A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four - Isabella Starling Page 0,10

telling me what a goddamn monster I was. That she was going to tell you what I did to her. And I didn't do a fucking thing."

My hands form fists at my sides. It does sound like her—not like the Lily Anna I once loved, but the monster I now know she was all along.

"We need to find her," I finish my thought. "We need to find her and bring her to justice before she kills more people."

"How the fuck are we going to do that?" Caspian hisses. "This whole town thinks you're guilty. Even if we tell people about Lily Anna... who's going to care enough to bring her to justice?"

Anders sets down our second round of drinks and we all drink in silence. The butler lingers in the room, and I snap my eyes to him.

"Do you have any ideas?" I ask him.

"As a matter of fact, I do." His wrinkled face lights up. "There's only one person besides you, Master Booth, that cares as much as you do about that insolent little girl."

I know what he's about to say before the words even leave his mouth, and I groan, running a hand through my hair again. "Don't say it, Anders. I can't put up with that prick."

"I'm afraid it might be your only choice," he mutters. "You know what you have to do."

He leaves the room. The rest of the guys are staring at me, waiting for an explanation. I'm already dreading what I know we'll have to do.

"He's talking about Emilian Oakes," I mutter. "He's the only one that can help us now. The only one with the resources, the money, and the fucking determination to find that little bitch."

"We should go see him," Caspian replies. "The sooner, the fucking better."

I know he's right, but I'm still fucking dreading seeing the guy who's made my life a living hell.

But then I think about her.

Not the conniving little bitch who killed my best friend, ruined my life, and is still trying to get back at me.

No, instead I think about Pandora Oakes.

My Pandora. My fucking toy.

Even though she's cut ties with me, even though she ran off, even though she wants nothing to do with me... I can't let her go.

And despite knowing the reason I can't give her up, I'm not ready to admit it to myself.

"Let's go." I pick myself up and motion for the guys to follow me. "We need to go to Oakes Manor right now. We need to make things right. We need to find Pandora, and bring Lily Anna to justice."

"But, Dex..." Julian hesitates. "You know Oakes was obsessed with her. Aren't you worried about him getting his claws into her? Aren't you worried what he might do now that he knows they aren't related?"

I think about all the bad shit Oakes has done to people I care about. Minnie. Pandora. Me.

"I fucking hope he does," I finally mutter. "The bitch had it coming. And you know what? I hope he's rough with her. I hope he makes her pay for everything she's done."

The guys seem to understand and agree with me. I don't need to remind them Lily Anna is a monster—the monster who put a wedge between us all, the monster who killed one of us.

"Let's go," Easton mutters, throwing Julian his car keys. "Better fucking hurry."

5

Pandora

I watch Alli with newfound interest, muttering, "I never thought about it that way."

She giggles. "You really should read that Eden Falls manual you gave me."

"I should," I grin. "But now I have you."

She reaches over for my hand, gently squeezing it. "You also have two people to worry about now. Yourself and the baby."

"You're right," I mutter. "I can't be selfish now. And the baby will be the highest ranking person in Eden Falls once it's born."

"That's right," she nods enthusiastically. "And like I said, you're the one in charge until he or she turns eighteen. I read all of this in the manual. Trust me. I've been studying it since we got here, I know my stuff."

"Thank you so much for doing all this research." I squeeze her palm. "I don't know what I'd do without you. You've been saving me since you came along. I think I'd fall apart if it weren't for you."

"Everyone needs a friend," Alli mutters, skimming through the manual again. "I'll keep reading it. Maybe we can find something else to make things easier for you."

"Pandora?"

We exchange tired glances when my mother calls out my name.

"God,