Secret (Peters Junction Series Book 1)

Late Saturday night Lachlan was ready to pull his hair out. He hung up his phone after leaving yet another message for April and threw it across his bed. Sitting on the mattress, he dropped his head into his hands and gripped his hair with fierce intent, welcoming the burn across his scalp. Why wasn’t she answering? Had their time in Sydney really meant nothing to her? He’d been nothing but miserable for the entire week. He’d even just left Simone’s wedding early because he couldn’t stand to be at the celebration, and she was practically a sister to him. All he could think about was April. Goddamn it, he missed her so much.

  But that wasn’t why he needed to talk to her. No. He needed to warn her.

  Grabbing his tablet, he pulled up the video clip he’d downloaded and saved to the desktop, and watched it for the hundredth time since Wednesday. Immediately Samantha was on screen.

  “Who does she think she is? Look at her, she’s all over him like a fucking rash,” she demanded, her face contorted in a vicious snarl. “Oh look, Loverboy has left her alone. I think she wants a little company.” Snickers followed her words as the group made their way over to April. Lachlan clenched his fists as he waited for what was coming next. When they were at the ball, he’d only seen the end of the exchange between April and Samantha, he’d never seen the beginning, but here it was plastered all over the internet for everyone to see.

  It was April’s worst nightmare come true. And it was all his fault. That’s why he needed to talk to her. To apologise, to make her understand he never wanted any of this to happen. Leaping off the bed, he pounded his fist into Bob’s silicone nose. When Bob bounced back for more, Lachlan was happy to oblige and continued to pound into the fierce expression on his face and plastic moulded chest until his knuckles began to crack and strong arms gripped him from behind.

  “Hey! Bob doesn’t come cheap you know. Go buy your own punching man to take your anger out on.” Without the constant pounding, Bob stopped rocking and scowled at the two men from his stand. Lachlan shook his brother off his arm and sank to his knees on the floor, pressing his fists into his eyes.

  “Lachlan?” They’d always been close, but even Ben had never seen him like this. “What’s up?”

  “I fucked it up, that’s what.”

  “What?”

  “April. That argument she had with Samantha has gone viral, everybody wants to know who she is.” He’d shown his brother the footage from the ball as soon as he’d seen it. “There’s at least two ‘Find April’ websites and Anthony’s phone is running off the hook with people asking who I took to the ball.”

  Because of the wedding, Lachlan’s room in their parent’s home had been given over to his grandparents and Lachlan was sleeping on a trundle by the window in Ben’s room. Lachlan would have preferred to stay in his own apartment in the middle of the city, but the commute was almost an hour and a half and his mother had insisted that at least until after the wedding, she wanted all the family under the one roof again.

  “And this is a bad thing?” Ben asked.

  “Of course it’s a bad thing!” Lachlan stood up and stalked across the room leaving Ben standing dumbfounded beside Bob. “April doesn’t want anyone to know who she is. Hell, on the first night we met, she told me she likes her anonymity and when I first asked her to the ball she turned me down because of the cameras.”

  “But then she changed her mind.” Unfortunately, Ben’s efforts at reassuring him only made him feel worse.

  “No, she didn’t change her mind. I pressured her into going. She kept telling me she didn’t want to be photographed and I kept promising I could get her in and out without going anywhere near the paparazzi.” Lachlan sat on Ben’s bed and dropped his head into his hands.

  “But she’s the one who caused a scene with Samantha. You weren’t even there to begin with.”

  “No, I wasn’t there. I should have known better.”

  “Lachlan, stop beating yourself up. This wasn’t even your fault.”

  “Then why won’t she answer my calls?” Ben rounded the bed and stood beside Lachlan, his hand pressed against Lachlan’s shoulder.

  “Is she really worth all this? I mean, if she’s not answering your calls, maybe she just doesn’t want to talk to you.”

  “I’m not stupid Ben! I know she doesn’t want to talk to me. But I can’t let this go, I need to make sure she’s okay. At the very least, I need to warn her.”

  “Don’t you think she’d know by now?”

  “She’s not like that,” he said in frustration. “She doesn’t even use Facebook or twitter.” Lachlan dragged his hands down his cheeks. All he wanted to do was see April, hold her one last time so he could apologise and make her see he’d never meant for any of this to happen.

  “I’m going to Peters Junction,” he announced, surprising himself as he said it but feeling the knot in his chest loosen at the same time. Of course he should go to her, if she wouldn’t listen to him over the phone, then he would make her listen in person. He stood up, feeling energised.

  “You’re what?”

  “I’m going to find her, it’s the only thing that makes sense. I really need to talk to her.”

  “You can’t just drive halfway across the country because a girl isn’t answering your call!” Ben yelled, but Lachlan ignored him and checked his watch.

  “If I leave now, I can get there sometime tomorrow.”

  “No!” Ben shouted. “Can’t you see how pathetic this is?” He stood in front of Lachlan, boxing him in between the bed and the window.

  “Ben.” Lachlan kept his voice calm but he felt anger boiling within him. Hitting Bob was one thing, but he’d never before hit Ben in anger and he didn’t want to have to start now. “Move out of my way.”

  “No. Not until you see reason.” Ben planted his feet firmly on the ground and crossing his arms at his chest.

  “Ben, this is the last warning I’m giving you. Don’t make me hit you.” Lachlan’s voice was even, cold. Deep creases formed between his brother’s eyes and he scowled at Lachlan.

  “Why is this so important?” Ben’s voice was barely above a whisper, confusion written across his features.

  “I love her.”

  Ben’s eyes widened. After a moment he dropped his arms and stepped back, allowing Lachlan to pass.

  “What? That’s it?” Lachlan asked, incredulous.

  Ben shrugged. “That’s it.”

  “And you’re not going to try to stop me.”

  “Nope.” Ben shook his head.

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ve never heard you use those words. Not even with Samantha.” Ben cleared his throat. “I’m coming with you.”

  It was on tip of Lachlan’s tongue to refuse his brother, but the resolve he saw in Ben’s eyes was enough to silence any protests he had. Besides, it would probably be an easier drive if Ben tagged along.

  “Fine.”

  “Lachlan. One more thing,” Ben said as Lachlan yanked his bag out from beneath Ben’s bed. He stopped and looked at his brother. “We’re not leaving until the morning.”

  Lachlan frowned. “Why?”

  “We’ve both just spent the entire day at Simone’s wedding. We need sleep. If we leave now there’s a good chance we won’t even make it to Peters Junction.”

  “Fine,” he said again and began shoving his things in his bag. “But we leave early. Five at the latest.”