Ethan's Pov

I was freaking happy as hell.

I finally got my cast off today and I feel good as new. I can use two arms now instead of one.

Right now me and the girls were outside, waiting for Spencer to get back from talking to the cashier inside the store.

Apparently she took Melissa's wedding ring to a pawn store instead of giving it back to her, like I suggested when we had found it.

I just hope that she can actually get the ring back, because if she can't then that's gonna be a problem.

"This place is skeevy" Aria said.

"She pawned our sister's wedding ring. We're not gonna go to Tiffany's" I sarcastically said.

"So, Wren and Melissa?" Emily asked, walking closer towards us while crossing her arms.

"Weird, right?" Hanna asked.

"Could you tell what he gave her?" Emily asked.

"No. She didn't seem happy about it" Aria said.

"I wonder if Ian will be" Hanna said.

I sighed and looked at Emily and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"How you holding up?" I asked.

"Great. Ever since I got that fake scholarship letter, my mom thinks I can do no wrong. I'm living a lie I didn't even tell" Emily scoffed.

"Leave it to A to make you feel bad about your mom feeling good" Hanna said.

I snorted at that but nodded because it was true.

We turned around when we heard the door open and we saw Spencer coming out of the store.

And judging by the look on her face I already know something happened.

And I was right.

Apparently A made a small trip to the store and bought the ring herself, stealing it and making it seem like Spencer brought in a freaking horseshoe instead.

"I can't believe that it's gone" Spencer said.

"My lords" I sighed, rubbing my temple.

"At least you got your money back" Hanna shrugged.

"Am I supposed to give her this?" Spencer angrily asked, holding the horseshoe up in her hand.

Hanna sighed and shook her head as Spencer let out an angry laugh.

"I stole it. I actually stole my sister's wedding ring" Spencer said, looking angry and guilty.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now?" I asked.

Before anyone could answer we heard our phones ring. We glanced at each other before taking our phones out.

When I saw the message it was no surprise that it was from A.

"Just my luck, diamonds are a girl's best friend. A" I scoffed.

The five of us began looking around but then we stopped at the big sign in front of us.

We looked up and saw a pair of eyes on the sign. It was staring down at us and it's fair to say we were creeped out.

The Next Day

It was the next day and me and Spencer were getting ready for school.

We made our way into the kitchen but stopped when we saw Melissa rummaging through a few drawers.

We saw her taking out a passport and we shared a look before turning back to her.

"Going somewhere?" Spencer asked.

Melissa turned around and I can see a bit of nervousness flashing through her eyes.

"No" Melissa said.

"Why do you have your passport?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"It's...it's not mine. It's Ian's. I need it for the insurance claim on my ring" Melissa said.

"It still hasn't turned up?" Spencer asked, setting her bag on the couch.

When Melissa shook her head Spencer glanced at me in worry and I just decided to speak.

"It will, eventually" I said, shooting Melissa comforting look.

"I'd rather find my husband" Melissa said, shooting both me and Spencer small smiles.

We shot her small smiles before she quickly left the house, probably to head back to the barn.

I sighed and shook my head and just decided to get something to eat before heading to school.

At School

The bell rang and our class ended so we all got up from where we were sitting and gathered our things before leaving.

When we were out of the classroom me and Spencer walked towards Emily.

"We're going this afternoon, right after school" Spencer said and I nodded.

Me and Spencer decided to head over to the hospital to talk to Wren about Melissa, we need answers and we're gonna get them from him.

"Are you sure that's safe?" Emily asked, worried.

"No" Spencer sighed.

"Safe or not, I'll protect my sister, always" I sternly said.

Spencer smiled and linked her arm with mine, snuggling into my side, making me smile down at her.

We continued walking but stopped when we saw Mrs. Montgomery opening the door to a nearby classroom

"Aria" Mrs. Montgomery asked.

"Hey" Aria said, stopping in front of her.

Me and the girls stopped to look at them but made sure to keep a distance from each other, except for me and Spencer.

"Uh, can I talk to you for a second?" Mrs. Montgomery asked.

"We were...we were just saying goodbye" Aria said, gesturing to me and the girls.

We nodded but Mrs. Montgomery shook her head.

"Yeah, that's not what I want to talk to you about" Mrs. Montgomery said.

"Oh" Aria said, glancing at us.

We smiled and nodded at both of them before going our separate ways.

At The St. Anthony's Hospital

Me and Spencer walked inside the hospital and began walking around, trying to look for Wren.

We finally found him walking and talking to a nurse and walked over to him.

When he saw us he looked confused.

"Spencer, Ethan, what are you two doing here?" Wren asked.

"We need to talk" I said.

Spencer nodded and looked at the nurse who was looking at us, confused and a bit curious.

"I'm sorry, this is kind of important. Could you...like, not be here right now" Spencer said.

The nurse gave her an offended look while I lightly hit her arm before turning to the nurse.

"Don't mind her, she's just a bit on edge. But this is a private conversation, so could you leave us alone for a bit?" I politely asked the nurse.

She smiled and nodded at me, turning to glare at Spencer before walking away.

When she was gone me and Spencer immediately turned to look at Wren.

"What did you give to Melissa outside of our house, and what did she tell you?" Spencer asked.

"It's complicated" Wren sighed.

He guided us to a quiet place where nobody would hear us talking.

"Ok, well, let me make it a bit easier for you. Ian tried to kill my sister" I deadpanned and Spencer nodded.

"What? Are you ok?" Wren asked, looking at Spencer in worry.

"For now" Spencer sighed.

"But how about you tell us what you know before he tries again?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"She wanted meds. Supplies" Wren sighed.

"And you were just happy to hand them over?" I asked.

"Yeah. Ian might be hiding out next door to our house" Spencer said.

"No, Melissa said he'd only tell her where he was once she had the drugs, but that it was somewhere outside of Rosewood" Wren explained.

Me and Spencer looked at each other with wide eyes in shock before looking back at Wren.

"Why did you help her?" Spencer asked.

"Honestly? 'Cause I feel partly responsible for Melissa charging back to Ian. How could I not help?" Wren sighed.

I frowned while Spencer rolled her eyes.

"I didn't give her everything that she asked for, some of the painkillers she wanted. I'd lose my job if I did that" Wren explained.

But why help at all?

I know he feels guilty for what happened and for Melissa going back to Ian, but still.

"Spencer, Ethan, please, you have to believe me. I had no idea that you guys were a part of this. I don't want to see either of you get hurt again" Wren said.

"It's kind of too late for that" Spencer scoffed.

"You guys need to leave this alone" Wren sternly said.

"Hell no" I scoffed.

"Yeah. We can't leave this alone. And we need your help" Spencer said but Wren shook his head.

"Every time I gamble with you and your sister, people end up getting hurt. I won't let that happen again" Wren said.

"Wren, will you help us find Ian or not?" Spencer asked.

"I'm sorry. No" Wren sighed.

He looked at us one last time before walking away.

"Screw him" I angrily spat before grabbing Spencer's arm and dragging her away with me.

Back At Home

After our encounter with Wren me and Spencer went back home.

We walked towards the house but when we got to the front door we saw a note plastered on the door.

I raised an eyebrow at it as Spencer ripped it off and read it.

"We'll be late. Take care of your sister. Exclamation point. Mom" Spencer sarcastically said.

"That sounds like a fun evening" I sighed.

Me and Spencer looked at each other and laughed before turning around to head to the barn.

Melissa spends most of her time there so that's probably where she is.

When we got there we saw that the door was slightly open, we glanced at each other before slowly opening it.

"Melissa? You home" Spencer called out to her.

"She's in the shower, Spence" I said, gesturing to the water running.

Just when we were about to leave I stopped when I saw a suitcase by the door.

Spencer noticed it too as we both glanced at each other before crouching down.

We set our bags on the ground before grabbing the suitcase and setting it down on the ground.

I quickly but quietly opened it and when it was open we saw clothes, bottles, bags, medicine, pills and a few other stuff.

However, my eyes wandered over to something that was hidden under a plastic bag.

I grabbed it and saw that it was a passport. I opened it, thinking it was Melissa's, but it wasn't.

It was Ian's passport.

Holy crap, Melissa is planning on meeting Ian tonight and run away with him.

"Spence" I whispered.

She looked at me and when I showed her the passport her eyes widened in shock.

But before she could say anything we heard the water being turned off, causing us to panic.

I quickly put the passport back where it was as me and Spencer quickly closed the suitcase before putting it back where it originally was.

We grabbed our bags and slightly closed the door before hiding behind the bushes near the barn. We wouldn't be able to make it back inside the house in time, even if we ran.

We heard the door open and made sure to keep quiet.

"Spencer? Ethan? Spencer? Ethan?" Melissa called out to us.

When she didn't get an answer she quickly walked back inside, closing the door.

When it was safe we quickly ran to head back inside the house.

Late At Night

Me and Spencer were in her room, lying on her bed while on the phone with Aria.

Spencer put her on speaker so we could both hear her.

"Okay, so, if Ian's not next door, where is he?" Aria asked.

"And where's he going?" Spencer said and I nodded.

"And why is Melissa going with him?" Aria asked.

"Right. Things don't usually work out well for the wives of murderers" I sarcastically said.

"Do you...do you guys think that he'd hurt her?" Aria asked, worried.

"I don't know" Spencer sighed.

"If he does he better wish he dropped dead when A pushed him off the bell tower" I scoffed.

"I wish we could just come stay over at your house" Spencer sighed.

"Me too. I'm home alone with the doors locked, and I'm creeped out" Aria said.

Me and Spencer sighed before we heard car noises from outside, meaning that mom and dad are home.

"We gotta go. Our parents are here" I said.

"Ok" Aria said before we hung up.

A Few Hours Later

Me and Spencer were still in her room, working on homework.

We were both helping each other since that's what we do. If one of us can't understand something the other will help as best as they can.

However, we stopped when we heard noises from outside.

We looked at each other before getting up from the bed and walking towards the window.

We looked outside and saw Melissa walking out the barn, putting the suitcase in the trunk of the car.

She looked around before closing the trunk and heading back inside the barn, making me and Spencer look at each other.

The Next Day
At The St. Anthony's Hospital

It was the next day and me and Spencer were back at the hospital Wren works at.

We managed to convince him to help us in finding Ian. So, right now we were hiding in a storage closet as me and Spencer watched Wren talk to Melissa on the phone.

"Melissa, I've had second thoughts about the injuries you've described. I'm concerned Ian could have a staph infection. I'm gonna have to insist that I see him before you go anywhere. I'll bring whatever drugs are necessary. No, Melissa. I come with you, or no deal" Wren explained.

It was silent for a few seconds before Wren nodded his head and hung up.

"She bought it" Wren said.

Me and Spencer looked at each other before looking back at him.

"She still doesn't know where Ian's hiding, but she'll call me tomorrow when she finds out so I can go with her" Wren explained.

"And we'll be right behind you" I said and Spencer nodded.

Late At Night

It was late at night and me and Spencer were in her room. We were looking out the window and waiting for Wren to call.

When Spencer's phone rang she immediately picked it up, putting it on speaker.

"Wren?" Spencer asked.

"Melissa just called. She knows where Ian is" Wren said.

"We're on our way" I said and Spencer nodded.

"Spencer, Ethan!" Wren yelled but it was too late because we hung up on him.

"Come on" I said as we both ran out of the house.

We got into the car as Spencer drove off and I immediately texted the girls.

We quickly picked all of them up before Spencer continued driving behind Melissa, making sure to be discreet so she wouldn't catch us.

"Do we have a plan?" Emily asked.

"Working on it" Spencer sighed.

"Should we call Garrett, tell him about Ian?" Emily asked.

"No. The last thing we need to do is get him involved in another mystery we can't explain" I sighed and Aria nodded.

"Well that's what happens when we're the teens who cried wolf. I mean, don't you get it? We're screwed" Hanna scoffed.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes, clearly tired.

"They're stopping" Aria said.

Spencer stopped the car a few feet behind them and turned off the car lights, to avoid getting caught.

We saw Wren and Melissa exiting the car and walking towards the place.

We quickly but quietly exited the car and closed the doors.

"There's no turning back now, right?" Spencer asked, looking at us.

We all looked at each other and shook our heads and with that we began walking to where Wren and Melissa left.

I made sure to stay in front of the girls, ready to protect them in case Ian tries something.

"I've got 9-1-1 on speed-dial" Aria said.

"I've only got one bar. Oh, crap. No bars" Hanna sighed.

"We should take a photo of Ian, prove we haven't been making this all up" Emily said.

"Yeah, well, you go ahead and do that while I try not to get killed" Hanna scoffed.

"Buttercup" I said in a warning tone.

The girls turned around and gave her looks of disbelief as Hanna sighed.

"Sorry" Hanna said.

We shook our heads and went back to walking, the girls hurrying to stand near me since I was in the front.

"I'm just worried about Melissa"I said and Spencer nodded.

"Yeah. Who knows what Ian's thinking?" Spencer said, worried.

"Or if he has a gun" Aria said.

We stopped walking as me and Spencer looked at her with wide eyes.

"He's the bad guy, right?" Aria asked.

I rolled my eyes and continued walking, picking up the pace, as my sister and my best friends quickly followed behind me.

When we got to the place we crouched down a bit to remain hidden.

We took a peek and saw Wren and Melissa talking to each other.

We couldn't hear what they were saying, because they were too far away from us, but they stopped talking as Melissa went inside while Wren stayed where he was.

"Come on" I whispered.

I quietly walked inside as the girls followed behind me.

We started walking slowly, even though Wren knew we'd be here, we didn't want to risk Melissa or Ian catching us.

We continued our slow walking but then we stopped dead in our tracks when Melissa let out a loud and terrified scream. Wren dropped whatever he was holding and quickly ran inside.

"MELISSA!!" I shouted.

I sprinted off with Spencer and the girls following behind me.

We entered some old barn and began looking around before running off when we saw Melissa and Wren.

Melissa was sobbing hysterically while Wren was hugging her, trying to calm her down.

When we were close me and Spencer wrapped our arms around Melissa from behind.

Me and the girls looked in front of us and immediately gasped at the sight.

There, right in front of us, just a few feet away, was Ian's lifeless body on the ground. The side of his head was bleeding and I could see a gun in his hand.

The girls all covered their mouths in horror and looked away, not wanting to see that.

Melissa turned around and looked at me and Spencer in confusion, more tears streaming down her face.

We didn't say anything as I grabbed Melissa and hugged her, putting her face into my chest.

She wrapped her arms around me and began crying and sobbing hysterically. Spencer joined the hug, wrapping her arms around Melissa.

I rubbed her back up and down, trying to calm her down but nothing was working.

I took one last glance at Ian's body before going back to comforting my sister.