Chapter 302: Old Ghosts and Fresh Bruises

The lively atmosphere froze instantly. No one had expected Shane to show up. Maddox was the first to react, quickly standing and greeting him.

“Shane? What brings you here?”

“Weekend’s coming up. A friend invited me out to hang. Thought the air might be cooler this way, so I came. Didn’t expect to run into you guys.”

As he spoke, his gaze slid toward Sierra, then locked directly onto Johnathan.

“Long time no see, Mr. Yaeger.”

“It has been a while,” Johnathan said coolly. “Heard you were injured. What, all healed now?”

The air around the group turned tense. Most people didn’t know the full story, but they did. Shane had received a brutal beating from Jade—and it definitely had something to do with Johnathan.

But Shane was a tough guy. He didn’t flinch at the dig. Instead, he smiled and answered, “Good as new. Appreciate your concern, Mr. Yaeger.”

“Hope you don’t forget the pain just ‘cause the scars are gone,” Johnathan said with pointed sarcasm.

Shane chuckled. “No need to worry, Mr. Yaeger. You should probably focus on your own problems. Who knows? One of these days, something of yours might just get taken. I'll be waiting. I’d love to see who thinks they’ve got the balls.”

They went back and forth like that, thinly veiled barbs laced with tension—but neither made a move to escalate the situation. A group on the other side was waiting for Shane, so he didn’t linger. He turned to leave but looked over his shoulder at them, pausing briefly to glance at Sierra. Too bad for him; she was stone-cold sober now. No dazed look in her eyes. Shane shoved down whatever was churning in his chest and walked away.

“Fuck! What the hell is he doing here?” Mateo muttered in frustration. They’d just wanted a chill night out—and then he showed up, that lunatic. The mood was officially ruined. Nobody felt like hanging out anymore, so they all packed it up early. They hadn’t brought anything with them, but everything had already been prepared—clothes, toiletries, whatever they might need. It was all tailored to their usual habits.

As soon as they stepped inside, Johnathan pinned Sierra against the door. His kiss was feverish, desperate, like he wanted to consume her whole. Serra didn’t think too much of it—just figured he’d had a bit too much to drink. She was tipsy too, the alcohol buzzing through her system, and she responded to him without hesitation. They didn’t even make it to the bedroom. Sierra had always known Johnathan was strong, but that night gave her a whole new definition of the word. She barely touched the ground all night.

It drove Sierra crazy. He pushed her until she actually started crying. And once she did, he lost what was left of his mind. By the time the night ended, Sierra had completely missed breakfast. When she finally woke up, it was nearly noon. Johnathan was long gone. She gnawed on some cold leftovers, cursing him under her breath. The only clothes available were long dresses or shorts and tank tops. She went with the dress—it at least covered up marks on her legs. As for her neck? She gave up on that. Nothing she could do.

She steeled herself mentally before stepping out. She’d planned to find Johnathan and give him hell, but he was nowhere in sight. Stone and the others were gone too. Only Draven was around, lounging on a deck chair with a book. When he saw her, he greeted her like nothing was out of the ordinary—then added with a smirk, “Johnathan really is part dog.”

Sierra flushed. She knew exactly what he meant. But thankfully, Draven didn’t push it. Instead, he said, “They went horseback riding.”

“Why didn’t you go?”

“Had a bit too much to drink last night. Still a little dizzy. Besides, we’re intellectuals, not muscleheads like them.”

Draven didn’t even try to hide his disdain for the others. Sierra couldn’t help but laugh. She took the seat beside him, enjoying the warmth of the sun. They made small talk here and there—mostly nerdy stuff—but it kept the silence from getting awkward. Then, out of the corner of her eye, Sierra noticed a few staff members rushing toward a car. Some of them looked like doctors.

Her face changed immediately.

“Wait—what’s going on?” she asked sharply.