★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★No mainstream channels, and he turned me down? The nerve. To even say I’m the girl guys fuck before they find their missus right. I am so fucking pissed off. I could seduce him. I could totally fucking do it, I haven’t even tried. He doesn’t know. I would have made his night. Instead, I’m here watching the local news while he eats his dinner. I sighed, I shouldn’t even be upset. He’s nothing special, but his comment irks me. Why the fuck did he say that? That’s not a compliment at all, it’s a fucking insult to me. Like I’m Missus wrong?I glanced around the room. He’s not wrong, actually, if you consider my boundaries and the sort of shit I’m into, I’m not for the faint of heart. I picked up my phone and went through my company group chat. The people on my floor were discussing the latest cases. God these are so intense. Trafficking, the mayor’s daughter was taken last night. Holy damn, that’s fucked up. They have to find her before she’s moved out of
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I wasn’t sure how long I was there in the bathroom stall, trying to calm myself down as my brain was going haywire. My heart was beating so fast, and I was crying. Eventually, I was able to reel it in and step out of the stall. I turned on the tap and splashed some water on my face. I looked at myself in the mirror. Taking in my clothes, my body language, and the sadness I could see in my eyes. I need to put on a good poker face. The stall next to the one I’d been in popped open, and a girl walked out. Tall, beautiful dark skin, black curly hair, brown eyes, busty, and dressed in a floral dress. She reminded me of me if only I were taller. “You okay, honey?”Had she heard me crying? She must have. She came towards the sink to wash her hands and I shook my head.“No, I’m having a crappy day.”She offered me a sympathetic smile. “Anything I can do?”“I don’t suppose you know where I can get wasted?”She grinned, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Honey I
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★Riding the bicycle back to the farm late at night, with my eyes fuzzy was not a good idea. I had to paddle slowly. I’ve walked down the busy manhanttan streets while drunk off my ass before. I made it hope in under two hours from the club, and i only got hit on four times, and pepper sprayed two guys. I do not recommend going home by foot or alone when drunk, and i do not recommend riding a bicycle down a hiker trail in the middle of the night. It is unsafe. I have to keep my speed slow to avoid death.I came across Colton, he was tugging the body of a sheep. How much cattle do they own?Colton spotted me in the dark, his eyes glowing like bright lights. “What the.... are you out of your mind?” He tossed the sheep onto a pile of dead sheeps. From the gasoline, and the matches on the ground i think he’s planning to burn them. He’s dug a hole so they don’t to the trees, and dry twigs and set the entire forest ablaze.“Oh my god, cowboy!” I turned, lifting m
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I looked at colton over and over again. His strong arms, muscular back, firm ass in his boxers, the taste of mint in my mouth, his handsome features, his shirt on my body. What in god’s name? Why am i in... this is the room he gave me so it’s not an accident that he ended up sleeping here. I can see his trousers on the floor next to the bed. And his shoes. My skirt, shirt, underwear.... what the hell happened? Not that i would complain, but I’d like to remember him if i fucked him. He’s a good catch- for a sex partner. All his nonsense about finding true love gives me an ick. It’s always the handsome ones that have the dumbest ideals. He stirred gently. The sun wasn’t up yet. From the clock, i could tell it was 4 AM. Colton opened his eyes one at a time, taking in my form. He rolled onto his back and sat up. Taking his time to look over the room.“Fuck, i was so tired yesterday i fell asleep in the wrong room.” he grumbles out and i sit there frozen b
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★“You’re following the sheep?” Colton looked at me, searching for the second head that I must have grown to be talking like this.“Yep, I believe there’s something you overlooked that’s causing your cattle to die. I can find it if I see the sheep’s daily routine.”“What is wrong with you? No really, were you hit on the head as a baby?” I rolled my eyes at his dramatic comment. “There is nothing wrong with me. I’m not crazy. I’m trying to help.” I explained to this ungrateful bitch.“I... I really need to know what is wrong with you. How do you have a career? What do you make in a month?”“Thirty grand.” I don’t like the surprised look that was on his face. “What you thought I didn’t have a career? That I was some spoiled rich girl from the city.”“Yes. You drive to a town without doing prior research, you don’t like packs, and you seem to think flaunting around in a stranger’s house nude is acceptable.”“Oh my god, you fucking prude,” I yell and the peopl
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥I tapped on my notes with a pen as two of the members of the pack explained that our tomatoes which were supposed to be ripe by now had somehow perished, I was going to lose my mind. How did that happen? Someone is lying but I can’t call them out on it because I don’t want to accuse an innocent person. “Just, go tell Samson this. I’m going to check the rest of the crops.”“Yes sir. We’re sorry.”As they hurried off, I scratched my head as I tried to figure out what to do. This is tiring. The cattle, the crops, something is happening here that I can’t put together. I went around the crop fields, checking on each batch. We used to plant by the season but when high demand came in and my mother was gifted a stone by a witch, she decided we could plant whenever we wanted and sell to as many companies as we could find.The stone allowed each crop to grow in a manner that made them almost one of a kind. It’s still in the soil so nothing should be affecting it, unless.
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥I led her to the lake, taking her out of the house and through the shortest path. A cold swim should clear my head. When we arrived there, she sat on a tree stump and began searching through her bag. I stripped out of the rest of my clothes and was ready to dive in when Vanessa stepped in front of me.“Sexy look, but before you desecrate the water let me show you something.” she held a bottle in her hand. It was full of water, not the cleanest but not the dirtiest either. In her other hand was an empty bottle. “Earlier today, I was talking to Catia when I discovered that there was an odd chemical in the water your animals drink.”My heart palpitated. “What?”“She took me to a member of your pack Darcy who tested the water and said there was no chemical.”I let out a relieved breath. One I didn’t know I was holding in. “I think she’s wrong.”Of course, she would think that. “Darcy is a biologist... and a former chemist. She knows her chemicals.”“You know how y
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★He’s being such a bitch.I didn’t argue with him. I didn’t yell. I didn’t try to convince him anymore because, clearly, his mind was made up, and nothing I could say would change it. Instead, I decided to let my frustration fuel me into doing something productive. Something he couldn’t stop me from doing.I took one of the bikes resting against a shed and rode into town, letting the cool breeze work against the heat rising in my chest. I gripped the handlebars tighter than necessary, pushing myself to pedal faster, harder, as if I could physically outrun my anger. He’s so damn stubborn. I get it, I do—he’s set in his ways, and if someone told me something about someone i trusted, I’d probably react the same way. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. It doesn’t mean I have to sit here and let him dismiss me like I’m some idiot grasping at straws.No. I know what I’m doing.At the general store, I picked up two glass jars and two goldfish, each swimming
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 The scent of coffee still lingered in the air, but Vanessa was already gone.I heard the door shut behind her, the car pulling out of the driveway, and I didn’t let myself watch her go for long. I looked at her through the window, but it was like i couldn’t really see her. I went back to the kitchen and got to work, distracting my hands with breakfast. Eggs. Bacon. Toast. Anything that would make the house smell like comfort, like something solid. Something I could control.The silence pressed down on me like a weight I couldn’t shrug off. Every sound—the clink of the pan, the soft sizzle of oil—seemed too loud, too sharp in the stillness. This house had been full of noise just yesterday. Voices, arguments, grief, betrayal. Now it just felt... hollow.My hands moved on autopilot, flipping bacon, scrambling eggs, buttering toast. I didn’t want to think. I didn’t want to feel. Because if I did, I’d go to that dark place where Laia was gone, where Darcy was cold i
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★The storm had passed by morning, leaving behind a silence that felt almost unnatural. The house was still, the wind no longer howling outside. It was as though the earth itself was holding its breath, waiting for the next turn in the story. I hadn’t slept much—how could I? After everything, the weight of last night pressing down on me, I couldn’t quite shut my mind off. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the soft breathing of Colton beside me.When I finally gave up on sleep, I slid out of bed as quietly as I could, not wanting to disturb him. The house was empty and quiet, with only the distant sounds of rainwater dripping off the roof. I made my way to the bathroom, brushing my teeth in front of the mirror, my reflection tired and worn. My thoughts were a tangled mess of grief, guilt, and confusion. But none of it was mine. I wasn’t the one who had lost Laia. I liked her. I wish I had gotten to know her more. I wish I’d said something a
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I should have said something. Anything.But I didn’t.Instead, I kissed him like a coward—soft, slow, and silent. I gave him tenderness when he offered me something raw and real, something I wasn’t ready to touch. Because the truth is, I wanted to say yes.God, I wanted to say yes.Yes, I’ll stay.Yes, I want this.Yes, I want you.But that yes felt like betrayal. Of who I was. Of everything I told myself I’d never do. Because girls like me didn’t uproot their lives for a man, especially not for a man in a town like Dusty Creek. I wasn’t built for this place. I didn’t belong in second living rooms or in tight-knit packs where secrets wrapped themselves in family drama and storm winds.This was Laia’s story. She chose love and ended up with heartbreak and death. And I wasn’t about to follow in those same footsteps, no matter how safe Colton’s arms felt. But was it right to judge Colton based on the mistakes of others?No, right?So I lay beside him in the
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥Her skin was soft against mine, damp and warm. Her arms wrapped around my torso like she wasn’t afraid to hold a man broken in too many places. The steam clouded the bathroom, wrapping us in our own quiet world—like maybe if we stayed in here long enough, the pain wouldn’t be able to find us.Vanessa held me while the water washed over us, my body weak and trembling from everything it had endured today—physically and emotionally. But somehow, with her here, I didn’t feel like I was sinking anymore. I felt tethered.Her lips pressed softly to my temple, lingering. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. Her presence alone steadied the storm inside me more than any words ever could.I leaned back just enough to look into her eyes. There was something in her expression—something kind and complicated. A sadness I understood too well.My thumb brushed her cheek, her wet hair sticking to her skin. “I like to pretend I’m some emotionally grown man who can say what
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 The house was too quiet.Even with the storm raging outside, it still felt like everything inside had gone still—like time had frozen in grief. No one was speaking. No one was eating. Dad was seated in the corner chair with his head in his hands, Curtis silently pacing near the window, eyes locked on the rain. Ross was curled up on the stairs with Catia who had returned back after Curtis took her up, holding her as she slept in exhaustion. Ashley hadn’t spoken since Laia was carried in, and Samson… no one even knew where he went.Laia was gone.And with her, something in all of us had gone too.I was soaked through, my clothes clinging to my body, my hands still trembling from how tightly I’d held her. I couldn’t feel the chill of the house, not really. Not with the way my chest ached, my head pounded, and every breath felt like I was inhaling splinters.I sat there beside her body on the couch, unmoving. I hadn’t spoken since they pulled me away from her body.
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥There’s nothing more heartbreaking than losing a close friend.I didn’t let myself process Darcy’s murder. Not really. I locked that part of myself up because I thought I had to. I was sick so it made it quite easy for me to ignore most of it. Then I found out Reeves was dead too—killed alongside Darcy like they were nothing but pawns in someone else's sick game. And something in my head just… stopped working right. Like grief jammed the gears, all I could do was focus on the next step, the next threat.The next phase was to hear her plans out. This singular was proving to be the worst possible day. When the door was thrown open, I was appalled. I thought for a second, with my heart jammed into my throat that Vanessa was going to leave in this horrendous storm and get herself hurt so I yanked her back and into me. Then when I turned her around to berate her for being reckless her expression filled me with fear.“I saw her,” she whispered. “Laia. She’s on the ca
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★Abel and his family… well, Colton’s entire family ended up settling into the house by nightfall. The rain hadn’t let up, in fact, it had gotten worse—loud sheets of it slapping against the windows, wind howling like it had its own voice, and thunder rolling in like a warning drum. We were all grateful the bodies had already been sent out to the city; the last thing we needed was death sitting with us inside the house.It was clear we weren’t going anywhere tonight. We were trapped. And it wasn’t just the weather that had everyone uneasy—it was each other.With everyone scattered around the house, the air had that heavy feel. Everyone was present, but no one felt here. I could tell—everyone was dealing with their own mess.Samson looked hollow, like his mind was a thousand miles away as he sank into the second living room couch—yeah, Colton had a second living room. This house kept revealing itself in new corners and corridors I hadn’t noticed before. Did
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I stayed on Colton’s lap, his hands still resting on my thighs, grounding me while my world tilted dangerously out of balance. The screen of my phone glowed in the dim room, his father’s name taking up the whole display. My heart stuttered. This was it. The call we’d been waiting for all day.I took a breath, one that felt like it had to fill more than just my lungs—it had to brace my soul. Then I hit answer.“Abel, give it to me straight.”The sound that met me was heavy. Abel’s sigh carried so much weight, I felt it settle in my bones before he even spoke.“Reeves is dead too. Him and Darcy.” His voice was low, grim. “We’ll need a coroner to confirm, but my instincts are screaming they died at the same time. Whoever called you wasn’t Reeves.”My stomach sank violently. Like someone had just cut a rope and I was plummeting down a dark well. Cold crept over my skin.“You can’t be serious?” My voice cracked. A whisper, hoarse and too small to match the sto
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I was disappointed by the news I’d gotten. Frustrated. Drained. It was like every lead we chased only circled us right back to the starting line, like some cruel loop we couldn’t escape. The more we uncovered, the more tangled everything became. And now, with Oliver’s call settling heavily on my chest and Abel still silent, I couldn’t stop thinking about Darcy’s blood staining the floor, about the message she died trying to deliver.It was all too much.I glanced over at Colton. He was lying back, his head tilted toward the ceiling, one arm draped lazily over his stomach. His eyes were half-closed, fever still riding him, but he looked better—less pale than this morning. There was a softness to his expression now, a certain peace he only seemed to wear when he wasn’t trying to carry the weight of the entire world on his shoulders.Maybe I could give him something else to focus on. Maybe I could give myself a break from everything, too. Just for a few minu