Twisted Secrets: A Dark High School Romance (Twisted Pine Academy Book 3) Read online

  Shelby said she saw him on the beach but then said it wasn't him. But I bet it was. Why would he hang out on the beach in La Jolla when he could've just gone to Brock's house?

  "So you'll do it?" I ask.

  Trystan walks to the windows and looks out the back. "Only if you do something for me."

  "What is it?"

  He turns to me. "Go with me to see my mom."

  His mom? I thought he'd demand money or make me cover for him while he does something he doesn't want Brock finding out about. Going with him to see his mom is the last thing I expected him to say.

  "Um, yeah, sure. I can do that. But wouldn't you rather go with Braden?"

  "Braden's in jail, and even if he gets out, he won't go see her. He said he's done with her. He's not going back."

  "Would your dad go?"

  "Yeah, but seeing him upsets her. It's better if he doesn't go."

  "When do you want to see her?"

  "After this shit with your dad."

  "Are you sure? It could take months to find him if we don't find him this weekend."

  "Then maybe we'll go see her in a few weeks. Will you go or not?"'

  "Yeah, I'll do it."

  He walks to the door. "I can't believe I agreed to this."

  "Trystan."

  "What?" He turns back.

  "Thanks for doing this."

  "I just want to know the truth. This doesn't mean I like you."

  "I know," I say, holding back a smile.

  He leaves and I shut the door and lock it, then call Jackson.

  "I have so much to tell you," I say when he answers.

  "Already heard about Braden."

  "You did?"

  "I don't know details but I heard he was arrested. It's already on the news."

  "That was fast. Can I come over?"

  "Yeah, but my dad's here and he's not in a good mood."

  "Why? What happened?"

  "The movie studio wants him back at work."

  "So he's leaving?"

  "Later tonight. But he'll be in LA so it's not far if he needs to get back."

  "Don't take this the wrong way but I'm a little surprised he's helping you so much. You made it seem like he wasn't a very good dad."

  "He's not, but he shows up when something like this happens. He doesn't want his career ruined because of something I did. He'll do anything to get me out of this and prove my innocence. So are you coming over?"

  "Leaving now."

  I run out of my room and out the door, then walk quickly down the street, ignoring stares from the neighbors who are outside. I'm sure they've seen the news and think I was involved in Kristen's death. Jackson's house still has police tape around it, a constant reminder to the neighbors that they're living next to an accused killer. The house next to Jackson's was for sale but the sign is now gone, the owner probably thinking they'll never sell it with police tape lining the house next door.

  "I needed this," Jackson says, pulling me in for a hug the moment he sees me.

  "Why? What happened now?"

  "Nothing. I just need this." He inhales a breath, keeping me in the hug. "I feel better when you're around."

  I go inside and see his dad walk by, his phone to his ear. He's wearing black jeans and a black button-up shirt, a very serious look on his face.

  "When is your dad leaving?" I quietly ask as we go to the living room.

  "Tomorrow. He decided to work from here tonight."

  "Oh," I say, disappointed.

  Jackson smiles. "We can still go in my room. Are you spending the night?"

  "I think so. I don't want to be at the house when Braden gets back."

  "He's not getting out tonight. He'll have to wait until he can go before a judge. It could take a week."

  "A week? You were out in a day."

  "Because my dad has connections. Brock doesn't."

  "So Braden won't be playing in the game on Friday. He's going to go crazy not being able to play."

  "I can't either so both teams are without their best players."

  "When Braden's out on bail, you think they'll let him play?"

  "Yeah. The school doesn't care if he killed someone. They just want to win games."

  Jackson pulls me on his lap and kisses me. "You wore your uniform."

  "I didn't have time to change."

  "You know I have no self-control when you wear this." He slides his hand up my leg, under my skirt, as he kisses my neck. "Now I have to have you."

  I smile. "I'm good with that."

  "Jackson!" Roman yells from down the hall.

  I try to jump off Jackson's lap but he keeps me there.

  "What do you need?" Jackson yells to his dad.

  "I need you to be quiet. I'm going in the office to do a conference call."

  "Got it," he yells back. "How long is the call?"

  "Should take about an hour."

  We hear him go in the office and shut the door.

  Jackson smiles at me. "Is an hour enough?"

  "Should be."

  His hand goes back under my skirt, his mouth by my ear. "So the only issue is keeping you quiet."

  "Hey! I'm not loud," I say.

  "You will be when I do what I'm about to do to you."

  Chapter Nineteen

  Jackson's deep sexy voice and the feel of his hand teasing me under my skirt has already got me wanting to scream his name. And I would if his dad wasn't here.

  We go in Jackson's room and he takes up every minute of the hour we have alone, slowly undressing me, teasing me, making my body writhe with need before finally letting me have him. Every time we do this I think it can't possibly get better but then it does, maybe because each time I think it's the last.

  I'm trying to stay positive but I'm so damn scared they're going to take him away and never give him back. I keep having nightmares about it. I wake up breathing fast and covered in sweat, thinking they took him. Convinced he's gone.

  "Why are you so quiet?" Jackson asks as I lay on his chest.

  "I'm just tired," I say, not wanting him to know I'm worrying so much about him. If I told him, I'm afraid he wouldn't tell me stuff. He'd try to protect me from the truth and that's not what I want. I need to know what's happening, even if I don't like it.

  I need to tell Jackson the truth too.

  "I did something you're not going to like," I say.

  "What is it?"

  "I got Trystan to agree to take me to see my dad. We're going on Sunday."

  Jackson sits up. "Rumor, are you serious? You're trusting Trystan?"

  "You didn't see him today. He was shocked when they took Braden. He used to think Braden would never hurt anyone but the past week he's been changing his mind. He's starting to think Braden might've actually had something to do with what happened to Andrea."

  "He actually said that?"

  "He said he could see Braden losing control and doing something he didn't mean to do. I told him we might find out the truth if we could talk to Devon."

  "Devon doesn't know anything. He wasn't there."

  "He wasn't at the party but he was here in town. Trystan said Devon was at Brock's house that day. He said he went there to ask Brock for money. Trystan didn't know what time Devon left but it's possible he was there when Braden got home from the party. He might've heard Braden talking to Brock, telling him what happened. That's why I have to find him."

  "You don't even know where he is."

  "But I know where he might be, and it's only two hours away. We'll go there, check the beach, the homeless shelters, and anywhere else he might be, and if we can't find him, we'll leave."

  "Trystan agreed to this? To drive you there, not knowing if Devon's even there? What's the catch? There's no way he's doing this for nothing."

  "He's not. We made a deal. If he takes me, I agreed to go with him to see his mom."

  "That's it? That's all you have to do?"

  "That's all he wanted. He said Braden won't go with him to s
ee her and he doesn't want to go there alone."

  "I'm surprised he'd ask you. You guys must be getting along better."

  "Not really. He's nice one minute and mean the next, which is why I'm not sure he'll follow through and take me on Sunday, or not tell Brock about our plan, but right now, Trystan's my only option. And I think he really does want to find out the truth about what happened that night."

  My phone rings. I grab it from the nightstand.

  "It's Alyssa," I say, seeing her name on the screen.

  "Alyssa from school?" Jackson asks.

  "Yeah. I don't know why she's calling me. We're not really friends."

  "Answer it."

  I put the phone to my ear. "Hey, Alyssa."

  "Hey. I was just calling to see if you want to go to the game with me on Friday. Peyton isn't going and I haven't been feeling well so I'm going to sit in the bleachers. I could come pick you up."

  "I'm probably not going to go. With all this stuff happening with Braden, I should probably stay home."

  "What happened with Braden?"

  She doesn't know? I might as well tell her.

  "The police arrested him."

  She gasps. "For what?"

  "Andrea's death. They came to the house and took him away."

  "Why? Because of the new evidence everyone keeps talking about?"

  "No, they found something else." I look at Jackson, who's shaking his head. "I can't talk about it."

  “Sorry, I didn’t know.”

  "Don't worry about it. Everything's just really crazy right now. I don't think it'd be a good idea for me to go to the game."

  "Is his dad trying to get him out? He's going to post bail, right?"

  "He will, but it might take a few days. He won't be playing on Friday."

  "The guys are gonna freak when they find out about this."

  "They might already know. The coach probably told them."

  "I should go. Kade's coming over in a few minutes. You'll be at school tomorrow, right?"

  "Yeah. See you tomorrow."

  "Why was she calling?" Jackson asks as I set my phone down.

  "She wants me to sit with her at the game on Friday. She isn't feeling well so she's not going to cheer."

  "It's only Wednesday. How does she know she won't feel better by Friday?"

  "I don't know. Peyton's not cheering either. She's not going to the game. She's probably going out with her elderly boyfriend."

  Jackson sighs. "She's still dating old guys? How old is this one?"

  "I don't know. She didn't say. Probably not elderly. I was exaggerating. He's some guy who works with her dad."

  "She needs to stop doing that shit. Those guys are just using her for sex."

  "And she's using them for money and gifts."

  "She doesn't need that stuff. Her parents are loaded."

  "Sounds like they're not anymore. She made a comment about them not having money."

  "Peyton made her own money when she was acting."

  "She probably spent it all."

  "Probably. She has a serious shopping addiction, or she did when I knew her."

  I turn to him. "What do you think of Alyssa? I can't decide if I like her. Up until this week she didn't really talk to me but now she's acting like she wants to be friends."

  "She's okay. She's better than a lot of the girls there. I could see you two being friends, although I don't know when she'd have time to do anything. When she's not studying, she's out with Kade." He checks the time. "We should get dressed. My dad's done with his call by now. Did you bring your homework?"

  "No," I say, getting dressed. "I didn't think we were doing that again."

  "I am." He gets out of bed and grabs his jeans from the floor. "I don't want to fall behind. I need to keep my grades up. When this is all over, I'm still planning on going to college, even if it's thirty years from now."

  "Jackson, don't say that. I can't wait thirty years for you."

  "And I don't want you to. I want you to go on with your life."

  I walk over to him. "I meant I can't wait thirty years to see you." I kiss him. "I don't like even going a day without seeing you."

  "Rumor." He cups my face with his hands. "I know you don't want to think about it but this might not work out the way we want it to. I could end up going to prison, and if I do, it'll be for a long time."

  "Don't even say that," I say, tears threatening to fall. "I love you too much to think about a life without you."

  "I love you too." He pulls me into his arms.

  "Jackson." Roman knocks on the door. "I need to speak with you."

  "I'll be out in a minute." Jackson lets me go. "If you want to study with me, go home and get your stuff. Otherwise you can watch TV. I need about three hours."

  "I'll study." I reach up and kiss him. "You're a good influence. I wouldn't study if it weren't for you."

  "I won't study if you don't change out of these clothes." He looks down at my uniform. "Don't come back wearing that or we'll end up right back here."

  I laugh. "I'll come back in a turtleneck and jeans. Does that work?"

  "Probably not. I'd still want to do you."

  When I get back to Brock's house he isn't there and neither is Trystan.

  Ana is there and she catches me on my way to my room. "Rumor, are you having dinner?"

  "Not tonight." I turn to face her. She looks so prim and proper in her black pants and white button-up shirt. Looking at her now, I'd never guess what she used to do for a living.

  "Then I guess I'll leave," she says, taking off her black apron. "Brock asked me to stay to make you and Trystan dinner."

  "Where's Trystan?"

  "He went to the gym. He said he wasn't hungry." She looks around, like she's making sure we're alone, then says in a hushed tone, "I heard on the way over here that Braden was arrested for that girl's murder."

  "Yeah, the police were here a few hours ago."

  "Brock didn't even mention it."

  "Maybe he didn't want you to know."

  "Everyone knows. It's all over the local news."

  "What did they say?"

  "That they arrested him based on new evidence. They didn't say what." Her tiny body shudders. "I knew there was something wrong with him."

  "Who? Brock?"

  "Braden. I keep telling the girls to watch out for him."

  "What girls?"

  "Never mind." She shakes her head really fast. "I should go. Tell Brock to call me whenever he needs me."

  For sex or for food? I assume she means food, although I know he calls for sex too.

  What girls was Ana talking about just now? Her prostitute friends? Does Braden go to prostitutes instead of having a girlfriend? Is that what he means when he tells his friends to ditch their girlfriends and do what he does? He found Ana that way. He claims he didn't know she was a prostitute but maybe he did. Or maybe that's what got him starting to use them. I wonder if Trystan uses their services too. He has dates now and then but refuses to have a girlfriend.

  Back at Jackson's place, we order in dinner and study until eight. Roman stays in his room, watching casting auditions for his movie.

  I spend the night with Jackson and forget to tell Brock, but when I'm home the next morning he doesn't even yell at me about it. His mind is preoccupied with getting Braden out of jail. I don't think Brock even noticed I was gone last night.

  At school, all people can talk about is Braden. They keep asking me questions but I tell them I don't have answers. Their main concern is whether or not he'll play football tomorrow, which is really pathetic. They don't seem to care that Braden might've killed a girl.

  "Fifty that he's out by morning," Kade says as we're finishing lunch.

  "I'm out," Miles says. "Dante took all my money for another bet."

  "What bet?" Kade says. "And why wasn't I in on it?"

  Dante laughs. "You were."

  Kade looks at him, confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

&nb
sp; Alyssa sighs as she looks at Kade across the table. "They place bets on us."

  "They what?"

  "Dante and Miles place bets on when we'll break up and when we'll get back together. They've been doing it forever."

  "No shit?" Kade says, his eyes bouncing between Dante and Miles. "Why didn't I know this?"

  "Because we didn't want you skewing the results." Dante looks over at Alyssa. "How'd YOU know about it?"

  "Girls know everything," she says with a smug smile as she gets up from the table.

  "Why didn't you tell me about this?" Kade asks her.

  "I thought it was better if you didn't know." She's next to him now and gives him a kiss. "See you after class." She turns to leave.

  "Hey, about the funeral on Saturday, I don't think I can make it. I have a test on Monday and I really need to study."

  Alyssa whips back to face him. "You promised me you'd go."

  "I didn't actually promise."

  Her eyes narrow. "Then I guess we won't be going out after the game."

  "Yeah, fine." He looks down, shaking his head. "I'll go."

  "I figured you would." Alyssa smiles at him. "Walk me to my locker, babe."

  He jumps up and follows her out of the dining hall, leaving his tray of food behind.

  "He was in hurry," I say.

  "Locker is code for sex," Dante says, his mouth full of food.

  "Shit," Miles says. "I thought I was going to get my money back."

  "It was close," Dante says. "She almost ended it but he saved himself."

  "You bet they'd break up today?" I ask Miles.

  "Seemed like she was in a bad mood. They usually break up when she's moody." He turns to Dante. "How'd she know about our bets? Did you tell her?"

  "No. She's just smart. She picks up on shit."

  I lean toward them both, lowering my voice so the cheerleaders at the next table don't hear. "Do you guys like Alyssa?"

  "She's hot, but she's Kade's girl," Miles says, chugging down the last of his protein drink.

  "I don't mean like her as someone you'd date. I mean like her as a person. As a friend. Or are you just nice to her because she's dating Kade?"

  "I like her," Dante says, hurrying to finish his third plate of food before the bell goes off.

  "She's okay," Miles adds. "She's a little intense for me the way she's so obsessed with her grades but I don't mind being around her. When she's not all serious she can be funny, especially when she's giving Kade shit."