Torment Her: A Dark High School Romance (Rebels at Sterling Prep Book 5) Read online

  TORMENT HER

  Caitlyn Dare

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  About the Author

  Also by Caitlyn Dare

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  About the Author

  Also by Caitlyn Dare

  Chapter One

  Kennedy

  My eyes flutter open, pain radiating through every part of my body. I groan, trying to adjust my eyes to the soft amber glow flickering around the room.

  “W-where am I?”

  I search my memories for a clue of where I might be. The walls are a light gray, and the furniture is black wood. It’s tidy, clean.

  It’s definitely a boy’s room.

  My hands fist the sheets, and something pinches in my skin. “W-what?”

  “Try to relax,” someone says softly, and I twist my head slowly to find a man standing there. “Hello, Kennedy. I’m Dr. Miles.”

  “W-what happened?”

  “We’re not sure.” His lips flatten into a grim line. “What can you remember?”

  “I-I don’t know.” I close my eyes, willing the memories to surface. There was a New Year’s Eve party at Nate Jenner’s house. He’s captain of the football team at Sterling Heights, my high school. I was with Warren, my boyfriend.

  Just the thought of him makes me flinch.

  The Jaggers were there. Ace, Cole... and Conner. He tried to talk to me, but then the police arrived, and I ran.

  “I don’t remember,” I croak, because after the hazy memories of fleeing the party, there’s nothing.

  “Okay, try to relax.” He checks a small machine I’m hooked up to.

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s monitoring your blood pressure and heart rate.”

  “Sorry, but where am—”

  The door flies open, and Conner Jagger stands there. My childhood best friend. His face is pale, his bright blue eyes wide and skittish.

  “Kenny,” he breathes, “thank fuck.”

  “I thought I told you to wait outside.” The doctor gives him a disapproving look.

  “I just need to see her, please.”

  “Two minutes,” he says. “I need to speak with James.” The doctor turns to me and smiles. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

  I nod, because it’s all I can do.

  Conner is here and I’m... I’m at the Jaggers’ house. I don’t know how I know, but I do.

  But not only am I at their house… I’m in Conner’s bedroom.

  It’s the only explanation that makes sense.

  The doctor leaves us and Conner approaches the bed. “What the fuck happened, Kenny? Because I’m trying really hard to figure out an explanation for this,” he motions to me lying in his bed, battered and bruised, “that doesn’t end with me driving to the Heights and—“

  “Stop.” The word falls from my lips, and Conner halts, a heavy frown falling over his face.

  “Kenny?” God, the vulnerability in his voice guts me. Conner and I have history. We were childhood friends... the kind of friendship that you think will never fade.

  But it did.

  It faded.

  And now we’re no one to each other.

  So why the fuck am I here?

  “What are you doing, Conner? Why am I here?”

  “He brought you here... you don’t remember?” His eyes narrow.

  “He?” Fear trickles down my spine as my fingers twist tighter into the sheet.

  “Jayden.”

  “Jayden?” I balk. He plays on the team with Nate. I know him from school, but we’re not friends.

  He is friends with Conner and his twin brother, Cole, though.

  A memory floods my mind.

  Shouting.

  Pain.

  Someone cradling me against their body and reassuring me that everything was going to be okay.

  “Kenny?” Conner’s voice is a quiet whisper as tears roll down my cheeks.

  “You need to go.”

  His expression hardens. “What?”

  “Please. I need you to go.”

  The memories come thick and fast now, slamming into me like a wrecking ball.

  Warren’s cruel words, his callous touch. His bitter breath fanning my face as he...

  I screw my eyes closed and focus on my breathing.

  “Kennedy, please—”

  “JUST GO!” I scream, pain ripping through every inch of me.

  The blood drains from Conner’s face and his lips part to say something, but the door opens again.

  “Everything okay in here?” a girl I vaguely recognize asks.

  “I need him to leave,” I say to her, hoping she might understand.

  “I’m not going, Remi. You can’t—“

  “Conner.” She reaches for his arm, gently touching him there. “Let’s give Kennedy some space. She’s been through a lot.”

  “I...” He glances back at me. “You really want me to leave?”

  I nod, blinking away the tears.

  Conner runs a hand down his face, letting out a small hiss. “Fine, but this isn’t over, Kenny.” He barges past the girl and disappears into the hall.

  She doesn’t leave, though. Closing the door, she gives me a weak smile. “How are you feeling?”

  “Confused, sore...”

  “I’m Remi, by the way. We didn’t get introduced at the party.”

  I’ve heard her name around school. She’s the girl who tamed the infamous Ace Jagger, Conner’s older brother. He was kind of a big deal before the three of them left Sterling Heights and moved to the Bay.

  “Kennedy. But everyone calls me Kenny.”

  “Do you... want to talk about it?”

  Pressing my lips together, I shake my head.

  Where would I even start?

 
“Okay, I get it, I do.” She hesitates, and I hope she’ll say goodbye and leave me alone. I can’t do this, not now.

  Not ever.

  But she surprises me by saying, “Don’t be too hard on him. He’s been going out of his mind since you got here.”

  My defenses go up, and I want nothing more than to tear out the IV, grab my clothes, and get the hell out of here.

  I don’t, though.

  Grinding my teeth together, I swallow all the things I want to say.

  She doesn’t know me. She doesn’t know what happened between Conner and me and Warren.

  Or maybe she does, a little voice whispers, but I tamp it down.

  “I’ll let you rest.” Remi is reaching for the door handle when I find my voice.

  “Remi?”

  “Yeah?” Hope flashes in her eyes.

  “Keep Conner away from me.”

  “I’ve recommended to James that he take you to the hospital.” Dr. Miles smiles, but I don’t return it.

  “No, not gonna happen.”

  “Kennedy, you were beaten and sexually assault—”

  I flinch, pulling the sheet over my body. Dr. Miles returned twenty minutes ago. He removed the IV and said he’d treated what injuries he could. I have a busted lip, a nasty black eye, bruised ribs, bruising around my throat and hips, and some other cuts and scrapes. But it isn’t the external injuries he’s concerned about.

  It’s the ones he can’t see.

  The ones I refuse to confide in him.

  “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Doctor, I do. But I’m fine.”

  “Kennedy, whoever hurt you needs to be—”

  “I said I’m fine,” I snap.

  He lets out a weary sigh. “Okay, okay. I’m going to write you a script for some pain meds, and emergency contraception should you need it—”

  “I’m on birth control.”

  He nods. “Your blood work will be back in a couple of days.”

  “Thanks.” I hesitate. “You haven’t told anyone about... you know?”

  “Ellen—”

  “Ellen?”

  “The Jaggers’ housekeeper. She and Remi were present while I performed my initial observations.”

  Shame burns through me. They both saw what he did to me. It makes sense why Remi was so nice to me earlier.

  “You don’t need to worry. They understand that this is your story to tell.” He gives me a weak smile. “And James is happy for you to stay here until you figure things out.”

  “Great.” I smile tightly.

  I have no intention of staying. Part of me still doesn’t understand why Jayden brought me to the Jagger house in Sterling Bay in the first place. He could have taken me to Shelbie’s house, or the emergency room in the Heights.

  But no, he brought me to the one place I would never have chosen to come myself.

  Even though I know I can’t go back to Warren, not after this, I know I can’t stay here either.

  Once again, I’m lost and alone.

  My parents died when I was young, and I moved in with my great aunt. But she got sick right before the summer and died. With nowhere to go, Warren and his dad had taken me in. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than the alternative.

  I’m still only seventeen, a minor. And I have nothing.

  No one.

  My life is a fucking mess.

  “Okay, I think we’re all done here.” The doctor looms over me. “I know it feels desperate right now, but there are people out there who can help you. Counselors—”

  “I’m good. Thanks, doc.” I can’t disguise the sarcasm in my voice.

  Counselling won’t help someone like me. Someone bound to a life of heartache and pain.

  “Very well. Goodbye, Kennedy.” He hesitates, the anguish in his eyes obvious. He’s a doctor. His job is to help people, to make things better. I guess James Jagger pays him a hefty fee to make house calls, especially one like this. But when you’re one of the richest men in Sterling Bay, it’s probably pocket change.

  I just don’t understand why. Why has he gone to all this trouble... for me?

  The reason stares back at me as Dr. Miles opens the door.

  “Conner,” he sighs. “She specifically asked for you to—”

  “I’m not in the room,” he argues. “But she can’t stop me from standing outside my own bedroom door.” His eyes flash to mine, and I cuss under my breath.

  He isn’t going to make this easy.

  He’ll never let me just walk out of here.

  I need a plan.

  But right now, I can hardly move, so I’ll have to give myself some time to recover first.

  “I just want to talk,” Conner says over the doctor’s shoulder.

  “Well, I don’t.” I let out an indignant huff.

  “Conner.” It’s a female voice, but it doesn’t sound like Remi.

  Jesus, what is this place? A hotel for stray kids?

  The second the door closes, the silence is deafening. I don’t want company, but being alone brings its own nightmares. No matter how hard I try to keep them at bay, the memories infiltrate my mind.

  Screwing my eyes shut, I try to think of something—anything—but what happened.

  “Warren, you’re hurting me.”

  His grip on my hair tightens. “Hurting you? I’ll fucking kill you if I find out anything happened with you and Jagger.”

  “It... it didn’t,” I breathe, clamping my hands around his, trying desperately to claw his fingers from the hair at my scalp.

  Warren shoves me into the wall, the air whooshing from my lungs. “I saw the two of you.”

  “Talking,” I implore, holding up my hands as a shield. “We were just talking.”

  “And what did you tell him, Kenny? Ay? What the fuck did you tell him?” His eyes are wild, spittle flying from his lips.

  When he’s like this, it’s impossible to get through to him.

  “I-I didn’t tell him—”

  His hand wraps around my throat, squeezing so tight I see stars. “Jagger’s still got a hard-on for you. Everyone knows it. Well, let’s see if he’ll still want you when I’ve ruined you.” He starts clawing at my clothes, my breasts, my pussy. His touch is cruel. Rough and painful.

  “Warren, please. Let’s just forget about tonight. I’ll make you feel good, baby. I’ll make you feel so good.” I try to kiss him, but he pins me in place, slamming my head against the wall. Pain ricochets through my skull as stars swim across my vision.

  “I’m going to enjoy this.” He chuckles darkly before dragging his tongue up my cheek. “And when I’m done with you, Conner Jagger won’t ever look twice at you again.”

  I wake with a start. My breathing is ragged, my pulse drumming in my ears. It’s dark, the room still and quiet.

  There isn’t a part of me that doesn’t ache or hurt. But the pain is already less intense. Hopefully, it means I’m healing fast and can leave here soon.

  Something shifts over in the shadows and I freeze, fear choking me.

  “H-hello?” I manage to say.

  “It’s me.”

  I strain against the darkness to find Conner sitting there, his expression haunting.

  “You’re watching me sleep? Really? That’s messed up,” I sneer.

  “Kenny, please... I just needed to know you were okay.”

  “I will be when I get out of here.”

  “And go where? Back to hi—”

  “Don’t. Don’t you dare.” Anger bubbles up inside me.

  He drags the chair closer, his eyes fixed right on mine. “What happened?”

  I know then that he isn’t going to let this go.

  Conner is going to push and push, until eventually I snap.

  “I was attacked.” The lie rolls off my tongue. “After we talked, I started walking home and someone must have...” I trail off.

  “You’re saying you don’t know who did this?” His eyes narrow.

  “It’s the Height
s. Shit happens.” I shrug.

  “Kenny, come on. I saw the bruises at the party. You don’t have to lie to me. I can protect you.”

  “Protect me?” I balk. “You think you can protect me?”

  “Yeah. I have resources, money... you can stay here and we can—”

  “Conner, stop. Just stop. This isn’t a fairy tale. You don’t get to ride in on your white horse and rescue me. This is my life.”

  “Kenny, please, just think about it. You don’t have to go back to him. Not if he’s hurting you.”

  My heart thunders in my chest. It would be so easy to say yes, so easy to let him try and fix this... but the harsh reality is, Conner is the reason I’m in this situation in the first place.

  This is all his fault.

  And I’ll never forgive him for it.

  Chapter Two

  Conner

  Kenny doesn’t say anything else. Instead, she turns her eyes away from me and focuses on the wall, attempting to block me out.

  I sit there for a few minutes before my need to move, to do something, gets the better of me.

  “This is fucking bullshit, K.” I push from the chair and storm from the room.

  I want to sit beside her and comfort her. Be her shoulder to cry on. But for that to happen, she needs to stop shutting me out.