Dynasty Boys

Chapter 35

Elle

She was talking about Dylan...

"Maddie... please! He's hiding somewhere, and I'm sure he'll never come back to Haverhill!" I tried to reassure Maddie as she continued to rant about Dylan, her worst nightmare. Dylan was smart. He knew the police were still searching for him, and if he came back, they'd catch him without hesitation. He had to be hiding somewhere remote, far from civilization.

"She shouldn't be worrying about him," Nate said in a tone so quiet I almost didn't hear him. His words made me frown. "He'll never hurt her again," he added, finishing off Sawyer's joint with a long drag. I wasn't sure how to interpret his strange comment, but before I could think too much about it, Maddie's voice came through the phone, pulling me back to the conversation.

"Where are you, Elle?" she asked, her voice still tense with worry.

"I'm at Nate's," I replied quickly. "We're meeting someone who might help us track down the masked man." Just as I said that, I heard the doorbell ring, and Carter, along with the boys, stood up at once, leaving me alone in the living room.

"Nathan Walker?" Maddie asked, the name bringing a chill to my spine.

I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply to steady myself. "Yeah... I'll probably spend the rest of the day with them trying to find something. Lila's arriving tomorrow, but maybe we could meet up at the Smiths? The four of us?"

Just as I finished speaking, voices erupted from the corridor, signaling the boys' return.

"Cool! See you tomorrow, Elle! Text me if you need anything!" Maddie said quickly, and we hung up, just as the boys entered the room. A tall, blond guy stepped in behind them, trailing their shadows.

"Hi! You must be Carter's girl, Elle?" he said, stepping forward with a confident smile. He extended a hand to shake mine. "I'm Jason Masters, but you can call me Jase." I couldn't help but notice the piercing in his lower lip and the tattoos that covered nearly every inch of his arms. He was undeniably good-looking, but definitely not my type.

"Nice to meet you," I replied, clearing my throat as I took his hand. His grey eyes scanned my face, and then he asked, his tone business-like:

"Same here. Carter told me everything. I'm gonna try to trace an IP or something. Can you show me the texts, please?"

__

We spent the entire day hunting for any clues. Jase was convinced that the masked man had used multiple phones to make his calls and send texts. He believed the guy had switched devices regularly to avoid being tracked. At 2 p.m., Vaughn finally showed up, and for the first time, he wasn't hostile toward me. It was a strange, unsettling shift, but I didn't have the energy to question it.

At 9 pm, Carter decided it was time to bring me home. He wanted me to stay with him another night, but I couldn't. I had to take care of Cali and the house. Still, I promised him I would call if anything seemed off. It had been three months since I'd arrived in Haverhill, and I could still vividly remember the first few weeks, the fear, the confusion.

It was 10 pm, by the time I finished my long bath. I climbed into bed, feeling the warm, comforting weight of exhaustion settle over me. I grabbed my phone, my fingers brushing over the screen as I dialed Nicole's number.

"Hello, Elle!" Nicole's voice bubbled through after just one ring.

"Nicole! How are you? What happened last night? Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry I should've called you sooner!" I blurted out, immediately feeling guilty for not reaching out to her earlier.