Into the Light (University of Isles #2)

1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

Eight Months Later

My dad had come by as I was packing the last of my house up, like he had every single day since the moment I moved out here. All his secrets were now out in the open. My father was the capo of one of the most prominent Mafia families, not by birth but through marriage. He hated it, but he was damn good at it, too.

It made me sad for him. I was proud that he did a good job, but sad he wasn’t able to live out the life he wanted to. He wanted to be a poet and an author, and love blinded him from all of that. My mother walking out on his marriage also fucked him up. But every day since I spiraled into my deep, dark place and Santiago called him, pleading with my father to assist me, he had shown up to offer some form of assistance. Sometimes, he would simply deliver food, while other times, like today, he attempted to stay and engage in conversation.

“Ember?” he rasped from the porch as I carried a few boxes out of the house and to the trunk of the car. He sounded tired, and I was close to caving and telling him I forgave him, but I didn’t believe him yet. I just . . . couldn’t.

“Dad.” I lifted my chin as I passed by him toward my car. Well, I guess it still wasn’t my car, but at this point, eight months later, I considered it mine. No one came to collect it. No one, aside from Walsh, my dad, and Marissa came at all. “I’m a little busy.”

My dad followed as I turned back toward the house where a few more cardboard boxes sat on the front steps, and he picked up a box and helped load it into the Jeep. I didn’t complain because I needed to get out of Dansport and back to Isles. School was starting soon, and I wanted to live a normal life again—as normal as I could get.

“Where’s Santiago?” my dad asked, looking around for my bodyguard. His brown hair was tousled, and his brown eyes were almost golden today, but there was worry etched into the lines on his face.

“He’s in the guesthouse. I told him I’d be okay since I was staying on the property.” It was one of the many mysteries I’d discovered since Ash’s death. I woke up the morning after I arrived in Dansport, and Santiago was on my doorstep in full tactical gear. After I insisted he change into regular clothing, we had spent everyday together since.

He told me Ash had hired him and paid him enough for “a lifetime.” I guess Rain had called to tell him when I was arriving, so he showed up ready for work. It was his responsibility to care for me and stay on the property in a guesthouse out back. I didn’t complain, because I was all alone here, refusing to see my brother, dad, or anyone else from the family.

Plus, a part of me knew this was another string that connected my life to Ash’s, and I realized over the last few months, I was desperate to hold onto every single string possible. Over time, Santiago and I had become close, and I looked up to him like a protective older brother. He dragged me out of some really dark times.

It thoroughly pissed my dad off that I accepted a bodyguard from the Cartel and not la famiglia but over the last few months, he gave up expressing that grievance and instead focused on me refusing to talk to him.

“You don’t have to go back to Isles. You can continue your online studies through them.”

I shook my head.

Following what had happened with Ash, my professors had all agreed to let me complete the last month of my freshman year and my first semester of sophomore year online. They had also extended the offer for me to continue remote learning, but I was determined to go back. I believed I’d grown strong enough to confront my fears, and I couldn’t shake thoughts of what Ash would have wished for.

I knew now that he would have wanted to see me grow, get my degree, and have the college experience I should have had. Rotting away in Dansport and not leaving, sometimes for months on end, wasn’t healthy. Finding a path to reclaim my life, even with the bone-shattering grief that was still woven tightly into me, was necessary.

“I can’t wrap my head around you buying this house,” my dad said, eyeing the grand log-cabin mansion behind us. I’d kept this one under wraps from him as well. Once we were on speaking terms, which basically meant I answered his questions when he showed up on my front steps when I’d let him in past the gate, he stumbled upon the house deed with my name on it. Truth be told, I didn’t buy it. It was a gift, but he was in the dark about that part. Knowing about Santiago was more than enough for him to chew on.

“Yup.” I popped the p and pivoted back to fetch the last couple of boxes. Just as I was about to grab them, my dad’s hand gently landed on my elbow.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. I didn’t turn, didn’t budge. I just sucked in a deep breath, held it for a slow count of three, then let it out. A trick I picked up in therapy to handle those waves of crushing grief and sadness that sometimes hit me.

Swallowing, I replied, “I get it, Dad, but I can’t bring myself to trust Walsh. There are way too many gaps in the whole story around Ash’s death for me to just brush it aside.”

There was no note, and I knew Ash. He wouldn’t just leave me without a reason or explanation as to what he was doing. My brother was missing that night. My dad confirmed there were several people who saw Walsh leave and head in the direction toward the rock outside of town. Walsh refused to tell me if he saw him and what happened.

Walsh was a calculated man. Growing up, he was always the one with a meticulous plan and structure for the day. The fact he refuses to tell me where or what happened that night felt very suspicious. My dad had asked him many times over the months where he was, and even my dad had no clue.

I knew my dad was being honest when he said he had no hand in Ash’s death. I saw the sincerity in his eyes when he begged me. He’d shared that when Mr. Ortiz found out about Ash’s passing, the scheduled sit-down between our families got scrapped, and that was that. They were at each other’s throats, still acting like grown-ups throwing kindergarten-level tantrums with way more dangerous toys.

“You know your brother wants to tell the truth . . .” My dad’s comment earned an eye roll from me. I crossed over the lawn that had gone a bit overgrown in the last month. Ash had thought of it all, hiring both a housekeeper and groundskeeper. Last month, I gave them a long, paid vacation because I wanted to make sure going back to Isles was the right decision, and I needed some peace to figure that out.

“I’m done hearing about him, Dad.” Walsh danced around the topic of Ash’s death. He wouldn’t talk to Dad about it. He refused to confirm or deny his role. “I’m not the same person I was a few months back. If Walsh doesn’t want to open up, then I’ve got nothing to share with him.”

When I asked Walsh eight long months ago if he had any role in Ash’s death, he skirted around the topic, telling me he kept the promise he’d made, but that was all he could tell me.

I’d tried to call Rain to tell him . . . but . . . well, that whole situation didn’t turn out how I’d expected either. Through therapy, I learned I couldn’t change people or their actions, I could only control my reactions toward them. So I didn’t give Walsh the time of day, and stopped giving a fuck about Rain and what he was doing.

It felt like another betrayal, with Walsh and Rain both leaving me when I needed someone the most, the pain cutting deep each time. I was emotionally exhausted by it. I was tired . . . really fucking tired.

“Where are you living while you’re up there?” my dad asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“My friend Marissa helped me get a small apartment. It’s near where I was last year.”

Marissa was the one person who always called. Although she still lived with Pico in Isles, she was always there for me, checking up on me and making sure I’d eaten. It took a while for me to come around to letting her in, but once I started my healing journey, I invited her into my world.

Pico wasn’t allowed to be around me, for whatever reason, so it meant a lot that Marissa didn’t follow suit and still cared.

“You’re living with Maddy again?” my dad asked, which only prompted a laugh from me.

“God no,” I responded, and his eyes narrowed at me.

When Ash died, half the town accused my brother of murdering Ash while the other half thought it was what was in the police report—suicide. Both sides agreed it was my fault . . .and although I’d been working on removing that narrative from my mind, I still blamed myself because it felt like the only logical reason.

Maddy was on team Ember was such a bitch to Ash, which led to his passing.

“After Maddy called me multiple times a day for weeks berating me about how it had been my fault for Ash’s . . . er . . . passing,” I mumbled. It was still hard for me to say death aloud. “I told her off for being a shit friend and roommate last year, so we haven’t been on speaking terms. I have no idea who or what she’s doing this year.”

It made me sad to think about Maddy. I honestly pitied her because it looked like she was going through a lot herself. I’d been there, I was there, but I also was trying to be a good friend, too. I would have never cast her aside like she had done to me.

“You should have told me, Ember,” my dad said, patting my shoulder, but I just shrugged away from his touch, avoiding his gaze.

“I’ve done a lot of things alone these last eight months. I’ve learned a lot about myself and the way our family works, and I am determined to end this shit bonfire tradition in Isles.” I shoved the box in the back of the car.

“I still have your other car, you know?”

“Sell it. I like this one better. It’s bigger.” It was a lie. Another string attached to Ash. I mean, technically, it was Rain’s, but it felt like it was part of my old life.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked.

“I am going to be living next door to Marissa. The one person who actually stuck around through all of this shit, so I’ll be fine.”

“And this Marissa . . . is she . . . part of the other world?”

I threw my hands in the air. “Come on, Dad, you can say their name, but yes, her boyfriend is part of the Cartel.” My dad swallowed, then offered me a quick nod.

“I gotta go, Dad. I’m just going to lock up, then head out.” I gestured toward his car, hoping he would take the hint and get outta here.

“Oh, okay, Em.” My jaw ticked at the familiar childhood nickname.

“Can I give you a hug?” he asked.

I walked over and gave him a quick hug before heading into the house. Turning around, I watched him from the bottom of the steps drive down the driveway and through the gate, then walked into the house.

Entering the log cabin was like stepping into a world carefully curated by his touch. The massive space, adorned with oversized cozy furnishings, seemed to beckon with a warm embrace.

Ascending two stories, the cabin’s size was both impressive and inviting. The kitchen, a perfect blend of modern convenience and rustic allure, held the essence of Ash’s thoughtful choices. It was as if he had picked out each piece of furniture and décor with a purpose, infusing the space with his essence. Walking through the rooms, the surroundings exuded the same warmth he had, making it feel like his love was an invisible thread woven into every corner.

“I’ll be back for spring break, house . . .” I said aloud before exhaling slightly, my palms sweaty. I locked the door, metaphorically closing this chapter of my life as I readied for Isles.

Santiago met me in the driveway, and I inclined my head in his direction. He had beautiful tanned skin and was wearing his typical outfit: a black leather jacket, black jeans, and a black T-shirt. He had long brown hair that curled at the bottom and deep-green eyes.

“I’m serious, I don’t need you at Isles. It’s all neutral territory,” I grumbled, a fight we had been having since I told him I was considering going back.

“I’ve got no family, friends, or life here, Em. I’m coming with you.” I rolled my eyes but had agreed to our terms, so alas, it was go-time.

“Did you talk to the apartment owner about getting your keys?” I asked. Santiago would be staying in the apartment next to mine. We would share a wall, which made him feel better about coming and still allowed me the privacy I needed. Marissa would be next to us, and we were the only three people on the floor, which also alleviated Santiago’s security concerns.

I appreciated that I had a support team I could rely on, especially since I would be in the place that carried so many memories of him. I was grateful that Santiago and Marissa were willing to be in the same building as me, even though I hated feeling like I needed other people to lean on.

“Got them.” He dangled the keys in front of me. I jumped into the car and waved him off as he followed me out of the driveway and onto the road to Isles.

Eight long months had passed since I last drove down this familiar road leading to the mountain town. The memory of how swiftly the three-hour drive had felt during my previous visit came to mind. But this time, everything was different. The change wasn’t just in the landscape; it was within me. I was no longer the naive and sorrowful Ember Solis who first arrived in Isles. Nor was I the shattered and defeated Ember who had left those mountains behind.

I was a different Ember. One who hungered for answers, who demanded them with a newfound strength. No longer weakened, I stood tall, mentally and physically fortified. I was fucking underground royalty, unyielding and fierce, ready to confront whatever challenges lay ahead without faltering.

As I continued driving, the memories of that fateful night flooded my mind. The rain, the darkness, and the pain . . . they were all etched into my memory. The trauma and pain I experienced afterward was indescribable, but I was determined to uncover the truth, to understand what had happened to Ash and why he had left me in this world with questions and uncertainty. With every mile I covered, I was one step closer to unlocking the secrets that had torn us apart, and with every beat of my heart, I vowed to fight for the truth, no matter where it led me.