Cruel Titan: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Golden Olympus Academy Book 2) Read online

  CRUEL TITAN

  Golden Olympus Academy Book 2

  A.J. Logan

  Copyright © 2020 A.J. LOGAN

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by KD Proofreading

  www.kdproofreading.com

  Contents

  1. Quinn

  2. Quinn

  3. Asher

  4. Quinn

  5. Asher

  6. Quinn

  7. Asher

  8. Quinn

  9. Asher

  10. Quinn

  11. Quinn

  12. Asher

  13. Quinn

  14. Asher

  15. Quinn

  16. Quinn

  17. Quinn

  18. Asher

  19. Quinn

  20. Asher

  21. Quinn

  22. Asher

  23. Quinn

  24. Asher

  25. Quinn

  26. Asher

  27. Quinn

  28. Asher

  29. Quinn

  30. Asher

  31. Quinn

  32. Quinn

  33. Asher

  34. Quinn

  35. Asher

  36. Quinn

  37. Quinn

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  1

  Quinn

  It’s my worst nightmare come to life. I can’t seem to look away. My dad’s eyes are staring back into mine. There are so many questions going through my mind but it’s useless. None of them will ever be answered because my dad is dead.

  Nausea flows through me as I keep my eyes fixated on the photograph. I just want to talk to him. Just for one second. I need to know what’s going on. I need to know who to trust, because right now, I don’t trust anyone.

  “Quinn,” a familiar voice says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

  Looking up, I see Haley, my former best friend. Her eyes are red and swollen as tears fall down her cheek. This is exactly why I didn’t want to have this memorial service. She didn’t care enough about me to be my best friend, so I don’t need her to shed any crocodile tears for my dad.

  Haley hesitantly takes a seat on the church pew next to me. “I’m so sorry about your dad.”

  Focusing back on my dad’s picture, I remain silent. There are no words that I want to say to her and there are no words that will make the pain of losing my dad any easier.

  “I was wondering if you wanted to hang out later after the service. We could go to—”

  “No.”

  “Quinn, please. Just talk to me. I’m worried about you.”

  I know she’s trying to grasp onto what little friendship is left between us. The problem is, I don’t have anything left. “Tell Mason I said hi.”

  My hands brush up my arm, remembering his tight grip on my arms and the anger in his eyes when he confronted me after school. He’s pissed at me because Haley blew him off. As far as I’m concerned, they can have each other.

  Haley slowly stands, walking away without another word. And I’m alone again even though the room is full. I watch as strangers walk up to the closed casket, glancing over at the picture that pulls in my gaze. Some of the people I don’t know, the others I just don’t want to talk to.

  Shifting against the hardwood pew, my body is stiff, reminding me that I’ve been sitting here for hours. It should be time for the funeral service to get started soon. I’m so thankful to Candace right now for not fighting me on having the wake and funeral the same day because I don’t think I could have done this all over again tomorrow. One day of telling my dad goodbye is difficult enough.

  “How are you holding up, kiddo?” Nathan plops down next to me.

  “Fine.” I say with little enthusiasm.

  “You and me both.”

  It’s more than obvious by his exasperated tone that he knows I’m anything but fine. The fact that he can read me so well still bothers me. Although in this situation, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that I’m not okay. I’m saying goodbye to the man who raised me my entire life and was lying to me and possibly leaving me behind when his car went over a cliff. Nothing inside my head or heart accepts that he was leaving me behind. Money trouble or not, he wouldn’t do that. The more I learn, the more I know it wasn’t intentional, at least not on my dad’s part.

  A dark figure catches my eye, drawing my attention to the side as I look over to see Asher standing in the aisle, his hands tucked into the pockets of his all-black suit, which matches his soul perfectly. Every part of Asher Hastings is dark. A black hole that sucks you in until he’s embedded in your soul.

  Nathan shifts in his seat, cautiously placing an arm around my shoulders as his hand squeezes my upper arm, knowing I need some type of support. Nathan doesn’t know what happened between Asher and I, but he knows something is up. No one knows what I discovered because the only person I want to confide in isn’t around.

  I stand. He’s been everywhere—lurking around, hovering incessantly the last week. Begging for a chance to explain, but I won’t tolerate it here of all places. The place we are at because of him.

  “You need to leave.”

  Nathan stands beside me, shifting glances between Asher and me. “Asher, you should go.”

  Asher doesn’t make a move, standing stock-still, his eyes remain fixated on me.

  “Now,” Nathan says, shielding my view of the emerald eyes that remind me of all the pain I feel at once. “Give her some space. This day is hard enough on her without added shit.”

  “I’ve given her all the space that I can,” Asher says before walking away.

  Sitting back down, I let out a breath of relief as Nathan retakes the seat beside me. “Thank you.”

  “I’m still here if there’s something you want to talk about.”

  “I’m fine.”

  Nathan leans over, whispering as he points in the air, “You’re not supposed to lie in church.”

  “I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to curse either.” I can’t mask the slight smirk that peeks at my face. The only good thing Asher did is allow me to have a little more trust in Nathan. I don’t know how deep the lies surrounding my dad’s death go, but it all revolves around Asher and hopefully, not Nathan.

  “Excellent point. Maybe we should try to be good for a few minutes, although I don’t think that’s possible,” Nathan teases. I appreciate his effort to lighten the moment.

  “Yep. Don’t think that’s possible,” I say, watching as Candace takes a seat on the opposite side of me, wiping tears from her face.

  The preacher stands in the front of the church while everyone takes a seat. I hear him say my dad’s name but after that, it’s all a blur. I stare at the picture of my dad smiling back at me. The lies he told me floating through my head as I try to accept the fact that I might never have the answers I so desperately need.

  2

  Quinn

  Walking down the hospital corridor, I glance over my shoulder for what feels like the thousandth time. I couldn’t wait any longer to slip away from Nathan and Candace. Telling them I was going to drive around to clear my head seemed to appease them. Still, I’m terrified that someon
e is watching me. It’s not like I’ve seen anyone following me, but I can’t help but be paranoid since I know what happened to my dad wasn’t an accident.

  A change of clothes probably would’ve made me feel better, but I didn’t want to waste any time before heading this way so I’m still in the long-sleeved black dress I wore to the funeral. I shuffle along the hallway, waving at the familiar nurse sitting at the nurse’s station. She still thinks I’m Lindsey’s sister because that’s the lie I told the night I found out Detective Davis was in the hospital. And to my surprise, Lindsey went right along with it like she knows I need some type of cover for being here because Davis’s accident has something to do with my dad’s death, which is why I feel guilty every time I look at her. Like right now, she’s curled in the chair next to his bed, legs tucked under her and arms crossed over her chest, looking towards the window.

  Swallowing the lump in my throat, I lightly tap on the door to draw her attention. Her genuine smile makes my heart sink even deeper as she waves me in the room.

  “Hey, Quinn. You didn’t have to come visit today.”

  I’ve visited almost every day since Davis has been in the hospital. It’s only right since the fact that he was snooping into my dad’s case—with my help—probably put him here. “How is he today?”

  “Good.” She gives a half-smile, reaching over and placing a hand on his motionless arm. “His doctor said the swelling has gone down a lot, so they are going to start trying to wake him up in the next day or so.”

  That must be a good sign. It’s been a week since they put Davis in a medically induced coma to help with swelling on his brain from the car wreck. The car wreck that the police claim was an accident, the same one I fear was anything but accidental.

  “Did you need anything? Food, coffee? I can run and—”

  “Quinn,” Lindsey cuts me off, moving to the couch, where she pats the space next to her for me to join her.

  Stiffly, I move over to sit on the couch next to her, my posture rigid.

  “I’m okay. I have everything I need. How about you? Is there anything you need?”

  Slumping forward, my emotions betray me as a tear slips down my cheek. No matter how I try today, I can’t hold them in. “I’m so sorry.”

  Lindsey wraps her arms around me, pulling me to her. “You have nothing to be sorry for. It was an accident … and even if it wasn’t, you did not cause it.”

  “Please stop being so nice to me.” I look over at Davis, wondering how he ended up with such a patient and understanding wife. He needed it because he was anything but easygoing.

  “You’re being hard enough on yourself for the both of us,” she says, leading straight into questions about how I’m doing and how my day went. I’m in the middle of attempting to talk about it when a knock sounds at the door.

  Detective Taylor stands in the doorway, and automatically, I jump to my feet. He hasn’t been here once since the accident, but he picks now of all times to drop by.

  Walking over to Lindsey, he gives her a quick hug, asking how she’s doing before turning to me.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here, Quinn.”

  “Oh, I was just visiting a friend from school and thought I’d check on Detective Davis really quick.” I move closer to the door, positioning myself between it and him. He was always the nice detective out of the duo when I interacted with him and Davis, but something tells me Taylor is more than meets the eye, just like Davis.

  He turns back to Lindsey, stepping to Davis’s bedside. “I heard they’re going to start waking him up. That’s great news.”

  While Lindsey relays the promising news, I watch Taylor. Oddly, his cheery words don’t match his stiff body language as he encourages Lindsey that Davis will pull through just fine.

  Walking to the door, I turn as I reach for the handle, “I really should be getting home.”

  “Thanks for stopping by.” Lindsey gives me a reassuring smile.

  “Yes ma’am,” I say, forcing myself to walk out the door instead of giving her a hug. She’s the only person I fully trust right now.

  I’m hustling down the hallway, though trying not to appear in so much of a hurry that I cause suspicion. Just as I’m stepping out of the automatic doors, Taylor calls my name.

  Great. I thought I’d be good once I reached the doors but no such luck.

  I turn, attempting to appear calm. “Yes sir?”

  “I wanted to pass on my condolences. I’m really sorry about your dad.”

  “Thank you.” My words are flat. I don’t care what he’s up to, this isn’t a conversation I want to have. “It’s been a long day, so I’m going to head home.”

  “Hey, Quinn,” he calls, so I turn to look back at him. “Be safe on your way home.”

  “You too,” I manage to squeak out. His words send an ominous feeling throughout my body.

  Sliding into my car, I punch the start button and quickly shift into drive, racing out of the parking lot. His prompt sounded less like a concerned piece of advice, and more like a threat. The warning has me glancing in my rearview mirror every few seconds as I make my way toward Nathan’s house.

  I’m not far from the hospital when I spot headlights behind me. They are following a short distance away, but make every turn I make, take every winding road I take.

  “You’re just being paranoid.” I’m trying to convince myself, but the vehicle takes the next turn I make again. Speeding up, I put some distance between us before they soon catch up. Gripping the steering wheel, I watch as they close in the space between us before speeding around me. The white car is a flash as it zooms past me around the upcoming curve, disappearing when I get to the other side.

  “Where did it go?”

  Looking around I see rear lights far ahead. So, I was just being paranoid. They weren’t worried about me. Maybe they thought I wanted to race or something. Maybe not, but I don’t want to question anymore.

  Glancing in my mirror, I make a concerted effort to relax as I continue home, turning up my music in hopes of drowning out my thoughts. And I do a good job of it until I turn into Nathan’s driveway. As I wait on the gate to open, a white car slows as it passes before continuing down the street. Stretching to look at the car, I don’t think it’s the same one, though it had passed so fast I hadn’t seen much of it. As soon as the gate is open, I pull through just enough for it to close behind me, waiting for it to securely shut before I drive around to the garage, pulling into my usual spot.

  Darting from the car, I can’t get inside quick enough. Pulling the garage door closed as I slide out of the side entrance, I turn just in time to crash into a solid force. Stumbling back, I fight against the strong grip that clutches me, panic sailing through my veins.

  “Quinn, what’s wrong?” Asher asks, pulling me against him as he shifts to look behind me.

  I don’t see anyone else around, and it pisses me off that I’m relieved it’s just Asher. “Let me go.” I push out of his hold, moving around him as I hurry to the house though he follows a step behind.

  “Talk to me. What were you running from?”

  “You, asshole.” I say walking up to the door. But when I reach for the handle, he grabs my arm, spinning me to face him.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “You happened.” I look down, noticing him in the same clothes from the service, except he has removed the jacket, unbuttoned the collar of his shirt, and rolled up the sleeves. “Were you following me?”

  “Someone was following you?”

  “Of course. Can’t answer a simple fucking question.” And even if he did, it’d be nothing but a lie. Yanking my arm out of his grasp, I open the door and step inside. Before I can shut the massive door, he puts his foot on the threshold, blocking it an inch from closing.

  “No. I wasn’t following you. I’ve been here, waiting for you, because we need to talk.”

  “No, we don’t need to do anything. You’ve wasted your time because I have nothing to
say to you.” I attempt to shove the door closed in vain.

  “Don’t you want to know the truth?”

  Jerking the door open, I move to stand face-to-face with him. “The truth? My dad is dead. That’s the only truth that matters. I don’t trust a word out of your mouth. I don’t want to hear any of your truth because if you really wanted to tell me, you would’ve done it weeks ago instead of playing some fucked-up mind game with me. But once again, it looks like you’ve won because I hate the very sight, thought, or mention of you.”

  Rotating around, I hurry upstairs not caring to know if he stays or goes. Sliding into my room, I lock the door behind me—not that it makes me feel any safer. I lean against the door in an attempt to stop trembling. I need Asher to believe I’m not looking into my dad’s death. I can’t do anything until I know who I can trust. And right now, the only person that I trust to help me uncover the truth is in a coma.

  Looking down at my feet, the mud stains on the edges of my black ballerina flats bring memories of the day flooding back. Kicking off the shoes, I hurry to take a shower, wanting to wash away the grimness of the day, hoping the memories will ease up in the process.

  3

  Asher

  She is running away from me again. I’ve watched this sight too many fucking times over the last week.