“No.” It’s true. I never took him seriously. “In a way, I knew he wouldn’t be around for the long haul. I guess I feel differently about you because I know you will.”
“I will. And I promise you, I will never break your sister’s heart. Feel free to kick my ass if I do.”
“It will be my pleasure.”
“I’ll hold you to it.” He starts up the engine and lets the truck idle. “You ready to get back to reality and find that girl so you can work things out?”
“I’m ready.” We start back down the long winding road that leads back to Hollow Brook. “Hey, Rex? I’m glad you’re in Scarlett’s life. I’m glad you’re in mine, too. I’ve always wanted an older brother.”
He offers a quiet smile my way. “I’m glad you’re in my life, too. I’m proud to call you my brother.”
I have Rex drop me off at Cutler Tower, but there’s no sign of Lucky. Ava says she took off for spring break, that she’s safe, but not to expect anything.
I wait all week, texting, messaging, expecting everything, but I’m met up with silence on the other end.
Lucky has vanished without a trace, and she’s taken my beating heart right along with her.
Web of Lies
Lucky
Fifty-two messages. Fifty-two moments in time that Lawson picked up his phone and tried his hardest to find me, speak with me, get me to return one simple fucking message—his indelicate words, not mine. I’ve had my heart broken before many, many times by many, many people, but Lawson’s heartfelt pleas have crushed me on a cellular level.
On Friday, after spending nearly a week sequestered in Wyatt James’ guesthouse, I’m feeling ready to conquer the world. Not really, but it’s a rather cheerful battle cry of a cliché and one that exemplifies a feeling that would be great to have. In reality, I’m more or less ready to take a nap on my own bed. No offense to Piper’s brother, but the bed in the guesthouse is a little lumpy. Wyatt’s wife, Marley, is a doll. She kept me in fresh homemade cookies and a steady stream of diet soda. She even popped in one night to watch my favorite rom-com with me. But that good time is over and it’s back to life, back to my not-so-sweet reality.
“You okay?” Piper pulls slowly into a parking spot in front of Cutler Tower. “You need me to help you up?”
“No thanks.” I lean over and hug my new friend. “I can see why Daisy likes to keep you around. You’re pretty amazing.”
“Yeah, well, Daisy may not be speaking to me again when she finds out where you’ve been.”
As tough as Piper likes to present herself, she’s a marshmallow and a nice one at that.
“You were just being a friend to me. I needed some time away. Trust me, it was a good thing.”
She takes a deep breath, her dark hair closing in around her face like a pair of velvet curtains. “I hate to remind you, but the deal was—”
“I know”—I cut her off—“the deal was when I got back I’d talk to Daisy and Jet myself. And that’s what I’m going to do right after I put my bag up and change.”
“You want me to come with you?” She inches back a notch as if dreading the idea.
“No. I got this.” I swing the door open and pull my suitcase out from the backseat. “Thank you again for everything. Honestly, I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
“I do.” Her fingers flex over the steering wheel as she gives an impish grin. Piper doesn’t strike me as the kind of girl who operates with an ulterior motive, but my gut clenches nonetheless. “Talk to Lawson, too. I’ve never seen anyone so sick. That boy is in love, six feet under. He just needs to hear your voice, Lucky. Don’t torment him. He really does care about you.”
I glance over my shoulder as if expecting to see him. It wouldn’t shock me. A part of me wants that.
“I’ll think about it.”
I watch as she takes off before heading up and facing the firing squad. The only thing I told Ava and Harper was that I would be safe and back on Sunday.
No sooner do I get into my room than Ava launches at me, wrapping her limbs around me so tight I can’t catch my next breath. In less than a texting minute, Harper is here and we’re right back in the same place, on the same beds that we were a week ago—and I tell them everything.
“I can’t believe Piper kept that from me.” Ava’s face piques with color. “I guess she did it for you—and technically, that’s like doing it for me.” She shakes it off. Ava and Piper have worked hard to get their relationship back on track. I’d hate to have it damaged in any way no thanks to the destructive path my life demands to take.
“She wanted to tell you, but I was afraid Grant would try to get it out of you.”
“He would have.” She mouths the word sorry.
“So, what did I miss?” I’m almost afraid to ask. This week felt more like an eternity, and in that length of time anything is possible.
Harper plucks at the string attached to her sweats over and over, her face is sullen, and her lids hang so heavy you can feel the tears demanding to come.
“What’s going on?” I scoot on over, and Ava drapes her arm around Harper’s shoulder.
“Something is up with Justin. I can’t put my finger on it, but he’s been acting funny. I thought once he got here things would be different. I thought we would fall deeper in love, and it only feels as if the opposite has happened.” Ava hands her a tissue, and she buries her nose in it. “Anyway, we’re getting together in a bit. I guess I should pull it together.”
Ava grunts, “If he’s not into you, then he’s not worth it.”
“He’s worth it.” Harper looks resigned to the fact she needs to keep fighting this uphill battle with him. “I’d better get ready.” She pulls us into a quick group hug before heading out the door.
“That boy is trouble,” I growl as if he were right in front of me.
“He’s an asshole. As soon as he dumps her, and he will because he is a dumb piece of shit, I’m going to kick his ass all the way back to California.” Ava starts tossing my stuffed animals off the bed one by one.
“Easy.” I pluck the pink pig from her hand and save him from a missile-like launch. “So, what did I really miss?” I look up at her from under my lashes. If anyone is going to tell me the truth about anything, it’s Ava.
“Jet has completely lost his mind.” She gives a devilish grin, and I can’t seem to decode it. “He tried to apologize to Lawson, and Grant says they brawled again—only this time Lawson kicked some serious behind.”
I can’t breathe. Not in a single fantasy situation did I envision the two of them even in the same room again, let alone assaulting one another. At least Jet didn’t kill him, so there’s that.
“Is Lawson okay?” There. I said his name, first time in a week, as easy as pushing a watermelon through my vocal cords.
Ava blinks at me with a curt, very much pissed look on her face. “No, Lucky. He’s not.”
In keeping with my promise to Piper, I change and head down to the Black Bear to meet with Jet and Daisy. I sent a text letting them know I was back and that we needed to talk.
Ava insists on accompanying me, and the last thing I’ll do is refuse her the right. The Black Bear is thick with bodies this early evening, most likely because spring break has come to an unceremonious end. The 12 Deadly Sins rock the house, and I see a majority of The Row scattered around the bar.
Ava and I head to the poolroom, where Jet asked to meet us, and no sooner do I walk through the door than my brother wraps his Rock of Gibraltar body over mine and loses it.
I have never seen or heard my brother cry. Not at my father’s funeral, not at my mother’s. Jet has been the granite foundation in which I could plant my feet on, and now here with his hot body, his heated breath sobbing over my shoulder, his back bucking in time with his tears, I do the only thing I can—join him.
This was a lousy idea. We should have met at his place. He wanted to, but I was terrified he’d pull out the padlock. I figured somewhere in
public was the best place to have it out, and as usual, I figured wrong.
Jet pulls back and gives a hard blink, his eyes swollen and red as apples. “I’m so sorry.” He quickly wipes down his face. “I’m sorry I confined you all these years. I’m sorry if I pushed you away because of how much I wanted to protect you. I was loving you, Lucky. I loved you the best way I knew how. There’s nothing more important to me than keeping you safe.”
“And that’s why you paid Lawson.” The words come out low, quiet, more like a fact than an accusation. With Jet I get it. He needed to keep me safe. This is just my brother proving there’s nothing he won’t do to make sure I’m protected. But with Lawson… I’m quick to push him out of my mind.
“And that’s why I paid him.” He offers a half-smile while leading me to a table in the back where Daisy sits.
She jumps up and gives me one of her sugary perfumed hugs, and I squeeze her hard because Daisy is actually starting to feel like a sister to me. We take a seat, and I fill them in on the offer Piper made me. I fill them in on her brother’s guesthouse at his ranch, and the fact I even went horseback riding a few days in a row.
“Sounds like summer camp.” Daisy’s voice is heavy, her features still carved with grief. “Never, and I mean never do that again. We don’t mind the fact you want to take off. We just want to know that you’re not dead in a ditch, hon.”
“I get it. I do. There was no good reason to punish everyone with worry just because I needed to clear my head a bit. It won’t happen again.” I pick up my brother’s rough hand and kiss it. “If I want to be treated like an adult, I’ll have to act like one.”
“You’re all grown up in my eyes.” His eyes fill with moisture once again at the thought.
“Are the two of you going to kill Piper?”
“Nope.” Jet is the first to answer. “I’m glad you were safe and with someone we know.”
“Did Piper say anything?” I narrow my gaze at Daisy. As much as I’m thankful she didn’t give them a road map of my whereabouts, I wouldn’t doubt it if she dropped a tiny hint.
Daisy wrinkles her nose. “Piper said she knew where you were, period. That was all it took to stop your brother and me from filing a missing persons report.”
“Fair enough.” I’m actually glad about it. I was too lost in grief to handle this the right way. In that respect, Piper helped me as well. “What’s this I hear about Lawson kicking your ass?” A part of me wants to smile, but my broken heart denies me the pleasure.
Jet and Daisy exchange a quick glance.
Daisy leans in, her hot pink nails clicking over the table creating a somber tune of their own. “Words were exchanged. You should probably speak to him about a few of these things.”
“What kind of words?” I look to Jet who seems to be having some telepathic conversation with his girlfriend.
“Accusations,” he says it slow as if it were a loaded gun we were moving around the table.
“Accusations?”
“Don’t go there,” Jet groans as if reading my infuriated mind.
“Oh, I’m going there, and you can’t stop me.” My lips quiver a moment because there is so much I want to say to my brother. “There are things I want to tell you.” I glance around, my heart growing heavier by the second. As much as I want to spill everything about my sister, our sister, there’s just something about spitting her out in a bar that somehow cheapens how special she is. “We need to get together soon so we can talk. Somewhere private.” I glance to Daisy and feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment. I suppose if I can tell Lawson about Jade, I can tell Daisy. “You’re welcome to be there.”
Her entire face lights up with relief. Daisy and I finally crossed that bridge, and I’d like nothing else but to continue in a positive direction.
We wrap up our get-together fairly quickly, ending with an extended bone-crushing hug.
Lawson Kent is finally going to get what he’s been asking for this entire last week. A conversation with me—regarding certain accusations.
I’m brewing with anger already.
Beta house is alive with its mandatory chaos. Heart-stopping rap music pulsates from the speakers. Girls in short dresses decorate the room like ornaments. A Ping-Pong table has been lugged in from the back, and a crowd has amassed around it to watch the tiny ball get lobbed back and forth.
A familiar cologne envelops me, cloves and rosemary, and I spin to find Lawson wide-eyed and handsome as hell. Lawson Kent has a dangerous look about him. He’s not your typical underwear model of perfection. He holds a dark edge to him. That ultra sexy grin of his takes your panties off before he gets within feet of you. And that body. A small sigh escapes me. Lawson is built like a brick house, all power and muscle. The things I have dreamed about doing to that body. If only I was honest with him to begin with, things might have turned out differently for us.
“Lucky.” His brows knit high into his forehead, and he grips me by the arms as if to assess if I’m real—either that or in an attempt to keep me from bolting. “You’re safe. Thank God.” He pulls me in tight, and I don’t fight it. My body adheres to his, and I drink in the feel of his rock-hard chest beneath me. “I can’t tell you how worried I’ve been.” His warm breath heats over my ear as his lips caress over my cheek. Suddenly, the bodies in the room, the music, it all feels too intrusive.
I land my hands over his chest and pull back to look into those leaf green eyes. “Jet suggested that some things were said.”
His affect turns to stone, and that happy-to-see-me grin dissipates to nothing, sinking my heart right along with him. Rush and Grant come up behind him and stop just shy about five feet.
“Lucky, let’s go somewhere private.”
“No, I want to do this here.” The moment turns bitter on a dime, and now all I want are answers. “What kind of accusations did you make?”
Lawson glances over his shoulder at his friends then back to me. “This is a private conversation, Lucky. I don’t want to do this to you.”
“Sounds like you’ve already done it. If it was so private, I wouldn’t think you’d go to Jet first.”
The muscles in his jaw tense as he hardens his gaze over mine. His restless leg shakes his entire body.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?” he says it quiet enough, but a handful of girls nearby pause their conversation to look our way.
My heart explodes in one mighty thump. God Almighty, that was the last thing I expected to pop out of his mouth. Our eyes lock in a moment of horror, and my muscles freeze, incapacitating me from sprinting all the way back to Cutler. The rapid heat of embarrassment creeps from my chest, burning up my neck and spreading over my cheeks. Ava did this. No, I did it.
“Lucky.” Lawson closes his eyes a moment. “Why did you let me do that?”
A choking sound emits from my throat. Every last part of me demands to deny it. Lie. Tell him anything but the truth.
“What business is it of yours?”
“What business?” He ticks back. “This was a big fucking deal.”
“It wasn’t a big deal to me.” A release comes with the lie. With lies there is an element of control. The truth is a rogue creature, one that does you no favors, just cuts you with its jagged edge. I do a quick scan of the room, looking for Ava or Harper, but come up empty. “I don’t want to do this anymore.” I turn to go, but Lawson catches me by the arm.
His affect softens. His eyes plead with me on a whole new level. “Why would you make that stuff up about your sister?” His voice is close to a whisper now that a small crowd has amassed around us.
“What?” I pluck my arm free and take a full step back. “I wasn’t lying about my sister.”
“Jet says you were.”
The accusations—this was the pinnacle. My cheeks burn, freshly slapped with his words.
“You told Jet about her?” The room pulsates around me like a heartbeat. Girls with their curious gazes swoop in along with a group of guys from Be
ta.
All of my life I’ve fought to keep Jade safe, just the way my brother fought for me, and now here we are spilling her around the room like water.
“I thought Jet knew.” He jumps back as if outraged himself. “But he didn’t have a clue as to what I was talking about.”
“That’s because he doesn’t know about her!” I riot the words right over his face. “You!” I slap my hands over his chest three times hard. “How could you think I would make something like that up?” Tears come—hard, choking sobs, and I make a half-hearted attempt at wiping them away. “I love my sister. I would never use her for personal gain—certainly not to elicit your sympathy. What else did you tell my brother?” A thousand thoughts clog my mind, and I can’t sift through them fast enough.
Lawson shakes his head just enough to let me know there’s more, but he’s not going there.
I give a quick swat over his chest and jump in his face once again. “What else did you tell my brother?”
“He said you were popular. You hung out with good kids.”
I almost want to laugh. Lawson ran the gamut from my bloody cherry pop to my social standing in high school. And here I thought he was missing me with an aching passion, and all that was happening was some demented inquisition.
“You know what I don’t get about you?” I take a step into him, and he pulls away ever so slightly as if he were afraid, and he should be. “Why did you take cash to keep an eye on me?”
“That was all your demented brother, honey.” He holds his hands up.
“Don’t call me honey. You found me annoying—you told me so yourself. That can only mean one thing—the going rate was pretty good. And to think you didn’t take me out to a single dinner with that money. I hope you spent it well. You won’t be getting another dime.”
Without thinking, my hand lands a crisp slap right over his face, and the room stills around us to a whisper.
“That’s for pretending to care about taking my virginity.” I offer another sharp slap, and a round of gasps circles the room this time. “And that’s from Jade.”