With each ragged, deep breath.
With every blink of my panic-ridden eyes, I was still unable to find her.
Not one logical thought was able to form in my head. I could only feel the anxiety flowing through every bone in my body. My patience was stretched thin, dangling by a thread.
That thread fucking snapped, when all of a sudden, I heard an unfamiliar voice, exclaim, “Tristian.”
I snapped around, coming face to face with the man I least expected. We locked eyes. He was standing at one end of the hallway while I was at the other. Neither one of us a said a word, not one fucking word until he questioned…
“What are you doing with my granddaughter?”
Chapter 27
—Tristian—
I followed him into an office which I assumed was Belle’s father’s. As soon as I stepped inside, I was completely blindsided by my grandfather’s presence.
Closing the door, I looked back and forth between them before stating the obvious, “So, is this an ambush?”
“What did you think was going to happen, Tristian?” Mr. Montgomery asked, sitting behind his desk while my grandfather stood beside him. “How long did you think you two could keep this up?”
I didn’t know what to say. Silence was best.
“Alright,” Grandfather chimed in. “I’ll start with this. You’re going home immediately to pack.”
“Pack?” I breathed out, staring only at him.
“Yes. You’re going to finish high school overseas.”
I leaned against the door, folding my arms over my chest in defiance.
My grandfather and I were always on good terms. This was the first time we were in a battle.
“You can stand there all you want, Tristian, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’ll be leaving on the redeye tonight.”
I shook my head, finally speaking, “You can’t do this.”
“On the contrary, it’s already been done. They’re expecting you.”
I scoffed out, “I won’t go.”
“You don’t have another choice. I’m your legal guardian, and what I say goes.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“For several reasons.”
“Other than Belle?”
“Belle is just the tip of the iceberg, grandson.”
With a pointed stare, I watched him nod to the desk where there was a folder on top of it.
“Which one would you like to begin with, Tristian? The one where you’re riding your father’s bikes or the one where you’re in charge of this town’s illegal street wars.”
I tried to maintain my composure, but he’d just shocked the shit out of me. He opened the folder, showing me pictures of Belle on the back of my bike the night we outsped the cops.
“Do you have any idea what would have happened if her parents found out what you two have been doing behind our backs?” He paused, letting his question sink in. “If you refuse to go, then you’ll leave us no choice but to tell her parents.”