Looks Can Be Deceiving

“Such a beautiful day,” I mumbled to myself, peering up at the bright sky through my Ray-Bans.

It was the first time I’d taken a real break for myself ever since I’d moved into Matt’s. It was also the first time Lyndsey had been given a couple of days off of work in forever, giving us the perfect chance to get together. On top of that, it was the first time I’d felt this good in a long time. Today was just a day of firsts for us.

“What are you mumbling about over there?” Lyndsey snorted from my side, lounging on her own floatie just a few feet away. Raychel was on the other side of the pool, attempting to push herself and her floatie in our direction, but also miserably failing. I giggled hysterically, earning a ‘fuck you’ in response.

I stifled my laughter, “Nothing, nothing.”

“Right,” she drawled sarcastically, opening up a small book and beginning to read.

I shrugged and said nothing, just counted the number of clouds that looked like distinguishable objects. There was a heart, a cat’s face, a four-leaf clover, a banana, a slice of pizza, a…doughnut…Fuck, I was hungry. I acted oblivious as my stomach growled rather obnoxiously, gaining Lyndsey’s attention.

Five minutes later, and she sighed impatiently, “Aren’t you gonna do something about that?”

“About what?” I asked dumbly, feigning confusion as I blinked up at her.

She rolled her eyes, “Your stomach. It’s been growling forever now.”

“Who, me? Really?” I asked with a cheesy smile, tilting my head to the side as she regarded me carefully.

“Yes, you,” she narrowed her eyes slightly, “Even though you just fixed a shitload of food not even half an hour ago, and you ate both Zack and Johnny under the table.”

“And that’s saying something!” Raychel quipped as she pathetically paddled towards us, her arms flailing wildly at her sides. Just the image started another round of giggles. I could barely contain myself well enough to keep myself on the floatie. Raychel frowned at me before looking over at Lyndsey, “What’s her deal?”

Lyndsey shrugged with a roll of her eyes, “I couldn’t tell you.”

I couldn’t tell her, either. She, being a nurse, would be royally pissed if she found out I was higher than a motherfucker right now.

It wasn’t usually my style. I’d never been one for drugs, no matter how little or small they may have seemed to those who used them on a semi-regular to regular basis. I preferred alcohol over anything else, though I could never say I made a habit of intentionally getting shit-faced in the past. But now…

I felt better than I ever had before, and no, that wasn’t the influence talking. In the past seventy-two hours, I’d simply let go. I’d let go of a lot of pain, a lot of memories, and a lot of anger. And now that it was all out of the way, nothing could hold me down. I felt weightless, and it felt good.

I didn’t have to force a smile on my face, or pretend I was okay. I didn’t have to hide away the majority of the time, simply because I had trouble keeping my emotions in check. I didn’t have to worry about my happiness being ruined, and I didn’t have to look over my shoulder every time I felt myself loosening up.

Speaking of loosening up, I was on one hell of a cross-buzz. I had the strongest urge to just…sing as loud as my lungs would allow…and I was one to stay away from singing; I knew I was not blessed in that department. But no matter how hard I tried, in a matter of minutes, I was belting out song after song, drumming my hands on the tops of my thighs.

Raychel shrieked with laughter, falling straight off her floatie and tumbling down into the water. Lyndsey sat up and gawked at me as Raychel resurfaced, coughing and sputtering loudly. I knew I looked and probably sounded like a fool, but I was having fucking fun. I was in the motherfucking zone.

“Should have been, could have been
Would have been dead
If I didn't get a message
Goin' thru' my head
I am what I am
Most motherfuckers
Don't give a damn
Aw baby, think you can
Be my girl, I'll be your man

Someone full of fun
Do me 'till I'm well done
Little Bo peep
Cumin' from my stun gun
Beware... take care
Most motherfuckers
Have a cold ass stare
Aw baby please be there
Suck my kiss, cut me my share!”

“Oh God,” Lyndsey muttered with a shake of her head, but I ignored her and continued wiggling in place, “If you keep that up, you’re gonna end up in the water with Ray!” she warned.

“Fuck you!” Raychel cried, struggling to get back onto her floatie as it slowly drifted away from her, “What if I meant to fall off the damn thing? What if I didn’t fall, and I fucking jumped, huh?”

Lyndsey smirked at that, “You and I both know that’s not what happened.”

As the two continued to fuss back and forth, I screwed my eyes shut and continued my song, pointing my fingers this way and that as I – mentally – imitated Anthony Keidis’ voice.

“Hit me, you can't hurt me
Suck my kiss
Kiss me please pervert me
Stick with this
Is she talking dirty
Give to me sweet sacred bliss
Your mouth was made to suck my kiss!”

I pushed the floatie towards the edge of the pool and when I was close enough, I climbed out and stumbled onto the tiled ground. Though my mind continued to soar higher and higher into the sky, I felt like dancing now. Pushing my Ray-Bans further up the bridge of my nose, I grabbed the fresh bottle of Corona I’d set out earlier and took a sip, balancing it in one hand as I danced rather provocatively by myself.

“Look at me, can't you see
All I really want to be
Is free from a world
That hurts me
I need relief
Do you want me girl
To be your thief
Aw baby, just for you
I'd steal anything that you want me to

K - I - S - S - I - N - G
Chicka chicka dee
Do me like a banshee
Low brow is how
Swimming in the sound
Of bow wow wow
Aw baby, do me now
Do me here, I do allow

Hit me, you can't hurt me
Suck my kiss
Kiss me please don’t hurt me
Stick with this
Is she gonna curtsy?
Give to me sweet sacred bliss
That mouth was made to...”

I was pulling out all the stops and I fucking knew it. I just felt so fucking good! Lifting my arms above my head, I swung my hips from side to side as I danced around in circles, my face tilted towards the sun. I grinned wildly, feeling strands of my wet hair flinging about in the light wind that had picked up. As I imagined the solo in my head, I childishly stood with my legs spread apart and made strange faces, feigning playing – and absolutely killing – the guitar solo, imitating the sounds I’d memorized with my mouth.

“Should have been, could have been
Would have been dead
If I didn't get a message
Goin' thru' my head
I am what I am
Most motherfuckers
Don't give a damn
Aw baby, think you can
Be my girl, I'll be your man

Someone full of fun
Do me 'till I'm well done
Little Bo peep
Cumin' from my stun gun
Beware... take care
Most motherfuckers
Have a cold ass stare
Aw baby please be there
Suck my kiss, cut me my share!

Hit me, you can't hurt me
Suck my kiss
Kiss me please pervert me
Stick with this
Is she talking dirty
Give to me sweet sacred bliss
Your mouth was made to SUCK MY KISS!”

Though the song was over in my head, I didn’t want it to end. Soundessly, I continued to dance around, swaying from side to side in a way that screamed to whoever was watching that I was not sober and in my right mind. Once I’d officially gotten the singing-dancing urge out of my system, I slowed to a still and opened my eyes, smiling sheepishly when I realized I’d garnered an audience.

I waved cheekily at the guys, who were suddenly seated around the wrought iron patio table. Drinks in hand, they were sat back and watching on with obvious amusement. Raychel laughed hysterically from behind me, and whereas I usually would’ve been embarrassed by now, I honestly didn’t have a care in the world. Smiling softly, I skipped over to a smirking Matt and plopped my wet body right down onto his legs.

“Ah, c’mon, Britt!” he grunted in a strained tone beneath me, causing me to giggle.

“You having fun?” Brian smirked wistfully, lighting up a cigarette before handing Zacky the lighter.

I smirked back, “I was, but then you had to go and interrupt me!”

“Please,” Johnny snorted loudly with a shake of his tattooed hand, “Don’t let us stop you.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” I smiled sweetly, batting my eyelashes at the smallest man, “You won’t.”

Raising from Matt’s lap, I skirted around his chair and slipped inside the house. The inside was cool, the blast of air conditioning sending ripples across my once heated skin. I had to admit that it was pretty refreshing, given it was a good ninety degrees outside. Moving towards the kitchen, I rooted through the cabinets until I found a bag of barbeque flavored Goldfish.

I could feel my own eyes light up with excitement as I screeched, “Hell yeeeeeeeaaaaahhhh!”

“You’ve been watching way too much Jersey Shore, kid,” came Zacky’s voice as he strolled past me and into the next room. I frowned at that; maybe I had been. Shrugging then, I danced in place as another song came to mind. With a small smirk to myself, I crept over to the monstrous sound system connected to the backyard and popped in an old CD from my stash. Innocently, I skipped back outside.

“Now just throw your hands in the motherfuckin' air
And wave them motherfuckers like ya just don't care
Yeah, roll up the dank and pour the drank
And watch your step 'cuz Doggy's on the gank

My bank roll's on swoll
My shit's on hit, legit, now I'm on parole, stroll
With the Dogg Pound right behind me
And up in yo bitch, is where ya might find me”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Lyndey narrowed her eyes the second I returned to the patio out back, causing me to frown.

I clutched my Goldfish tighter and blinked warily, “What?”

“Have you been smoking?” she all but screeched, standing behind Brian’s chair with a scowl on her face.

Well, seeing as how Lyndsey was a nurse and all, it was only natural for her to be vehemently against any sort of illegal drug use. I’d worked hard to make sure she didn’t figure me out, knowing she’d fly off the handle, but damn. That was all shot to shit now.

I turned, pausing in my rapping and gaped dramatically, “I- what? Who, me? You’re talking about me?”

The glare on her face told me that there was no one else she was talking about.

I scoffed dramatically, “Why Lynds, I’m offended. You know how I feel about cigarette smokers—”

“I wasn’t talking about cigarettes,” she spoke in an icy tone, causing me to cringe stupidly.

“Oh, you weren’t?” I squeaked, turning away from my friend and back towards the pool, pretending to spot something high in the sky.

“No.” she grumbled in response.

“Well then, what did you mean?” I squeezed my eyes shut and prepared myself for the storm to come.

“Britt….” She growled darkly, and I mentally cursed myself before turning to face her, my face horror-stricken.

I back peddled quickly, “Oh, how can you say that? I’ve done no such thing! I don’t know what you’re talking about; nope. Not me. I don’t have a clue, uh uh. Noooooooo.”

With that, I moved further away from Lyndsey and continued singing to myself, “Snoop Doggy Dooo-ooo-oo-oo-oogg. Snoop Doggy Dooo-ooo-oo-oo-oogg. Da da da dah dah, doo doo doo doo doo doo doo duh daaaahhhhh.”

This really was a catchy song.

She seemed unimpressed, crossing her arms over my chest, “Really? Well you wanna know something I figured out back in college?”

I grimaced at where she could possibly be going with this, “No….?”

“Too bad,” she narrowed her eyes again as Brian’s arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her to his lap, “Anytime you smoked weed, you had the irrepressible urge to play or sing Snoop Dogg.”

Instantly, I shut my mouth and looked at the ground. Damn. I’d forgotten about that.

Both Jimmy and Johnny were on the ground in a heap within the next five seconds, laughing hysterically at my expense. I frowned, looking to Matt and Zacky for help, knowing that Brian wouldn’t say shit as long as Lyndsey was on a roll. Zacky snorted and shook his head, while Matt simply shot me and amused smile.

I pouted, “Don’t look at me like that! You’re supposed to be helping me here!”

“Since when do you smoke?” Zacky laughed then, shaking his head in my direction.

“When I feel like it,” I answered indignantly, placing my hands on my hips in defiance.

“Well, you must feel like squashing out your damn brain cells!” Lyndsey growled, hands on her own hips, “That’s basically what you’re doing every time you touch that stuff!”

I rolled my eyes, “It’s not that bad. How many people do you know who died from smoking too much weed?”

“I don’t care!” she answered shrilly, her high pitch suddenly cracking my high, “It’s still an illegal psychoactive drug!”

“Plant,” I corrected with one finger up in the air, hearing Jimmy snort with laughter, “It is a plant. It’s nothing but plant shit, like…leaves, and…stems, and roots….and THC.” I added quickly at the end, ducking when she tossed an apple at my head in protest.

“Good God,” she grumbled, turning away from me and curling into Brian’s chest, “You’re impossible.”

“Actually,” I smiled cheekily, feeling my body sway to the silent music in my head once more, “Anything is possible with some Mary Jane in your life. I feel fucking great.”

“Oh my God, stop fucking talking,” she mumbled as Brian attempted to stifle his own laughter.

“I promise you it’s not that bad,” I continued through a mouth of Goldfish, “I’m perfectly fine. I’m better than fine, really. Like, I just wanna…chill. Chill, eat, and smoke some more. Chill, eat, smoke, eat, smoke, eat, smoke, dance, and then chill. Never ending cycle!”

“Yeah, and stare at the fucking walls all day!” she retorted with another grumble.

“Actually, I like to watch the Discovery Channel when I’m high,” I interjected with a lift of my left hand, “You just learn so many interesting facts about all sorts of things. Staring at walls is for the crackheads. I don’t do that shit.”

“Cause that’s so much better.”

I grinned widely, “It is. Seriously; name just one person that you’ve heard of who’s overdosed on marijuana. If you can come up with one, I’ll never toke up again.”

She chose to ignore me this time, crossing her arms as Raychel giggled from across the table.

I shrugged, “See? Then it’s not so bad. Makes you appreciate the things around you. Like…sunlight. Trees…sex…goldfish…” then I remembered the bag of goldfish and grabbed a handful to eat for further emphasis.

“You sure that joint wasn’t laced?” Matt chuckled as I went back to my singing and dancing, causing me to playfully stick my tongue out at my friend. They could say whatever they wanted, but I was having fun. This was a much better release than…well…I’d rather not go there.

I was nowhere through with my music. Closing my eyes once more, I leaned against Matt’s side and played with the tattoos wrapped around his wrist and forearm, mumbling along to the sound of Snoop.

“Let the motion of your body be the key
'Cuz we be the motherfucking G Funk family
Now, I'll play the G in this deadly game
Snoop Dogg is the name, Dogg Pound's the game

If it ain't one thing it's a motherfucking 'nother
Word to my granny and my daddy and my mother
Whether standing on the corner or bouncing in the six-deuce
When I was locked up, I couldn't wait to get loose”

I couldn’t even explain what little dance I was doing in my chair as I imitated the beat. But it felt so fucking cool, and I was thoroughly enjoying myself. Had I known being pissed off to this degree would result in feeling this good, I would’ve gone off a long time ago. I swear, it had been just what I needed. And now, I felt as though I didn’t have a care in the world. For once, I was truly good.

I couldn’t say the same about Tyler and his knocked up tramp, however.

I drove around for the longest time, my address book and old notebook full of Hope Ranch contacts out on my lap. I’d gone through the majority of them, but not all of them. With erasable pen, I’d marked through the names of people and companies who couldn’t give me the information I’d needed.

Sighing, I down shifted gears and allowed the car to slow to a near stop, peering up at the building beside me. It was a small, quaint real estate office, but one I’d heard plenty about online. Despite the size of the place, I knew they were just the people I wanted to see.

Killing the engine, I checked my makeup in the mirror and lightly teased my hair before slipping on a pair of dark shades. I took a deep breath as I exited the car. I had never expected to be standing in front of this place under these circumstances, but some things just gotta give. I had to be poised, cool, calm, and collected while I was in here. I couldn’t blow this.

“Hi, how are you today?” I greeted smoothly, strolling into the small waiting area and straight up to the receptionist’s desk.

A woman with dark hair smiled brightly at me, turning away from her computer screen, “I’m doing just fine; and you?”

“I am well,” I answered with such finesse that would’ve made Matt himself look like an uncouth fool.

“Good,” she nodded appreciatively, “How may I help you?”

“Oh,” I feigned indecision, “I was just admiring the area. It’s quite lovely.”

That seemed to have the receptionist beaming, “Yes, it is. Have you visited before?”

Time for the act, “No, I have not. I was hoping you could tell me a little about the area.”

“Sure, I would love to!” she exclaimed enthusiastically, turning her entire body towards me, “Well, we’re a private community. We’re blessed to have both views of the mountains, and the sea. Residents of the community have access to our private beaches, though the public has access to them as well through other beaches on the sides. We have several horse trails throughout the area…”

I stopped listening after that, having heard it all before. However, I pretended to pay attention to her as she continued, nodding, smiling, and humming thoughtfully. She paused several times to hand me a few brochures, pointing to her favorite attractions of popular local events. Of course, I already knew all about the regular happenings in this town.

“Well, Marissa, this sounds so fantastic. I feel it’d be a marvelous idea to look into the properties here,” I concluded smoothly, feigning interest as I scanned the panels of each brochure she’d given me, “Is there someone I can speak with regarding available properties?”

She squealed and stood from her seat, “Of course! Let me go grab someone for you right now!”

And just like that, I was in. Speaking with a realtor, I learned even more about the area. I was given an in depth overview of the history of the area, as well as a report on the local homeowner’s association. I was shown portfolios and virtual tours of several houses on the market there. And then we came across pictures of one house, and I had to say I was extremely impressed. It was everything I had ever wanted in a home, even though I was way too broke right now to ever afford it.

“Oh, it’s sold,” Dan, the realtor smiled apologetically, “A couple from LA just put money down a week ago. However, from what I understand, the woman is expecting and wants a few things added on, so it may be a few months before they are scheduled to move in.”

I knew I’d hit the jackpot.

I frowned, “Ah, rats. It’s so gorgeous. Perfect, actually.”

Dan made a sound of agreement, and with a soft sigh, I uncrossed my legs, allowing the skirt of my dress to rise ever so slightly. I flexed my thighs and sighed once more, chewing my bottom lip and placing emphasis on my chest as I heaved out another sigh. I could feel the realtor’s gaze straight on my breasts and inwardly smirked.

“Well, if you really know what you’re looking for,” he began suddenly, and I wanted to laugh, “I guess it couldn’t hurt to show you the property. If you plan on moving here in the future and don’t like anything quite as much as this one, you could always have something built. Seeing this home may give you some ideas as to what you may or may not want in your home.”

“Oh,” I answered slowly, feigning confusion, “I don’t know.”

“Really, it’s not a problem,” Dan’s gaze was back on my boobs, “I don’t mind.”

“But I couldn’t take so much time out of your day! I’m sure you have plenty of clients to tend to,” I stated unsurely, nearly smiling at the way he vehemently shook his head.

“No, no,” he answered with a flap of his hand, “It’s not even that far away! It’s right off Marina Drive, that’s the main road when you first come in…practically a mile or two up the road!”

Bingo.

“Oh, no; that’s okay,” I shook my head, “No point in getting my heart broken over a house that’s already sold. What else is in the area?”

For another hour or so I stayed, going through portfolio after portfolio. All in all, each home on the market here was gorgeous; I found myself attracted to each for very different reasons. This place really was perfect…or at least, it used to be. And after I was through today, there wouldn’t be an ounce of perfection left for those fuckers to find.

“Something on your mind, sweetheart?”

I smiled brightly as Matt moved to sit beside me on the sectional, picking up my feet and placing them back down in his lap once he sat down. I had long since finished my Goldfish, along with a small tub of ice cream. Now that I was coming back down to Earth, I didn’t have such a great urge to eat everything in sight.

“I’m fine,” I said, taking a chance and moving closer to him. I hadn’t been so trusting before, but I believe that was because I’d had so much from my relationship with Tyler holding me down. But now, I was more open to the idea of letting people in, even if it was just little.

Matt noticed this and flashed me a dazzling smile, holding out his arms as I moved to his side. His arms enveloped me, and instantly, I felt at peace. I felt calm, and safe…content, even. He chuckled as I curled into his side and made myself comfortable against him.

“So, what are we watching?” he asked casually, rubbing my sweatpant covered legs. The action was nearly enough to put me to sleep, but I managed to stay alert.

I yawned lightly, “I was just gonna watch whatever was on the movie channels; you don’t have to stay if you wanna go back outside with the guys.”

The pool had worn Lyndsey, Raychel and I completely out. After countless hours of sun, I’d become sleepy and Lyndsey had become sunburnt. She was currently laying down in one of the rooms with aloe vera and ice packs on her back. Zacky and Raychel had long since disappeared to one of the guest rooms, no doubt christening the hell out of whichever one they were in. I didn’t wanna think about it. So, it was just me, with the TV as my only company…but then, here was Matt.

“I see them far enough as it is,” he chuckled, resting his left arm over my shoulders, “Besides, I wanna know how you’re doing. I know shit has been hard for you lately.”

“It has,” I answered slowly, looking anywhere but his face, “But I’m handling it. I’ll be okay.”

He smiled broadly at that, “You’re strong, babe. You’ll get through it.”

“I will,” I agreed, my response coming out in a mere whisper.

“You will,” he nodded, turning the TV to a channel showing Pulp Fiction.

***

After a movie marathon, Matt looked down and noticed that Brittany was fast asleep, curled across his lap in a tiny ball. He shook his head and let out a gruff laugh; that girl could fall asleep anywhere. Leaning forward, he hooked his arms under her back and legs, wanting to take her upstairs to her room. He knew she’d be more comfortable laying down in bed.

He effortlessly climbed the stairs with her gathered in his arms, walking slowly enough so that he wouldn’t wake her with any sudden movements. At the top of the stairs, he walked straight for her room, stopping in the doorway when he saw that Lyndsey had gone there to lay down already. With a sigh, he turned around and went across the hall to his own room. He was well aware that she wasn’t comfortable in the rather bare guest rooms. His room was just as lively as her own, and it would just have to do.

It was much easier than he’d thought. The second he’d laid her down in the center of his bed, she’d blindly felt for his pillow and snuggled to it, a soft sigh leaving her lips as they turned upwards into a tiny smile. He knew she was comfortable here, and he was glad to see that. The air conditioning was on low, but because she tended to get cold when she slept, he decided to place a light blanket over her body. This was always where he lost himself in her, and he knew it. Watching her sleep – no matter how stalker-ish it sounded – was a weakness of his. He couldn’t help himself whenever he saw her like that.

He stepped away. Glancing one last time at her, he left the room, closing his door quietly behind him and moving out into the hallway. Just as he turned the corner, Brian emerged from Britt’s room, a stony glare on his face, “Shads, man, you need to see this.”

Matt never liked it when someone used that phrase to get his attention. It almost always meant he wouldn’t like whatever it was that awaited his attention. Walking cautiously, he moved stealthily into Britt’s bedroom, his eyes scanning the area for anything even slightly out of place.

“What is it?” he asked rather anxiously, his voice turning gruff with impatience.

Brian pressed a finger to his lips, motioning towards his sleeping girlfriend. Matt rolled his eyes and stared pointedly at his friend, wanting to know what the hell was going on. Ignoring his friend’s impatience, Brian picked up the remote control to the TV and cut it on, immediately muting the sound. The screen was static at first, but soon turned into something else. Something that made Matt’s blood boil.

“What the fuck is this shit?” he seethed, clenching his teeth as he felt his anger slowly rise from the depths of his stomach, “Is that who the fuck I think it is?”

“I came in here to check on Lynds,” Brian murmured quietly, looking over to see if his girlfriend had stirred, “I sat down and hit the power button by accident. This was what came on.”

Matt couldn’t stomach seeing what he was seeing. Why the hell was there a video of Brittany’s ex fucking with a girl that was not her, and why did Brittany have it? Not to mention, the girl in the video was obviously the bitch he’d gotten pregnant. Having seen enough, he ejected the disc and angrily stabbed the power button with his finger. The disc popped out and landed in his hand, but there was nothing on it.

“What’s it say?” Brian wanted to know, whispering fiercely as he moved closer to inspect the blank disc.

“It doesn’t say anything on it,” Matt narrowed his eyes, turning the disc over. Nothing there, either?

“Nothing? Not a title, or name? Where’s the pack it came in?” Brian frowned, looking around the room.

Matt was about to grumble something ignorant in response, when something on the floor caught his eye. Just beneath the bed, with only a tiny, little white corner peeking out, was an envelope. Furrowing his eyebrows, he bent down and picked it up, lifting it to his face to examine it.

It read, Santini: For Your Eyes Only

That’s when things started to fall into place for him. Matt was not by any means a dumb man, and he knew exactly what had happened here. He shoved the envelope into Brian’s outstretched hand, his mind running through yesterday morning. Britt retrieving the morning mail, looking perplexed about something she’d received. It’d had no name or return address, she’d said. But it’d had her name on it.

“That little fuck,” Brian hissed, his gaze darkening as he too, put two and two together, “I say we fix his ass. I say we find that pregnant bitch and--”

“I say we get downstairs.”

“Baby?” Brian blinked, quickly falling silent as we turned to see Lyndsey wide awake, sitting up with a horror stricken expression on her face, “What’s wrong?”

She simply pointed to the muted TV, where the local news station was covering some breaking news story. Matt frowned, wondering why she’d be gaping at some random piece of news. It was up north in Santa Barbara anyway; it had absolutely nothing to do with any of them.

Brian whistled lowly, “Whoever did that should win a trophy. That’s a real piece of work.”

Some huge estate in a private neighborhood had been completely destroyed, from top to bottom. The house had been undergoing construction, though the construction company had been on break for the last two weeks for whatever reason. While they were gone, someone had gotten into the house and nearly torn the entire damn place from its foundation.

“Damn,” Matt nodded in agreement. However irrelevant this was, the culprit had done some serious shit to the place.

Nothing was reported stolen. Someone had simply walked in and mutilated the place. They reported the expensive tiling was ripped from the floor. Not a single tile was salvageable. They had been adding extra rooms onto the ranch style house…well, those makeshift walls had been kicked in. The upstairs rooms had once, according to the appalled contracting company, been stocked with paint. Professionals were due to come in during the next week to paint the walls, since they’d just finished sanding and taping them up. Not anymore…the culprit had opened every jar of paint and splattered them all over the walls and floors of several rooms.

The master bedroom had holes dented into the walls, and every window in the place had been busted. The chandelier that sat over the grand entrance room of the estate lay smashed to pieces by the front door, creating a serious hazard for anyone who attempted to walk into the home. Even the fucking skylights had been knocked out. And the front yard…the top of the line Jacuzzi from the back patio had somehow ended up in the front yard…and every bit of land in the front yard had been completely scorched from being set on fire.

“Dude, do you guys see the fucking news right now?” Johnny chuckled, strolling into the room with a beer in hand, “That shit’s fucking wicked.”

“Hell yeah, it is,” Brian simply gaped at the TV.

Lyndsey groaned, “Go get Britt.”

Matt blinked, “But, she’s sleeping.”

“Yeah?” Lyndsey challenged, fixing him with a cold stare, “Well, would you rather she sleep or become a prison bitch? Get her the fuck up!”

“I’m on it,” Johnny jumped up, glancing at Lyndsey like she was insane as he hurried over to my room.

“Babe, what are you freaking out for? Is it because of that house on TV?” Brian chuckled with a shake of his head. But the way Lyndsey looked at him had both men freezing in their spots.

“That house was in Hope Ranch. It’s where Tyler had always promised her they would live their happily ever after. And now that he’s promised that life to someone else and in turn, ruined hers…” she growled at the end, trailing off.

“She decided to go ruin his. Meaning she’s the culprit,” Brian looked at Matt and sighed.

“Meaning that fucker will know she did it, and send the cops straight over here,” Matt groaned suddenly, running a hand through his cropped hair with a growl of his own, “God dammit.”

Yeah. It was time to get Brittany up.