HIRAETH [1] || Grayson Hawthorne

Chapter 44- Crunch

"Injuries and all." -Alisa Ortega

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"Don't fuck with me." I swore at Mike, Alisa, and Oren. We were in Avery's car since mine was currently surrounded by police (and ruined). I wasn't allowed to move much since I had a glass shard, about as big as my thumb, buried in my leg that they couldn't take out yet. "All this just to get someone to come and try killing us again?!" I exclaimed while Avery stayed silent, usually it was the opposite when things were heated but I couldn't just sit and watch after I nearly died.

"Were you expecting us to wait in Hawthorne House for someone to stab you in your sleep?" Alisa asked. We had just been told that everything was planned, the paparazzi was planted so that our shooter could see where we were, know where we were.

That stumped me, "Getting a glass shard in the leg is no better." I crossed my arms, not accepting defeat, "But at least you didn't die." Alisa argued, "I could have!" I yelled, my heart pounded in my chest and my throat grew sore. "Mike, you, me, that bodyguard!" I reminded her of the spinning. "We could have died!" I threw my hands up in the air, wincing after my leg shifted.

"You could have told us." Avery spoke up, Thea was still in shock. "It was better that you didn't know." Alisa ignored my outburst, her hand was still red and her white suit was stained with some of my blood. "Better for whom?" Avery asked, annoyed. Alisa decided to ignore her as well, "Oren, did they apprehend the driver?" she asked the man driving.

"They did." he replied, piquing Avery and my interest. Thea remained silent, she had just been in a small car chase and told that Rebecca knew about the shooting incident, she needed time to process it.

"Who?" I spoke before Alisa could. Oren's eyes softened when he looked at Avery and I through the mirror, "It was your sister's boyfriend."

Drake. That motherfucker was going to die.

"Ex-boyfriend." Avery corrected but Oren moved past it. "They found a rifle in his trunk that, at least preliminarily, matches the bullets. The police will be wanting to talk to your sister." Oren continued. "What?" I would have slammed my foot down if I could. "Libby had nothing to do with this." I said sternly. "Libby wouldn't." Avery was breathing heavily, retreating back into her head.

Alisa placed a hand on my shoulder, "Girls, if something happened to you--even without a will-- your older sister and your father are your heirs." she informed us. "Libby wouldn't." I repeated what Avery said but this time I put some anger behind the words.

"It sounds to me like you're accusing our sister of wanting to kill us." I shrugged her hand off my shoulder, ignoring the sudden burning sensation in my leg from the movement. "Maybe it was your fathe--" I cut her off with a scoff, "We both know you don't think that." I surprised myself with unsolicited hostility. Alisa didn't speak, she knew what I meant. If it had been our dad then it wouldn't explain how Drake even got past the gates.