Page 63 of Wildest Forever

I needed to put my focus on finding out who did it, needed to find these suits and shut them down once and for all.

There was no way they were going to continue trying to buy Lovelock Bay. There is no way in hell that I will let them close to Rivera Ranch or Cottonwheel.

They can declare a war and I will gladly suit up and go to fucking war.

I will not have them threaten to take away my family's legacy.

We've had enough hurt between all of us, I will not be the reason for more.

Pacing back into my room, I push the door slightly and dress in cotton pyjama pants and a tee.

Hanging my towels to dry, I lay on my bed, arm behind my head as I cross my feet at my ankles.

I let my mind wander back to the last six months.

Austin getting framed for Clay's death.

That one plummeted me into a darkness that I never thought I would climb out of.

To see your best friend be thrown to the wolves for something he didn't do and watching him slowly crumble into nothing was hard.

But of course, we proved his innocence. It was a little too late, the depression sunk in and I turned to drink.

My mom and dad were worried about me, but at that point, I didn't care about anyone else apart from myself.

And that was so fucking selfish of me.

Riggs tried. Tripp tried.

Fuck, even Aspen tried.

I just couldn't get a grip on it.

The day I walked through the door drunk, telling Riggs it was all his fault with Austin, well, that was a new low.

I never meant a word of it, but it was easier to hurl my anger at him than it was at anyone else.

We were all involved that night.

We were all there and knew that we put him in the back of the truck.

But then it seems a few others ended up having a hand in his death.

No one wanted him to die.

He wasn't a bad guy in truth, just a greedy businessman who wanted to take what was ours.

But I think what gutted us all the most when we found out was that Lainey now didn't have her dad.

Sure, she has Tripp, she will never know different, but half of her is gone.

She'll never get that chance to meet the man whose blood pumps through her veins.

And that is on all of us in a way.But it was also on Kelcie, Lucian and Clay’s brother. They murdered him instead of getting him help.

They're rotting away behind bars now.

We just had to find the rest of the fuckers.

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