We The Pretty Stars (Court High 4)

I didn’t have an answer for her but couldn’t admit that and stayed silent. It was Knight who ultimately talked, my voice for me when I didn’t have one. How ironic since he was as quiet as he was.

“He doesn’t know,” he’d said. He frowned. “None of us do.”

This clearly shocking December, she sat up.

I cupped her arm. “She didn’t tell us, tell me. I think she thought we’d do something if we knew.”

“Damn right we would.” LJ smiled, and I did a little too. We’d do anything for her, anything.

I wet my lips. “She was supposed to tell me, all of us, after she finished the haze. She promised.”

“So her secret dies with her.” Fury ghosted December’s delicate features, dark hair against her flush cheeks. “And this woman gets away with everything she might have done in connection to the murder? Actually, she had everything to do with this. She’s the reason Paige even got into this stupid shit.”

What she said was all true, reality. A harsh breath flew from my lips. “We hoped finding her cell phone would lead us to the right place. Whoever has it. Hurt her, a direct link.”

“Or doesn’t.” She threw fingers through her hair. “What if they destroyed it? You really think someone would be that stupid to hold on to something like that?”

“You’d be surprised,” I said. “All it takes is one slipup for this whole thing to fall apart. Especially, if there are a lot of moving pieces.”

With my dad involved, there would be. He covered his tracks, but since he clearly didn’t do this, the other party or parties were rogue variables. They could slip up where he wouldn’t, and that, and only that, gave us hope.

“But we’ve checked everywhere for that thing, Royal,” Jax said, usually the voice of hope. He never gave up, always happy to fight another day. This whole thing had messed us all up. He laced his fingers. “We literally have torn up this entire town for that phone, and we haven’t found it. December might be right.”

The other guys said nothing and maybe that’s what they were thinking too, but I couldn’t go there. Not yet. I needed hope. I needed to bring justice for my friend. If I didn’t, I had nothing, couldn’t stomach to walk free in this world when my friend was dead, and the person responsible was still out there. It’d destroy me.

Soft hands moved over mine, and when I gazed up, December was facing the room.

“This might be out there and I don’t know where all you guys have already searched, but,” she started, then found my eyes, “have you checked your father’s vault? You know, the one at the jewelry store?”

Blinking, my eyes narrowed. “Dad’s vault? How do you know about that?”

I admit we hadn’t checked it, his customers’ valuables in there, and though he had his own, he kept the real good stuff overseas in international bank vaults all over the world. We’d have checked those, but doing so was basically impossible without his authorization.

December chewed her lip a little. “Ramses had my Kept necklace there,” she said, making my stomach sour. “Back when we told everyone we were dating, I went down there and got it. Your dad was there that day and took me into the vault to get it. Ramses couldn’t do it. He’d just been to the woods that night.”

Because we’d hazed him, all of this fucking darkness. I just wanted to be rid of it. I gripped her hands, and LJ touched my shoulder.

“We haven’t checked your dad’s vault, Royal,” he said. “Hadn’t thought to.”

“She knows about all this two seconds, and she’s already helping.” A smile from Knight, a rare occurrence indeed. He tipped a chin at Jax. “Your cousin Benjamin still work at the jewelry store?”

December grimaced for some reason. “That guy’s your cousin? He was such a douche that day at the store.”

“Uh, second cousin.” Jax raised his hands. “And yeah, why?”

“See if you can get his keys,” I said, Knight and I of the same mind. “They’d be easier to get than my dad’s.”

It wouldn’t be impossible but definitely easier if he plucked them off his cousin. My father would notice right away, and we didn’t want to risk him finding out.

“But how can we get in there after that?” December shifted her gaze between us. “Your dad had to take me down. He said only he had access to the vault and the box itself took his fingerprint to open.”

“The boxes take four prints actually,” I said. “And only the same have access to the vault.”

December’s lips parted, and I brushed hair out of her face.

“Only a Prinze can get down there,” I said to her. “My mom. My sister, my dad, and me.”

Nine