Summer kills

Suddenly, the backyard door burst open. Evelyn's eyes were so fixed on her brother's fate she

hadn't noticed Ruby's father rushing to her side. "What happened to Maddie?" He demanded, flitting his eyes between the pool and Evelyn's sobbing friend. Evelyn didn't even realize she'd started crying again.

In that moment, all of Evelyn's rage shot up inside of her. "It was Jaxon! He beat my

brother!" She pointed furiously at the pool, where Jaxon had now risen up with Liam's body. His eyes were open, but they blinked lazily.

Ruby's father furrowed his brows. He was the splitting image of Ruby-save for his much harsher and masculine appearance with intense green eyes and auburn waves. They fell to his shoulders in a side swoop, giving off a rugged Viking look. From his bulked-up physique, most would never guess at first glance he was a decorated celebrity lawyer-especially with the way he glowered at his daughter's distressed best friend.

Without another word, he leaped into the pool and swam to Jaxon. His eyes barely lingered

on Jaxon's distraught self when he reached where he and Liam floated-coldly, he took Liam out of the boy's arms and guided him to the ledge of the pool. Evelyn helped him pull her brother up to the porcelain deck.

"Agh!" he coughed up water and blood when he was rested on his back. Work clothes

drenched in chlorine, Ruby's father bent at his side.

"Relax, take it easy 'fella. Breath slow," he instructed calmly. Liam squirmed at first,

twitching to heave as much as he possibly could. Evelyn grimaced as the gravity of his bruises became magnified this was what Jaxon caused, and he was staring at them sheepishly like an idiot.

Ruby staggered up to her father. "I-I think he's still choking on the water," she stammered.

She glanced at where Maddie was knelt on the ground in tears. Her words were barely comprehensible through the gurgled tears in her throat.

Ruby's father inclined Liam's back slightly. Accompanied with a few knocks on his back, her

dad's actions worked to clear up Liam's clogged throat.

Loud wheezes rumbled from his chest as Ruby's father patted his back. "It's okay now, you've

done well." He let Liam take a moment to recollect himself as his focus shifted to the kids idling by. "So, would you care to explain to me what the hell happened in my backyard?!"

Ruby's face twisted in dread. Please Evelyn and Maddie, don't get me killed, she prayed mentally. Of course, she was anguished from the shame of having not one-but two people get injured in her vacation home, but this wasn't a simple accident in from sneaking into her parents' compartments. This was a hideous spectacle that the Bennetts would carry on their shoulders, involving some of the most powerful families in American high society.

To her misfortune, Maddie was too shaken to speak and Evelyn was a twitching ball of rage. "It was him," she pointed at Jaxon again, her face contorted into a scowl. "HE attacked my brother over some petty argument!"

Jaxon looked around nervously. "I..." He knew he didn't throw the first punch. He wasn't

the one who even brought up people's girlfriends in the first place, yet he was suffering the blame. And honestly? He couldn't fight back against it. His knuckles were smattered with blood-

his friend's flayed flesh. He'd beaten his best friend like a ragdoll and couldn't snap out of his senses to save him before he reached the brink of passing out.

Expression stern, Ruby's father got up from the floor. "Look, I know nothing about teenage drama and the stuff you kids get up to. But from what I can see, both of you took some pretty nasty hits and we almost got a death on our property. You know what that screams to me? A liability nightmare."

Evelyn flipped her hair defiantly. "Mr. Bennett, I want to apologize for the mayhem that's

clearly introduced a lot of stress to your already busy life as a lawyer. But I think you're forgetting the clear instigator here." She waved dramatically at Jaxon. "Hello-o? He literally tried to drown my brother?

Ruby's father sucked his teeth. "Evelyn-" He glanced at Jaxon, then back at the angry blonde. "I have to talk to my daughter. I'm sorry, but this is a bad situation all around." He took a final glimpse at Maddie, crooning, "Is everything alright over there?"

Evelyn scoffed. Her brother was brutally assaulted and this guy wanted to know if Maddie

was okay? Of course, she wasn't. Nobody would be after seeing what Jaxon did to her brother. She

still couldn't believe an innocent tease escalated to violence.

Chin curled up to her knees, Maddie didn't respond. She was staring blankly ahead, arms

wrapped around her trembling knees. Great, Evelyn mused-now they could get back to the pressing business at hand.

"Are you seriously just going to let my brother lay here while Jaxon is free to run loose?!" She shrieked.

Ruby's father raised his hands in the air. "Hey, hey, all I'm doing is taking a step away to discuss this with my daughter. With the fiasco with Olivia upstairs, I just need to wrap my head around how everything blew up so badly in the span of two hours."

Evelyn knit her eyebrows. Fiasco with Olivia? As he started to the backyard door, Ruby's father asked, "So, we're okay, right?" At the nod of Evelyn's head, he hurried Ruby alongside himself to the living room. The flustered redhead mouthed "help," back at her friend, but there was nothing Evelyn could or desired to do. She stood silently, scanning the scene around her. Her brother's sprawled body, Jaxon idling awkwardly in the pool, and Maddie too stunned to move.

And lastly, the butler who'd trailed Ruby and her father outside. He lingered outside for a

while before closing the sliding door behind him and when he did, Evelyn gleaned a severity in his grey eyes she couldn't fathom.