My phone screen says it’s two in the morning, but there’s no alarm going off, at least not in my room. But there’s an incessant dinging sounding in the house somewhere. I glance over to see if Reed’s awake, but he’s sprawled over two-thirds of the mattress, dead to the world.
I shove the pillow over my head and close my eyes again, but the ringing doesn’t stop. Not only that, but now there are footsteps running down the hallway, followed by loud banging on a door.
Reed sits up, his dark hair mussed and his expression groggy. “What the hell…”
An angry voice can be heard from the foyer. “Just a damn minute.” It sounds like Callum, but it’s hard to make out what he’s saying. “I told you I’d get him.”
Oh, crap. Reed and I jump out of bed. It’s one thing for Callum to know about us, but he wouldn’t be thrilled to find us sleeping in the same bed. My jeans are halfway up my legs and Reed’s tugging on his shirt, when the noise stops outside my door.
We both freeze at Callum’s incensed shout. “That’s my seventeen-year-old ward’s door and you’re not going in until she’s decent!”
You’re not going in?
“Who’s out there?” I whisper to Reed.
He gives me a wide-eyed look of confusion.
“Ella,” Callum barks from the hall, “we have company. I need you to get dressed and come downstairs as soon as possible.”
I clear my throat. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be right down.” I cringe as I realize my voice is coming from Reed’s room.
Callum hesitates and then says, “Wake up Reed and bring him with you.”
Awkward. I hastily pull my jeans up and grab a sweater from the dresser. Reed’s taking his sweet time.
“Babe, it’s going to be fine. You’ve still got your V-card. I’ll tell Dad that.”
I fly over and slap my hand over his mouth. “Oh my God. You will not. We’re not talking about this with Callum. Ever.”
Reed rolls his eyes as he moves my hand off his face. “Don’t worry about it. All he’s gonna do is yell at us.”
“Why’s he waking us up in the middle of the night to do it?” I ask.
“It’s more dramatic that way. He gets to make a big point about how we need to be careful, and shit like that.” He winces when I drag him toward the door.
I instantly drop his hand. “Does your side hurt?”
He winds his arm slowly, testing the wound. “Just sore. I’ll be good to go in a few days, don’t you worry.”
Now it’s my turn to give him a disgusted look. “I wasn’t even thinking about that. You did do something while we were at dinner, didn’t you?”
He gives a small shrug, “Nothing important. I told you, I pulled a couple of stitches, but it’s no big deal.”
Callum greets the two of us at the landing that bisects his wing from ours before the stairs descend to the main floor. He has a pair of trousers on and a white dress shirt that’s misbuttoned.
“Dad,” Reed says warily. “What’s up?”
His father’s wild eyes dart between us. “Where were you tonight?” An unsteady breath flies out. “No, don’t tell me. The less I know right now, the better.”
Reed takes a step forward. “What the fuck is going on?”
Callum rakes both hands through his hair. “The police are here. They want to talk to you about your whereabouts tonight. Don’t say anything until Grier gets here.”
I recognize Grier as one of the names lettered on the door in gold at the lawyer’s office where Steve’s will was read.
“Is it about Daniel? Did they catch the hoodie guy?” I blurt out.
Silence. The longest silence imaginable, leaving me plenty of time to conjure up the scariest, most gruesome scenarios. But none of them come close to triggering the panic I hear when Callum finally answers.
“Brooke is dead—”
What?
“—and Reed is a person of interest in her murder,” he grinds out. His eyes are locked on Reed’s face, which has gone completely pale.
Oh my God.
Instinctively, my gaze drops to Reed’s side, where his bandage is probably turning bloody as we speak. Then I look back at Callum, my mouth opening and closing and opening and closing.
“How did this happen?”
“I moved a bit… It’s no big deal.”
The moment the thought surfaces, I want to slap myself for even thinking it. No. No way. No matter how much he hated her, Reed would never…he would never…
Would he?
You know I’d do anything for you… Absolutely anything to keep you safe.
“Mr. Royal,” a voice calls from the bottom of the stairs. A tired man in a rumpled suit places a hand on the banister and a foot on the first step. “The warrant’s been signed. Your son will have to come with us.”
“Who signed that bullshit?” Callum demands as he charges down the stairs.