Текст книги "Fear You"

Автор книги: B. B. Reid

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

“Son of a bitch. Say it ain’t so. Is it really you?”

“That depends.”

“On?”

“Whether or not you can help me?”

“And why would I want to do that? I haven’t seen you in ten years. I assumed you died a long time ago.”

“Because I can hand-deliver your mole and the person who helped me escape.”

Chapter Five

Lake

“We should go catch the rerun of Breaking Dawn. It’s showing in the old theater tonight.”

“Why the hell would I do that?” Sheldon stopped in her tracks to snarl at Willow, who rolled her eyes. Sheldon hated any and everything to do with a chick flick. Give her the guns, explosions and raging muscles. She said she tolerated them because Keenan secretly liked them, but he would put on a front when around the guys.

“Because vampires are cool?”

“Not cool enough to make me watch that movie.”

“Oh, come on. I went to see the freaking Expendables with you last week!”

Wait… what?

“Um, excuse me?” I interrupted their bickering for what seemed like the hundredth time today. Willow and Sheldon often fought like a couple who had been married for fifty years. When they each turned wide eyes on me, I popped my hand on my hip, unleashing my attitude on them. “You guys went to see a movie without me?”

“Huh?”

“Uh…”

“Was there any particular reason why you guys went without me?”

“Well, you were kind of…”

“Kind of what?” My voice rose on the last word as I stared them down and watched them squirm.

“Pouting,” Willow finished and Sheldon nodded her agreement. Just as I was about to argue, I heard my name being called. I turned to find Detective Daniels and his partner, Detective Wilson, approaching with solemn looks on their faces.

“Good afternoon, Detectives,” I greeted while regarding them curiously. Sheldon and Willow wore deep frowns as they looked from the detectives to me. I guess not telling them I had turned Keiran in would make this encounter awkward.

“We need to talk,” Detective Daniels ordered without greeting. His grim expression immediately raised flags. Whatever it was couldn’t be good.

“Lake, what’s going on,” Sheldon asked absently while looking the detectives up and down.

“Could you give us a minute?” Sheldon turned sharp eyes on me when I ignored her question. I looked to Willow for help. She hesitated before tugging on Sheldon’s arm.

When they were out of earshot, I rounded on the detectives and started in on them. “What are you doing showing up at my school?” I stressed in an angry whisper.

“We have a problem,” Detective Wilson spoke up.

“What could it possibly be?” Across the parking lot, I noticed Sheldon and Willow staring at us unwaveringly. “You could have called me or—”

“He was released.”

Time standing still. Thick, heavy, air. Reeling mind. World crashing. I couldn’t figure out which was harder to deal with.

“…I’m coming for you, Lake… Are you ready for me?”

Had it really only been a week since I spoke with him?

I swallowed hard to find my voice. “What do you mean he was released? How could he have been released? We didn’t even go to trial!”

Breathe, Lake. Breathe.

“Miss Monroe, we are as baffled as you are. I assure you this wasn’t our call.”

“Then there has to be some kind of mistake. Can’t you just arrest him again? What am I supposed to do?” I rambled, and screamed and fussed, never letting the detectives get a word into the conversation. Frankly, they’d said enough. “He knows I turned him in. Do you understand that?” I pulled my jacket closer to me to fight the frigid November air and looked around.

“Yes, that’s our biggest concern at this point. Apparently, from your reaction, he hasn’t tried to make contact with you.”

“No, I—” I stopped when the detectives cast nervous looks at each other. “When was he released?”

“Three days ago.”

“Three days ago!” I spoke with him four days ago. “Why am I just finding out? You said if I testified, I would be safe. My aunt doesn’t know anything about this. She’s in just as much danger.” My fingers clutched at the strands of my hair and dug in, but I never felt any of it. “I never should have—oh, God.”

“We can have you and your aunt placed under witness protection. You will be under surveillance. He isn’t allowed to approach you under any circumstances…”

The detective’s words drowned out as I felt a chill run down my back. It could have been the wind, but I knew better. I discreetly looked around, feigning anger, which wasn’t hard to do. I didn’t see anything suspicious, but I knew he was there…

“It’s too late,” I whispered, feeling the impending doom of his arrival wash over me.

I just fucking know it.

“We can still keep you safe.”

“But not forever. So this isn’t going to trial?”

“He was only released on bail, but he will still be tried.”

“That isn’t enough!” I shrieked. “He kidnapped two people and murdered them!”

“Lake, this was above our pay grade, but I want you to know we aren’t letting this go. The son of a bitch isn’t going to walk away.”

“I—I need to talk to my aunt. Excuse me.” I started to walk away when Detective Daniels called my name. I almost didn’t hear him because my mind was racing, and the prickling feeling of being watched wouldn’t go away. Where are you? I discreetly looked around again but didn’t see any sign of Keiran. “Yes?”

“We know you and Masters had some sort of relationship.” I sucked in a breath and stared blankly at the detective. “We don’t want you to make a grave mistake.”

“What mistake could that be?”

“Trusting him. Letting him get close. Guys like him know exactly how to entrap a girl like you. You weren’t made for someone like Masters to corrupt and beguile. Don’t let that happen.”

“If he comes near you or threatens you in any way, call us,” Detective Wilson said. “Immediately. Your life may very well depend on it.” They headed back in the direction they came.

* * *

“Spill,” Sheldon ordered as soon as we were through the door of her house. This was my first time here, and I couldn’t help but admire the grandeur of the monstrosity of a house they lived in. I didn’t have a clue as to how much money Sheldon and Dash’s parents had, but it was apparent they were wealthy when you took in the decor.

“Geez, Sheldon. Your parents are loaded,” Willow interrupted with wide eyes. She spun around in a circle and peered at herself in the polished, wooden floors. “I bet you guys have a tennis court and a movie theater,” she laughed.

“Don’t be a dick, Willow. Of course not. We have a basketball court and a movie theater,” Sheldon answered with a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

“Fucking rich people,” she muttered while looking around longingly. I knew Willow wasn’t upset because of the twins’ wealthy upbringing, but seeing all of the extravagance was probably a reminder of all the things she didn’t have. Willow’s parents were poor, and while they got by, there were a lot of things they had to go without. I looked at Willow, and when she saw my expression, she sent me a reassuring smile. She was okay.

“Anyway, I’m hungry. You guys want something?” Sheldon headed to what I assumed would be the kitchen.

“I’m fine.” My stomach had other ideas, and it wouldn’t welcome food.

Their kitchen was every chef’s dream with state of the art everything. Half of the appliances I didn’t recognize. Everything was sleek, polished, and oversized, but there was warmth too. The refrigerator doors were covered with crafts and pictures clearly made by a young child. There were family portraits on almost every surface and inch of the house. I stopped to admire the picture of an older, attractive couple, who I knew were their parents. I sort of met their dad the morning after my house was broken into, and Keiran had been mistaken for the culprit.

“Where are your parents?”

“It’s date night for them.” Sheldon pulled out sandwich makings and dumped them on the counter. “They usually go into the city and spend time alone being gross.”

“Hmm…” Willow looked around nervously. Being here must have made her uneasy. She confirmed that when she asked, “And your brother?”

Sheldon tossed her hair over her shoulder and huffed. “Why do you care? You don’t want him, remember?”

“That’s not the point, Sheldon. You know he hates me. We can’t even be in the same room without getting into an argument.”

“So fuck him instead,” she retorted.

“Why do you want me with your brother so bad?”

“Because he deserves someone like you.”

Willow’s eyes lowered, and I thought to cut in when I heard the purr and rumble of multiple engines pull up followed by car doors slamming.

“Shit!” Sheldon exclaimed. “He promised!”

She ran over to the window to look outside and whatever she saw made her curse and dash out of the kitchen screaming obscenities. Willow and I looked at each other and shrugged before simultaneously rushing to the window to see what had Sheldon so worked up.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she yelled and shoved Dash sending him backward, allowing me to see the person standing behind him.

An eternity seemed to pass before I was able to breathe again.

He’s here.

He watched Sheldon push and scream at Dash with a bored expression, and when she turned her anger on him, he barely blinked. Dash looked on with an amused expression, which only made her angrier.

As hard as I fought, my gaze wandered to Keiran repeatedly. I looked him over carefully, but he was still the same. Had it really been almost a month since I last saw him? Not a hair out of place or even the slightest bit different, but I could tell by his stance he was getting impatient. He wanted near me. Considering the last time we were face to face, all I wanted to do was scratch his eyes out, dick-punch him and jump his bones all at once.

“Shit, I knew this was a bad idea,” Willow whined. “Should we go out there?”

There were a million valid reasons why I shouldn’t, but I reminded myself I wasn’t afraid of him any longer. When he turned his steely gaze on me, clearly seeing me through the window, I met his stare dead on. He was challenging me, but this time, I challenged him back. His mouth lifted in a smirk, and he nodded his head once in assent, accepting our silent standoff.

Never again, I vowed. So much had changed inside me in a matter of months. I felt like an entirely different person. Sure, I felt my moments of skepticism. No one really changed overnight, but I had the last ten years to build up immunity to him and it was just only starting to kick in.

The sound of the door slamming broke me out of the trance he had me caught in, and all I could hear was the sound of running footsteps traveling throughout the house.

What the?

When Sheldon reappeared, she looked out of sorts with a worried look in her eye. “Guys, I swear I didn’t know they would be here. Dash promised he would stay away, and he promised to keep Keiran away.”

“Wait… you knew Keiran was out?” I asked incredulously.

Sheldon bit her lip worriedly and nodded. “I didn’t know how to tell you. You were just starting to relax, and it’s crazy because he hasn’t said a word about you.” She lifted her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side.

“Well, are they still outside?”

“I think so.” She stalked over to the window and peeked outside. “Damn.”

“You think so?” My teeth were grinding against each other as I prayed for patience.

“I locked them out and told them to go away.”

“But doesn’t Dash have a key?”

“Yes. I did it to piss them off so it won’t be much help. I wonder what’s keeping them?”

“Maybe their male egos finally fried their brain and they forgot how to use a key?”

“One can hope.”

“We should just go.” Willow released a deep breath, and I suddenly heard her voice call out for me. “Lake?”

“Yes?” I answered absently, barely paying attention. I hadn’t realized I had turned back to the window. Keiran was sitting on the hood of his car now with a foot perched on the bumper, watching me with his eyebrow raised and his arms casually resting on his legs.

Fuck you. I stuck up my middle finger to piss him off, but he only blew a kiss before turning back to Dash, dismissing me.

“Should we go?”

“Yes, I think that would be best.” I took a deep breath and released it slowly before turning to face their curious expressions. “I have to tell you something.” I beat down the onslaught of panic and regret and forced the words from my chest. “I was the one to turn Keiran in.”

“What?”

“Come again?”

“Yeah, I uh—didn’t think I had a choice.”

“But… how do you know he killed them?” Sheldon asked.

“You guys know what happened at the fair. You were there. He was the last one with them.”

“Yes, but so were Dash and Keenan, but you didn’t turn them in.”

“Because they didn’t have anything to do with Trevor and Anya’s actual deaths. I overheard them talking the night we went out to play laser tag.

“It doesn’t make sense.” Sheldon shook her head. “Why would he kill them? He was bringing them back.” She looked at me in disbelief. “Lake, I think you were mistaken. He didn’t kill them.”

“What do you mean he was going back to get them?”

“Right before Keenan and I had our fight, he got a call from Keiran. I could only hear Keenan’s side, but he asked Keiran why he was going to help them. I didn’t know until he ended the call that Keiran was going to bring Trevor and Anya back. I just never found out why. Keenan was pretty tight lipped.”

“If Keiran didn’t kill them, then who did?” I challenged.

“I don’t know. Keiran was turned around before he could reach them. I guess that’s when he got the phone call from you.”

“He could have gone back to do it,” Willow argued.

“With his brother fighting for his life in the hospital? Keiran can be a cold bastard, but he isn’t that unattached to human emotion.”

“So where was he for the week he was gone?”

“I don’t know, but something tells me he didn’t do it. It just doesn’t make sense.”

“It doesn’t matter. Keiran is responsible for their deaths whether or not he lit the match.”

“Well, what are you going to do? He can’t find out you turned him in.”

“He already knows,” I admitted slowly. To them, things just went from bad to worse.

“How could he know?”

“I told him.” I shrugged noncommittally when I was anything but. I was a wreck, but no one had to know that but me. My battle with Keiran was mine alone. He’d already shown he wasn’t above using the people I loved and cared about against me. This time I wouldn’t make it so easy for him.

“Why did you tell him?” Sheldon gritted. Willow looked as if she wanted to strangle me as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I don’t know. He called a few days ago. I got really upset and it just came out. I know it was a dumb move, but I needed to show him I wasn’t afraid anymore.”

“So you do and say the one thing that would put you in deeper shit with him than you already are?”

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” I snapped defensively. Sheldon released a curse and began pacing the tiled kitchen floor while shaking her head.

“Do you think he’s here for you?” Willow asked.

“I know he is,” I said, glancing back out the window, but this time, not catching sight of Keiran or Dash.

“How are you going to handle this?” Sheldon demanded. “I hope you have a plan of action because no way is Keiran letting this go. This is the second time Keiran landed in jail for what he thinks was your doing, only this time, it really is.”

“I don’t care. He murdered two people.”

“Let me know how explaining that to him will work out for you.”

“Where are the guys?’ Willow asked.

“I don’t know. They are awfully quiet.”

Too quiet. I peeked back out the window but didn’t see them.

“Maybe I can get Dash to talk to him. If Keiran knows you turned him in, then Dash knows, too.”

“Do you know why he was released?” Willow looked back and forth between the two of us.

“No clue,” Sheldon answered before looking to me for answers.

“Detective Daniels and Detective Wilson said it came from over their heads.”

“Well, my dad didn’t get involved this time and neither did John. In fact, John reacted very little to Keiran being arrested. He’s barely been to the hospital to see his son.” Sheldon’s voice choked over her tears on the last part. I could tell Keenan’s condition bothered her, especially on the wake of their breakup.

“Did they ever take a paternity test?”

“No. John said he didn’t want to.”

The day I turned Keiran in, and Sheldon called to tell me Keenan’s only lung was failing, I’d thought a paternity test had been given. I later found that much hadn’t been done to determine paternity at all. Keenan was able to sustain a patch to his lung to buy him more time, but he wasn’t out of the woods. I made a mental note to visit him when the coast was clear. Being shot and finding out your father wasn’t your father and your cousin was your brother, and then losing his girlfriend, who he loves, had to be taking a toll on him.

“Did anyone else get the impression Keiran wasn’t too surprised that they are brothers?” Willow asked.

Sheldon cocked her head to the side before nodding slowly. “Yeah, I got that, too. Do you think—”

The sound of the front door opening drowned out whatever Sheldon had been about to ask. I could hear heavy footsteps heading toward the kitchen, but the blood rushing to my head made it impossible to hear clearly.

Was it one or two sets of footsteps?

We all stopped and waited for them to appear through the door, and when it finally opened, I felt my knees weaken.

No, don’t do this. You aren’t that girl anymore, Lake.

I willed my legs to straighten and plastered what I hoped was a brave look on my face.

Dash appeared through the door first as he took a quick glance around, and I could tell he was fighting not to laugh.

I kept my eyes glued to the door waiting for him to walk through next, but he never came.

“Damn, you chicks are all drama. Relax, princess,” he snapped, drawing my attention. “The big, bad wolf isn’t here to eat you up.” Dash rolled his eyes and snagged a bottle of water from the refrigerator and left, but not before sending Willow a nasty look that made her retreat a step.

I looked back out the window once Dash was gone and saw Keiran’s car gone. I blinked a few times and questioned if I imagined it. What game is he playing?

Chapter Six

Keiran

Ten Years Ago

I was blindfolded and told to keep quiet before I was driven away from the compound. When we arrived, they finally removed the smelly rag from my face, and as my eyes adjusted, they slowly took in the scary building ahead.

The big empty room they led me to was dark and had puddles of water everywhere. The smell of the building was horrendous. It was something I’d never smelt before. There was only one door leading in and out and no windows.

The screams of the man tied to the chair, drenched in the water the men were pouring on him, were terrifying. Some of the men they called ‘trainers’ were standing around with mixed expressions of awe, amusement, and anger.

I just wanted to run and hide.

After Frank had told me I would start training today, I didn’t know what to expect. I was confused and scared, but I knew better than to show it. They would beat me again if I did.

“Come on, you. Today you become a man.”

“Wha—what do I have to do?”

Frank pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a match. The smoke he blew in my face made me choke, and I almost didn’t notice when he handed me the match.

I eyed the burning sliver of wood he had stuck in my hand before he shoved me toward the hurt man. The sudden movement caused the flame to flicker, and my eyes widened out of fear that I would lose the flame. When it continued to burn, I relaxed a little and looked up at Frank.

“I want you to throw it on that piece of shit.”

They wanted me to throw it on him, but why? What would happen if I did? What would happen if I didn’t do it?

“I don’t want to do it. Please don’t make me.” Tears blurred my vision as I began to do the one thing that would mean pain.

“Do you want to be next, you little shit?” Frank spit at the ground next to me and pushed me down, causing the flame to burn out. “Stop your fucking whining and crying before I kill you right here.” He kicked my side so hard I flipped over on my stomach. I got a heavy boot on my back for the trouble. “I asked you a question! Do you want me to kill you?”

“N—no.”

“Then get on with it. I told you it’s time to earn your keep.” I heard the sound of another match being lit, and then I was snatched off the ground by the rags covering my upper body and placed on my feet.

“What’s going to happen to him? Will he be hurt?”

“He’s going to die. Now kill him.”

* * *

Present Day

I battled with myself over whether to leave or just snatch her out of the house and take her with me. The decision was made for me when Dash’s busy ass twin tore out of the house to curse us both out. I didn’t pretend to care about anything she had to say until she threatened to call the cops on us both, and unknowingly reminded me of the order to stay away from her.

Like that’s going to happen.

I found it amusing how anyone would think they could keep me from what’s mine with a sheet of paper they called protection. What the fuck was she supposed to do with it anyway? Play rock, paper, scissors when I got her alone?

Because I will get her alone.

As I drove, my eyes zoomed in on the exit up ahead leading me to my brother—I mean, Keenan. I didn’t know when I got onto the highway. I just hopped into my car and drove. Speaking of which, I had to get rid of it. I wasn’t too attached, so I shrugged it off. I wasn’t attached to too much at all. Everything was dispensable. Everything.

The last time I saw my—Keenan, he was fighting for his life and riddled with bullet holes. Now, he was still fighting for his life, but he carried much deeper scars. Scars I put there, and for the first time, I felt something I didn’t want to feel. I felt regret. So now that I finally felt it, what was I supposed to do with it?

The vibration of my phone saved me from the long dark road I didn’t want to travel. I quickly checked the screen before chucking it into the passenger seat. I didn’t have time for my uncle’s bullshit. If he were where he should be, he could dish out his shit soon enough.

When I pulled into the hospital parking lot, I admit, I actually felt nervous. This would be the first time I had seen Keenan conscious since he was nearly killed by my fuck of a sperm donor. I couldn’t forget the look in his eyes…

The sterile smell and cool air of the hospital greeted me as the automatic doors opened, and I strode through with purpose. By the time I had reached his room, the muscles and veins in my hands and arms were straining from my too tight fists. I stood at the door, listening for what felt like hours, but mere seconds had passed.

Quit being a fucking coward.

I steeled my jaw, pushed through the door, and stopped short at the sight of him sleeping. I gritted my teeth at the sight of his frailty. He looked so still and lifeless and every bit like the hell he’d just been through. It made me want to rip out the useless lump Mitch called a heart. But then… who was I to talk, right? I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. There wasn’t any sign of John, but I wasn’t too surprised. The man was barely a father so it was just as well he wasn’t there.

I crossed the room to sit in one of the ugly burgundy chairs and got comfortable. The least I could do was to wait for him to wake. As I sat there, my mind drifted back to Monroe. It was never hard to do because she was always there on the surface. I was supposed to stay away from her yet somehow, I knew I never would. She’s different. Different in a way I didn’t expect, but she was still my Monroe. Beautifully submissive although a little too weak. A smile spread on my lips when I thought of the ways her weakness benefitted me in the past. Those six weeks being my favorite. Whatever I had expected to gain out of taking her body, her passion wasn’t one of them. Never did I miss the way her eyes would light up when I issued a command, or the way her pussy gripped and flooded my dick when I took her hard.

She hated that she wanted me.

At least we have that in common.

Sometimes I believed I was as much her sexual prisoner as she was mine. Those would be the times I took her the hardest and unleashed my cruelty on her. It would excite her, no matter how much she cried and bitched about it. But it also confused her.

The occasional soft touch and whispered word and random acts of kindness. It was when I was the most sadistic, and she didn’t even know it. I manipulated her and bent her to my will without having to lift a finger.

If I were capable of feeling any type of remorse, I might have felt bad about it, but then it became necessary when she and that fucktard, Fitzgerald, started to dig into my past.

She actually admitted to wanting to use my past against me as revenge. It was the moment I started to actually respect her and isn’t that screwed up or what? Respect or not, she was playing a game I would never let her win.

When I started out, I had one purpose in mind and it was to break her, but at some point, my mission became fuddled and I didn’t know what I was after anymore. I just knew I wanted her, and when I started to want to keep her, I knew I was fucked.

I started to hatch ideas on how to distance myself away from my obsession when the door opened. I reached for the gun at my waist immediately before remembering I was in a fucking hospital.

Get a grip, man.

I wasn’t in the habit of carrying it around until Mitch showed up, and Anya and Trevor were murdered. Of course, everyone thinks I killed them. Even Dash thinks so, but I can tell he tries to hide it.

My uncle walked in, and his eyes immediately landed on me. He stood there while we stared each other down, neither one giving in. My uncle and I never saw eye to eye. I hated him from the start and he avoided me. I guess I would avoid the son of the mother you convinced to leave behind. The beginnings of a smirk pulled at my lips when guilt started to show in his eyes right before he looked away and cleared his throat. I didn’t even know why he bothered anymore.

“Has he woke up?” he asked without taking his eyes off the floor.

“No.”

He released a heavy breath and shut the door before moving toward the other chair. Silence filled the room, creating a stiff atmosphere. I stared at the wall ahead, but my attention was fully focused on my uncle as he stared at his son lying in the hospital bed.

“You know I, uh—” He cleared his throat and leaned forward in his chair. I could see him staring at me now through my peripheral. “I never got the chance to thank you.”

“For what?” I asked a little harsher than necessary.

“For saving my kid’s life. I… I know what the doctors might say about him being my son—”

“He’s your son,” I affirmed. “He doesn’t deserve to have someone like Mitch being his father.”

“I haven’t been the best father either. To either of you.”

“I’m not your son.”

“Yes, you are, Keiran. In the only way that counts.”

“Is that why you made Sophia forget I existed?”

“It’s not that simple. At the time, I thought it was the best thing to do to protect the family I still had. I screwed up. Bad. It’s something I live with everyday, and I’m reminded of it every time I look into your eyes because I know what you could have become and what you almost became.”

“You’re wrong. There’s no almost about it. I did become, and it’s staring you right in your face. You’re fucked if you don’t see it.”

“I’m sure you survived something far worse than I would wish on my worst enemy, but you are not beyond saving. You are your own worst enemy now, but I love you despite it.”

“I’ve seen what your love does. No thanks.”

“But you have it anyway. You have it from me, your brother… because he is your brother,” he emphasized when I made an attempt to interrupt him. “You have it from Dash and that girl… the one with the weird eyes.”

“What the fuck do you think you know about her?” My body tightened in defense mode, and I had to tell myself to pipe down. I wasn’t supposed to care.

“Not much. But I see what you refuse to, and I know you will find some way to screw that up because you think it would be better for her. You don’t do that if you don’t care.”

“So maybe I keep her.” I felt my lip curl and eyes burn as I glared at him. “That would suit me best, and I could fuck her over along the way. At least then I could keep my personality.”

“I won’t let you hurt that girl anymore. Sheldon told me what happened, and what you did. I know she was there the night Keenan was shot. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I could get my revenge and my rocks off at the same time. I mean… why not, right?”

He looked away from me to stare out the window.

“I guess I can’t blame you. Part of this is my fault.”

“You think?”

I half expected him to lash or demand respect or whatever it is that parents do, but he didn’t. He sat back with a shake of his head and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. I fixed my gaze on Keenan. My cousin, brother, best friend, and the first person who actually gave a fuck about me. I know it may look as if I was the one to give him a chance ten years ago, but it was he who gave me a chance, and I corrupted him.

John spun a tale of how Sophia ran off because she couldn’t handle the pressure of having a kid, and I helped him. It was a seriously fucked thing to do, but at the time, there weren’t two people who hated her more. John, for his reasons and me, for mine. I think he even regrets loving her.

“You did the right thing, you know.”

“What’s that?” I asked without taking my eyes off Keenan. Wake up, man.

“Not telling him the truth about your mother and my part in your disappearance. Thank you.”

“You know the corny line people always hear in movies? I never thought I would use it, but… yeah. I didn’t do it for you.”

“Nonetheless—”

“Do you think we made it any better? Telling him his mother was a selfish whore who couldn’t keep her legs closed and didn’t have the maternal instincts of a goat?”

“Watch your mouth,” he barked.

“Oh, that’s right. We don’t tell the truth in this family. We throw money around to cover up our bullshit and step on anyone who gets in the way. You did a fine job of raising us. No wonder our family is dying out. Who would want to be born into a scumbag family like this?”