The Cruel World Read online

  Kal puts his hand on West’s shoulder. “Come on.”

  The guys turn to leave. As they’re walking out the door, West turns to look at me one last time. It hurts my chest to see him. I turn on my side, the opposite way of him, just needing to not see him right now.

  The second I hear the door shut, I sob into my pillow, wondering what the right thing to do is. Do I stick it out and fight? Or do I join a team that actually wants me?

  Final decision.

  With my mind made up, I call Michael Sinclair and ask him to come to my hospital room. For some reason, I feel like he will be disappointed in my decision, so maybe if he understands why he won’t be so disappointed.

  My team literally tried to kill me. And, okay… so maybe West didn’t realize just how allergic to strawberries I am, he still meant to harm me. And I can’t be on a team like that anymore.

  My chest aches, making me question if I really want to leave West, Kal, Alek, and Ian. Of course it’s a hard decision. But this has to be right. I can’t stay on a team that doesn’t want me.

  There is a knock on my hospital room and a moment later, the door swings open.

  Michael Sinclair has a smile on his face when he walks in. I wonder if he knows why I’m here—not about the allergic reaction, but that the guys were the ones who caused it.

  “Ah, Miss Villareal, lovely to see you.” He walks closer to my bed, taking a seat close to me. “There are four boys who look very guilty in the waiting room. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

  I simply shrug, not answering either way. I suppose that answers my question—he very much knows what happened.

  “I take it you’ve had time to think about whether you’d like to leave your team and join Jensen’s team.” He gives me a pointed look.

  Sitting up straighter, I nod.

  “I thought so,” he says.

  I chew on the side of my lip, wondering how I should start. Do I tell him about how much West, Ian, Kal, and Alek hate me? Do I tell them how even after he dropped us off in the forest we still couldn’t get along? Should I tell him how I make all the guys miserable? And in return I am miserable.

  Michael scoots his chair a little closer to the bed. “Do you mind if I give you a little advice?”

  I breathe out a sigh of relief, looking at him. I need to stall in giving him my answer. Mostly because I’m scared to admit out loud that I’m defeated.

  “Miss Villareal, you are the only one who can make this decision on whether you want to quit your team or not,” he says. “It’s an exceedingly difficult decision, I know that. But it’s not one that should be taken lightly.”

  I lick my lips. “I know. I’m not making it lightly. I’ve thought about it a lot.”

  “Did the boys ever tell you that all four of them voted for you?”

  I grin. “I kind of hacked the vote and then confronted them about it.”

  He laughs. “Why does that not surprise me?”

  Nothing ever surprises Michael Sinclair. “I still don’t know why they voted for me. They don’t like me very much.”

  And that is the truth. Sometimes I think that maybe Kal and Alek like me, but then they conspire with West to murder me.

  Okay, okay. Fine. Maybe murder is a bit dramatic. But I’m in the hospital because of them. I think I’m entitled to be a little bit dramatic.

  “I think they like you a whole lot more than you think.” Michael Sinclair raises an eyebrow at me. “And I also think that you know it.”

  I sigh. “Maybe. But I’m still in here because of them.”

  He chuckles. “Yeah, West called me and told me what happened. He confessed that he fed you strawberries, knowing that you were allergic. I don’t think he knew the severity of the allergy though.”

  Yeah, I know that too.

  I press my lips into a firm line, not saying anything.

  “To tell you the truth, I did consider you for Jensen’s team.”

  My head jerks to him. “You did?”

  He nods, folding his hands on his lap. “I did. I thought you would get along great with the three guys. You mesh well together.”

  He’s right about that. I do mesh well with them all.

  Michael pauses. “Well, I knew you’d probably argue with Jensen a little bit.”

  I laugh. “Already did that.”

  He raises an eyebrow.

  I rub a hand at the back of my neck, wondering if I should admit this to Michael. “I, uh, kind of punched him when we were in St. Thomas.”

  “Ah.” He nods. “I wondered where his black eye came from—he told me he got it in training, but I knew he was lying.”

  “Yeah. Sorry about that.” I push a piece of hair behind my ear. “I was surprised he wanted me on his team after that.”

  Michael gazes toward me thoughtfully. “Do you know why I ultimately chose you for West’s team?”

  I shake my head, then nod. “Well, probably because all four of them voted for me.”

  He grins. “I decided long before they put their votes in.”

  “Then why?” I hold my breath, waiting for his response.

  “You’re a firecracker. And West is…” his voice trails off.

  “A bomb,” I offer.

  He grins. “Yeah. Exactly. You are exactly what those four boys need. Someday, they are going to figure that out, and when they do, you’ll be unstoppable.”

  I suck in a sharp breath, unable to believe his words.

  Does he really think that?

  “It’s the truth,” Michael says, before I can ask. “The five of you are going to change the world, Miss Villareal. And don’t get me wrong, I do think you can do a lot of good on Jensen’s team. It’s your decision. But with West, Alek, Kal, and Ian, I think you’ll put your parent’s legacy to shame.”

  It’s like he knows exactly what to say.

  Does he know that I want to put my parent’s legacy to shame? Does he know how I feel about my parents? That they’re awful to me?

  I take a deep breath. “I really appreciate Jensen’s offer. I do like him, Cole, and Rook—they’ve all been so kind to me. We’re rivals and I know I should hate them, but I don’t. Still, I don’t want to leave my team. I am happy where I am. And even though those guys make me miserable sometimes, I’m not leaving them.”

  Michael Sinclair beams at me. “I was hoping you would say that.”

  He was?

  Of course he was.

  Michael Sinclair doesn’t make mistakes. He chose me for the team he did for a reason. And maybe he’s right—maybe we will change the world. Maybe we can do some good in the long run. First, we have to learn how to get along. That might be the hard part though.

  “Should I tell the guys that they can come in?” Michael asks.

  I grin, shaking my head. “Nah. I think I want to talk to Jensen, Cole, and Rook first.”

  He tosses his head back and laughs. “You’re going to torture those boys.”

  “That’s the plan,” I admit. “After all, they deserve it a little bit.”

  “Can’t argue that.” He shakes his head. “They are going to have their hands full with you, Miss Villareal.”

  “I sure hope so.”

  And I can’t wait to tell them off later. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they realize I’m not going anywhere. It’s going to take a lot more than that for them to get me to leave.

  Since joining this team, I’ve been ridiculed, made fun of, tackled, had my hair dyed pink, and been nearly killed, but even that isn’t enough to run me off. Those boys might not realize it right now, but I am part of the team.

  Michael stands up from his chair. “I’ll be sure to look disappointed on my way out.”

  My smile widens. “Thanks. For everything. I really was going to join Jensen’s team, but I think I would’ve regretted it.”

  “I know.”

  Of course he knows.

  He lifts his hand and waves at me. “Good lu
ck, Miss Villareal. I have a feeling you’re going to need it. And don’t feel sad about saying no to Jensen. I have a feeling your two teams will be seeing a lot of each other.”

  Without another word, he turns and leaves my room, making me wonder what he meant by we’ll be ‘seeing a lot of each other.’ I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. Will we be working on a case together? Or is it something else?

  I push it from my mind as I send a text to Jensen, asking if he, Cole, and Rook will come to my hospital room. It isn’t until I get a hasty response of him freaking out that I realize they don’t know about what happened. I reply and let them know I’m okay but promise to explain once they get here.

  One thing is certain—my life with West, Ian, Kal, and Alek definitely won’t be boring. But I’m up for the challenge.

  Thanks for the offer.

  As I wait for Jensen, Cole, and Rook to show up, I question my sanity. Am I really going to try and stay with a team that tried to kill me? But I already know the answer is yes. I know that I belong where I’m at. And those four boys aren’t going to be able to run me off—not anymore.

  I still can’t believe I’m sitting in a hospital room because of them. I never thought things would go this far. And as mad as I am at them, I still love those jerks. I can’t wait to lay into them later and really make them feel guilty for what they did. Surely, they can’t be mad at me anymore after what they did… right?

  A knock on my door disrupts my thoughts, so I yell at whoever it is to come in. I cross my fingers that it’s the doctor coming to tell me I’m free to go, but instead Rook sticks his head through the door. He walks in, followed by Cole and Jensen. My heart races with a mix of excitement and dread. Excitement because I know I’ve made the right decision. Dread because I don’t want to hurt these guys’ feelings, especially since we’re apparently going to be spending a lot of time together soon, at least according to Michael Sinclair.

  “Hey.” I lift my hands and wave at them as they come in.

  “An allergic reaction.” Jensen raises an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you caved and ate strawberries literally moments after you told me how allergic you were.”

  I snort. “Yeah, right. I would never do this on purpose.”

  Part of me wants to tell them it was West—that my team did this to me. But the other part of me wants to protect the guys. If Jensen, Cole, and Rook knew the truth, they would never understand why I’m staying with the guys.

  “Have you called us down here to take us up on the offer?” Cole sits down on my hospital bed, near my feet. “I’ve got to be honest, Rook has been pacing the floors since he brought the opportunity up to you. He wants you bad.”

  I look at Rook, who’s face is bright red. He grins sheepishly at me. “I want you on the team, that is no secret. I think you’d be a great addition.”

  Cole laughs. “He also wants to date you.”

  I lean forward, smacking Cole’s arm. “Be nice.”

  He rubs his arm. “Ouch. That’s abuse. Somebody call 9-1-1.”

  I roll my eyes at his dramatics.

  Part of me still wonders if I should be turning them down. We do all get along well.

  But…

  West.

  Kal.

  Alek.

  Even Ian, who currently despises me.

  I can’t leave them.

  I clear my throat. “I did want to give you my decision. I’ve thought a lot about it, and I’ve talked to Michael Sinclair. I actually called him down here, fully intending to tell him I was ready to leave my current team.”

  “I imagine after West tried to kill you,” Cole smarts.

  My eyes widen. “You guys know?”

  “Everybody knows.” Jensen shakes his head. “One of the other teams were in here, getting their broken arm set, and they overheard West talking to Michael Sinclair. Pretty sure there isn’t a Royal who doesn’t know.”

  I groan, leaning my head back against my pillow. “Do you think my parents know?”

  “Probably.” Rook takes a step closer to the bed. “I’m sure they’ll be by to see you and make sure you’re all right.”

  I cross my arms over my chest. “Yeah, they’ll show concern for me when pigs can fly.”

  Jensen sits down in the chair by my bed. “Enough stalling. I want to hear that you’re joining our team.”

  I hesitate, chewing on the side of my lip.

  “You’re staying with them.” Rook lets out a long breath. “I knew you would.”

  Jensen grunts. “Are you kidding? You’re going to stay with the guys who tried to kill you?”

  “When you put it like that…” I shake my head. “Look, I know it sounds insane, but the guys and I have been through a lot together. And I’m not a quitter. Michael chose me to join them. If I just left when things got rough, I wouldn’t be a very good agent, let alone a Royal.”

  Cole frowns. “I understand. I’m disappointed, but I do understand.”

  Jensen nods. “I do too. I’m sad, but I hope we’ll be able to be friends.”

  “Rivals and friends.” I smirk. “Absolutely we’ll be friends. As long as you don’t try to kiss me again.”

  His jaw drops open. “That was one time a long time ago.”

  I give him a pointed look. “It was last week.”

  “A lot can change in a week,” he counters.

  He’s right—a lot can change. A week ago, Ian didn’t hate me. A week ago, things were kind of okay. Now, I’m sitting in a hospital room because West tried to kill me.

  “On a positive note, Michael Sinclair did tell me that we’re going to be spending a lot of time together soon.” I push a piece of hair behind my ear. “But he was pretty ominous about it.”

  Cole and Jensen share a look.

  “Why do I get the feeling that us spending time together isn’t going to be a good thing?” Cole asks.

  “Probably because if Roxy will be there, so will West.” Jensen shakes his head. “We’re probably going to end up killing each other.”

  I wave a hand. “Nah. I’ll keep West in check. Don’t worry.”

  Jensen laughs. “Good luck with that.”

  Rook shrugs. “I don’t know. If anybody can keep West in check, it’s Roxy.”

  I don’t know about that, but I do appreciate his vote of confidence.

  “We should get out of here. Your guys were in the waiting room and if looks could kill, we’d all be dead. I’m sure they’re a few minutes away from dragging us out of here.” Jensen stands up from his chair.

  “Since when are you afraid of West?” I ask.

  “I’m not.” He winks at me. “But if we’re going to be spending a lot of time together in the near future, I’d rather not make him any angrier.”

  “Thanks,” I say.

  Cole jumps off the bed. “Don’t worry, the three of us will try and look super sad as we walk by.”

  “Nah.” I shake my head. “I want to make them suffer a little longer before I tell them I’ve decided to stay on their team. Maybe look excited so they’ll think I told you yes.”

  Rook whistles under his breath. “Wow. You’re cruel, Roxy Villareal.”

  I beam at him. “Thank you. I learned it from the best.”

  Jensen shakes his head. “Are you sure you don’t want to join our team?”

  I nod. “I’m certain but thank you so much for offering. It would’ve been a blast to be with you guys, but I know where I belong.”

  Jensen knuckle bumps me. “See you later, Villareal.”

  “Later, Kaplan.”

  Cole comes up to me next and pats my shoulder. “It would’ve been nice to stick it to West and have a girl as talented as you on our team, but I get it. I respect the need to prove yourself.”

  “Thanks.” I grin, thinking Cole is kind of sweet—very unlike what I first judged him to be like.

  Rook bends over, giving me a hug. “It’s been real, Roxy. See you around.”

  “Bye.”

  I
watch as the three of them leave my hospital room. Part of me wants to yell at them to come back and tell them I’ve changed my mind. I know we’d be good together. But the other part of me can’t bear the thought of leaving my team. Those boys, as cruel as they are, still mean so much to me. They’re my family and I do love them. So, even though it kills me, I know it’s right. Because under all the guilt, there is relief. Complete relief. And I know that I’ve chosen right. Deep in my gut, I know that this is where I belong.

  I’m not going anywhere.

  I don’t say one word to the guys as we leave the hospital. Not one word as they apologize profusely as we walk to the Jeep. Not one word as they grovel on the drive home. Not even one word as we enter the beach house that we’re staying in for the week.

  I’m dying to tell them that I’m staying. I’m excited because I think they’ll be excited too. But I’m nervous because what if they’re disappointed. They’ve told me many times that they don’t want me on their team—not just when I first got here, but West told me yesterday that maybe I should join Jensen’s team. So I’m scared to know what he’s going to say when he learns that I’m staying. What if he decides to start being even worse to me? What if he hates me so much that the bullying from him get worse? What if…

  No. I refuse to wonder what if. I told Michael Sinclair that I was certain and I am. I know what I want, and I know that what I want is to stay with West and the guys. This is where I belong, even if they don’t think so.

  Someday, we will be a family. I just have to stick with this. I have to keep fighting.

  Only when we get to the living room do I intend to speak.

  West tugs on my hand. “Princess, please, will you talk to us?”

  The fact that he says please says it all to me. Because West Newman isn’t the kind of guy who ever says please. He takes what he wants because he can. He’s a Royal. He’s West Newman. He’s… the best.

  He’s also the guy I’m kind of in love with but I try to ignore that for now. After he literally tried to kill me isn’t the time to think about that. It only makes me feel pathetic.