“You don’t have to take that on,” I said. “That’s why I didn’t tell you about it.”
“I keep thinking about my mother. About Xavier. That I really do have a brother and it’s just so…”
Insecurities.
I bit my lip and realized I was about to be a complete asshole to my best friend.
“Gia, do you think Xavier knows?” I asked.
“What?”
“About you. Him. Your mother. What do you think he knows?”
“As far as I know, nothing,” she said.
“I’ve been doing some thinking today and I have some ideas. But I need to do everything alone. I need to hit hard. I feel like things are starting to get really rough. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. Just like you said. You know?”
Gia nodded. She wiped her cheeks. “Why does this shit have to happen? You know, everyone looks at us and thinks it’s easy. They see Bumps and just assume we’re living so free. I mean, I get it, we have money. Fine. I don’t know what it’s like to not have money. But is money really everything?”
“It’s just the way everyone is, Gia. If you have money you don’t get it. If you don’t have money it’s all you want. There’s no way around it. Shit, I hate to see you cry like this.”
“Oh, this?” she asked, pointing to her face. “This is nothing.”
“Gia, come here,” I said.
I hugged her again.
I felt bad for her.
She was carrying a lot of baggage with her. And being my friend was only making that load worse.
“Listen to me, Gia. You are beautiful. Strong. Fierce. You’re perfect. The past means nothing. Don’t let what your mother did hurt you. Accept it and move forward. You’re not going to become that.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Sorry I cried.”
“Sorry I snapped. I was just lost in thought, trying to see how much of a bitch I could really be.”
“Well, you’re pretty damn good at it,” Gia said.
We both started to laugh.
She wiped under her eyes.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Xavier.
If I exposed the truth there…
“You have a really mean look in your eyes right now, Winter,” Gia said.
“I know,” I said. “You’re not going to believe what happened today .”
“I’m all…”
I saw Gia’s eyes move and I turned my head.
I feared the worst and it was worse than the worst.
It was Talon crawling through my window.
“Oh, what did I just interrupt?” Talon asked.
He made fists and put them into the pockets of his zip up hoodie.
With the hood of the hoodie up and the look on his face, along with this steel cut jaw, he looked like a criminal. He looked ready to trash my room for cash and jewelry and then bolt.
“You can’t knock?” I asked.
“You want me to walk up to your front door, Winter?” Talon asked.
“No,” I said. “You could at least text. What are you doing here?”
“Just checking up on my two favorite people,” he said with a wink.
I looked at Gia.
She was starting to blush.
Hell no.
Bad enough Gia knew everything about me… and bad enough she stabbed the tires of Noah, Easton, and Xavier’s cars… I wasn’t letting her get anywhere near Talon.
I looked back at Gia. “Why don’t you go home?” I whispered.
“Why?” Gia asked loudly. “I know everything. I know he’s the one you’re paying to go after Noah, Easton, and Xavier. What’s the difference?”
Now my cheeks were turning red.
That was kind of a bitch move for Gia to do that to me, but okay… fine…
I stepped toward Talon. “I’ll ask again… what are you doing here?”
“Just wanted to check up on you,” he said.
“You know, I keep hearing assholes say that to me.”
“Oh yeah?” Talon asked. “Well, I assume you’re calling me an asshole. Let’s not forget which asshole tucked you into bed when you were scared. Right? When you needed someone to play with your hair so you could fall asleep…”
I looked back at Gia.
Her eyes were wide.
Her cheeks blushing again.
Fuck.
“Talon, shut up,” I said.
“What? Gia knows, right? That you paid me to walk around and make sure nobody was here. Then you paid me to sleep with you.”
“What?” Gia yelled.
“No!” I said. “You did not… oh, you’re a fucking asshole. Fucking Troc.”
Talon cackled. “Well, you were sleeping. I was just in your bed.”
“And nothing happened,” I said. “Nothing will ever happen. Ever.”
“This is fucked up,” Gia said. “Maybe I should go.”
“Don’t,” I said. I stood between Gia and Talon. “Someone is following me. Okay? I don’t know who. I got scared and Talon helped me. That was it.”
“You wanted me in your bed,” Talon said.
“Shut up,” I said. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Asshole Troc,” Gia said. She pointed at Talon.
“Gia, don’t…”
“You think you can just walk in here and fuck with her?” Gia asked. “That’s my best friend. Are you going around telling people that you’re sleeping with Bumps now? Does that make you feel tough? Seriously? You’re like those broken shells that wash up to shore. Nobody wants them. They just step on them. And then they get washed back out again…”
Talon moved closer to Gia.
“Fuck, stop it,” I said.
I climbed on my bed and jumped to the floor to get between them.
Gia didn’t know what she was doing. She was emotional and trying to protect me.
I loved her for it. But I also wanted to slap her for it.
“I’m the broken shell on the shore that cuts your fucking foot, darling,” Talon said. “Try and step on me. See what happens. You can run away. You can hide in your perfect little Bump world. But that cut… that won’t go away so quick, will it? Every time you step on your foot, you think about it. You feel it. You put your foot into the ocean and you feel it sting… that’s me.”
“Okay, you two fucking broken shell people, back away from each other,” I said. “Now.”
“I’m going to get a drink,” Gia said.
“See you around, Gia,” Talon said.
She waved her middle fingers and hurried out of the bedroom.
I punched Talon in the shoulder as hard as I could.
“What is wrong with you?” I asked. “Leave her out of it. Out of everything. This has nothing to do with her.”
“She started it,” Talon said.
I gritted my teeth. “You know what? I don’t think I need your help anymore. So let me pay you one more time and then just stay away.”
“Not going to happen,” he said.
“Why?”
“I don’t feel like it,” he said. “I like being near you.”
“Talon, it’s over. I know how to get to them.”
“Oh yeah? How?”
“Insecurities,” I said. “I should have thought about this from day one. Everyone has a breaking point. A soft spot. A weakness.”
“You mean Noah’s learning issues?” Talon asked.
“What?”
Talon smiled and moved toward the window.
I hated that I had to stop him.
That’s what he wanted.
So I played into it.
I hurried to the window and stopped him.
“Wait,” I said.
“What?”
“What’s wrong with Noah?”
“Your Bump boyfriend is a little slow upstairs,” Talon said. “He’s had learning problems his entire life. He takes a while to read. Sometimes he sees different letters and words. Gets that shit mixed up.”
“Lik
e… dyslexia?”
“I don’t know what it’s called,” Talon said. “I’m just saying he learns at his own pace. And Mommy and Daddy hate it. Especially Daddy. He’s doing all he can to get Noah into law school. Because that’s what you Bumps do. You never have your own path in life. It’s all decided in advance.”
“How do you know this?” I asked.
“What the fuck do you think I’ve been doing with your money, darling?”
“Keeping it.”
“Well, most of it, yeah,” Talon said with a smile. “But with some of it, I’ve had my guys snooping around. I’m not as dumb as you think I am. You have to hit them where they don’t want to be hit. All that other shit was for fun. To rattle them.”
I grabbed for Talon’s arm. “Anything you find, you tell me. Got that?”
“Shit, what am I doing, Winter?” Talon asked. He stood tall and touched my cheek. “I am almost to my favorite part of seeing you…”
He inched down, his mouth creeping closer to mine.
“Talon… Gia’s downstairs…”
“I know,” he said. “Don’t act like you don’t want it…”
I put my hands to his stomach. “Talon… this…”
“Shhh,” he said. His lips were an inch from mine. My toes started to curl. “Give me what I want, darling.”
My lips quivered.
I moved to kiss Talon first and he backed away.
“I want my money,” he said.
“What?”
He started to laugh. “Did you think I was… oh, Winter…”
“I hate you,” I said.
I moved away from Talon, touching my cheeks, feeling how hot they were burning.
There was something wrong with me.
I needed… attention.
And not from Talon.
Not from a Troc.
Never from a Troc.
I got Talon his money and watched him leave.
I stood alone in my bedroom and my mind flirted with me.
I thought about Noah, Easton, and Xavier…
Out of those three, who would I choose to fool around with?
I sat on the floor with Gia across from me.
She made the suggestion to paint our toenails.
So I went along with it.
She chose a neon green color while I chose a dark red color.
The color of blood… revenge… bitchiness…
“So… Talon…”
I was waiting for Gia to bring it up.
“Nothing,” I said. I looked at her. “Gia. I swear. Nothing.”
“He just comes in here…”
“That’s what he does,” I said. “He kind of has me stuck. He knows about my memory. And he always threatens me he’ll tell everyone.”
“Fuck,” Gia said.
I shrugged my shoulders. “This is one of those the end justifies the means things for me. And I know how to attack. I’m going to get into their heads and find their weakness, then exploit it. I don’t need to punch them in the mouth.”
“Although that’s kind of fun to do too,” Gia said.
“Oh, totally. But these guys are too powerful. And they’re obsessed with me.”
“You’re obsessed with them too. Just admit it.”
“Okay, fine. I am. I can’t get enough. But not in a bad way. I mean, I’m not going to fall in love with them or anything.”
“If you end up banging one of the guys that tried to kill you…” Gia shook her head. “I don’t know if that’s insanity or hot.”
“A little of both?” I asked, cringing.
“You want it,” Gia said.
“Change the subject,” I said. “No, wait. Talon. You have to watch with him.”
“What?”
“You were getting up in his face,” I said. “He’s dangerous.”
“A Troc?”
“Gia…”
She showed her hands. “Fine. Whatever.”
“Look, I don’t want you to get hurt in all of this. Okay? That’s what I fear. I need you here. I need you happy. I hated seeing you crying before. I never want to see that again.”
“I cry all the time,” Gia said. “Don’t worry about me.”
“I won’t. As long as you stay out of this. No stabbing tires. No getting in Talon’s face. Okay?”
“Okay.”
I looked down at my toenails and wiggled them.
They weren’t great, but they were done.
“Now, I have to tell you something else,” I said.
“What?”
“I’m meeting up with Noah, Easton, and Xavier tonight.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“They know something is up,” I said. “Not with me. At least I don’t think they do. But they know about someone following me. I think they feel the same. Like they’re being watched and followed.”
“And messed with?” Gia asked with her eyes excited.
I laughed. “Yeah. Exactly.”
“So they think someone is after them and you,” she said.
“Because I hang around with them,” I said. “This is perfect. Right?”
“Yeah, it seems that way.”
“So they want to talk to me tonight,” I said. “They want to have a meeting.”
“Maybe they want you.”
“Stop.”
“What? Can’t a girl dream?”
“You’re the one… never mind.”
“What?” Gia asked. “Oh, because they tried to kill you? Well, that’s your problem.” She laughed. “They’re still hot.”
“I don’t want to talk about this,” I said. “You’re going to end up confusing me.”
Gia laughed again. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I get it.” I sighed. “So now I’m just waiting for someone to text me or call or throw a brick through my window… you know, a normal night for me.”
“Your life is something else, Winter.”
“You sure you want to be my best friend?” I asked.
“I like you better like this,” Gia said.
She smiled.
I frowned.
I hated everything about the way things used to be.
The way I acted. That I thought it was okay to compete with Evie and Darcy to be top asshole bitch in BFH.
I picked up the bottle of nail polish and looked around my room.
“My life is crazy,” I whispered.
“That it is,” Gia said. “But at least it’s thrilling. You never have to worry about being bored.”
“Oh, I wish I could be bored,” I said. “I would love to just sit around and…”
The screen on my phone lit up next to me on the floor.
It was a text message.
I read it and looked at Gia.
I nodded.
“Fuck,” she said.
“Fuck,” I said.
“Just please text me when you get back home safe. I’ll be worried out of my mind. And if I don’t hear anything by… I don’t know… two? I’m going to call the police.”
I hadn’t told Gia about what happened with the police.
I wasn’t going to either.
My life was crazy and those around me could only handle so much of that crazy per day.
I grabbed my phone off the floor.
“Wish me luck,” I said.
“No,” Gia said. “You don’t need luck. You’re in control.”
I nodded.
I walked out of my bedroom and paused to lean against the wall.
I looked down at the text from Easton.
It was time to have that ‘meeting.’
Chapter 11
this fancy thing
I walked the beach alone.
I took comfort in a hoodie - not Xavier’s hoodie, no way - and wrapped my hands around the bottoms of the sleeves and hugged myself.
The beach air tickled my bare legs as my toes dug int
o the soft and welcoming sand with each step I took.
In all honestly, it was a beautiful night.
Nice and cool, comfortable, the sound of the waves, the clear sky and all the stars…
I heard a whistle and my heart sank.
I stopped walking and saw the three silhouettes in the distance.
Noah. Easton. Xavier.
Standing side by side.
Each with their own look. Each with their own attitude. Each with the same truth of what happened to me the night of the accident.
Most of all, they each had their own insecurities.
Soon, Winter. So fucking soon.
I took a deep breath and started to walk again.
Because, you know, they weren’t going to walk to me.
I had to walk to them.
Once again, just another little showing of what they felt was their power.
I didn’t mind.
They had no idea who I really was or what I was going to do to them.
They were rattled from what Talon and Gia had helped with.
Now I was going to up the stakes.
“Okay, I’m here,” I said when I was close enough for them to hear me.
“Yeah, you are,” Easton said. “You’re bundled up like it’s cold out. Or you’re afraid.”
“It’s dark out.”
“You’re afraid of the dark?” Noah asked.
“No.”
“Do you think someone followed you?” Xavier asked.
He inched closer to me and was the first to touch me.
His hand to my arm.
My eyes to his eyes.
Showing just the smallest crack in the shield he put around himself.
Do you care? Or do you just feel guilty?
“Happened today,” I said.
“What did?” Easton asked.
I looked at him. “Did you not hear what I said? Are you stupid?”
Winter, Noah is the one…
I moved my eyes to Noah. “Right? Did I not just say it? Can he not listen to me? I can’t stand that. Focus. Listen. Right?”
Noah looked surprised at me.
I had to ease back a little.
But I just wanted to get to them.
Right now.
Make them fall to their knees. And then I could walk away and be normal again.
Then again… what is normal?
“You’re in a mood,” Easton said. “At least I have thick skin. So bring it on.”
Damaged Love (Bay Falls High NEXT Book 2) Page 9
