time, I actually felt ready. I didn’t want to hide away, and I knew I could handle the people that came along with the business.
My dad had been right before. I thought I was waiting around to take care of him, but I was also waiting around for my life to come to me instead of me going to it.
But I wasn’t doing that anymore. I had gone after Rook and handled every single thing he showed me. If I could handle all the terrible things Rook did and the people that went along with it, I could handle my dad’s business.
I almost laughed as I pulled the door open. The men my dad worked with were starting to seem like teddy bears compared to the guys Rook was dealing with.
I made it to the host stand, and they pointed to a table in the corner. I saw my dad first, my stomach dropping as I looked at the man across from him.
Elliot sat on the other side, laughing as my dad spoke to a woman next to him.
Bile rose in my throat as my confidence wavered with each step. I came in here thinking my dad and I would finally get a chance to talk about my future with his company, but I knew that wasn’t the case now. There was no reason for Elliot to be here that would be good for me.
Was he trying to get me back, and this was some weird way to force me into it? Or maybe he was here to tell my dad about Rook and me, even though I didn’t know if he knew about us. He might. The people at the party we’d thrown at the house were mutual friends, but Elliot hadn’t been around much, and I wasn’t sure if any of them had even talked to him lately.
I slid into the open seat next to Elliot, not hiding the curl of my lip as he looked over at me.
“Hey, Regan,” he said, the cocky smile on his face making me want to punch it off of him. I had almost forgotten what he had done to me.
The entire encounter with Rook had ended up being good for me, but Elliot didn’t know that. He left me alone to be killed after walking me down that dangerous road.