Keep From Falling (Markson Grove Series Book 1)

by Amy Vanessa Miller

  I point at my face, “Maybe it’s because he’s an abusive asshole,” I say, but then I let my curiosity get the best of me. “What did she say to make you think she was fond of Parker?”

  She laughs to herself for a moment before looking at me once again. “She called him a Lindor chocolate.”

  “A Lindor chocolate?” I repeat, perplexed.

  “Yeah, apparently he’s appealingly decadent on the outside, with an irresistible center that will melt your heart,” she says, and I can’t help but smile from ear to ear.

  “That’s funny.” I peer into another window. I just wish I could find him. Not knowing where he is or what he’s doing to deal with what happened is killing me.

  “Did Tris hurt Adrienne?” Bree blurts out. The question makes me stop walking for a split second, but I quickly catch myself, continuing down the street as though she hadn’t said it.

  “Why do you need to know?” I ask finally.

  “I’m just wondering,” she replies, but I’m not so sure it’s simple curiosity. There is something beneath the surface that she’s not telling me.

  “He hurt her once when Parker wasn’t around to stop it. But I don’t know more than that. Parker doesn’t like to talk about his past with Tris and Adrienne.” It’s a half-truth, but it’s all I can offer without feeling guilty for telling her at all. It’s Adrienne’s secret, and not mine to tell.

  Bree nods sadly. “I figured he had. He threatened to hurt her on the bus and her reply was ‘been there, done that’.” She looks into a window to her left and stops abruptly. “I found Evan,” she says with a sigh.

  I look into the window of the little Irish pub. Evan is sitting on a stool at the bar; Adrienne and Spencer are sitting by his side. “Did you know Spencer left the hotel after him?” I ask Bree.

  She shakes her head but doesn’t answer, instead she pulls the door open and starts inside. I sigh. I don’t see Parker in there, but maybe they’ve seen him and know where he went. I need to find him, I won’t feel calm till I know he understands that what happened between Bree and me doesn’t change how I feel about him.

  “Who invited them?” Evan asks with a sneer as soon as he sees us walk into the pub.

  Spencer whacks him hard in the arm, which he returns with a similar amount of force. For whatever reason, Evan has his head lying on Adrienne’s shoulder and I look to Bree hesitantly to see her reaction to him with his ex. It pains me to see her bothered by it, but she holds her composure well.

  “What’s going on?” Bree asks.

  “He’s just really drunk,” Adrienne says, shrugging his head from her shoulder. She smiles comfortingly at Bree and I see Bree’s demeanor relax. I look her over curiously. She seems to trust Adrienne for some reason, but I’m not sure why. I look to Spencer for an explanation, but he offers nothing.

  “It’s true, he’s just completely wasted. Adrienne has no desire to be with him, I can promise you,” Spencer assures Bree.

  “Hey!” Evan says, looking incredibly insulted. “I resent that.”

  Spencer chuckles. “He’s had like eight shots of whiskey. Isabelle, over there, has officially cut him off.”

  I peer over at the bar and see a cute little brunette drying out some shot glasses and putting them away. Just by looking at her face I know she’s probably in her late twenties but her clothes, hair, and makeup definitely make her look younger than that.

  “Isabelle over there,” Evan chimes in loudly, “knows Parker somehow and it’s driving me crazy trying to figure it out.”

  “Parker was here?” I ask Spencer urgently.

  Spencer nods his head and begins to say something to me before Evan cuts him off.

  “Yep, he came here to see Isabelle,” he says, pointing at her. She looks up from what she’s doing, having heard her name being said, and walks over to us.

  I’m annoyed and confused about this woman. Why is it that every time I turn around there’s another girl in Parker’s life that I find out about from someone else? And to top that off, how does he know her anyway, we aren’t anywhere near home. Does he spend a lot of time in Madigan City, or something?

  “Are you Skylar?” she asks me with a French accent.

  “Yeah,” I answer through clenched teeth. I’m trying not to overreact to the fact that he’s told her about me but has never bothered to tell me anything about her.

  “I’ve heard a lot about you,” she says with a grin like she knows something I don’t. I hate it.

  “That’s funny, I’ve heard nothing about you at all.”

  She laughs. “That’s probably because there’s nothing to say. I met him last year right after you two broke up. He was pretty crushed.”

  Why not make me feel guiltier? Like I don’t feel like crap already about all of that. I grimace.

  “He seemed pretty crushed again tonight too,” she adds.

  “Tonight was a misunderstanding, and as soon as I can find him, he’ll know that.” I shoot her a dirty look.

  Isabelle smiles. “You are a feisty one, aren’t you?”

  “He already knows,” Spencer says, taking my hand into his. “I told him the truth about what happened.”

  “We both did,” Adrienne adds. I know Spencer’s taken her under his wing, and he cares about her and all of that emotional crap, but I hate that she’s sticking her nose in my business. I narrow my eyes for a moment as I think over what Spencer just told me. Parker knows? He knows the truth and he hasn’t called me? The inside of my stomach does flip-flops as I let that thought sink in. There’s a heaviness in my chest and I am becoming very much aware of the amount of oxygen required in order to take in a substantial breath of air. There isn’t enough oxygen in this room at the moment. “What did he say?” I ask, nearly gasping.

  “He said to tell you that you won’t lose him.”

  And with those words I feel like all of the air around me has returned. I suck in a deep and eager breath. I’ve never been as comforted as I am at this very moment by those words. He promised me that I wouldn’t lose him and now I know he’s made it clear to Spencer that he doesn’t plan on breaking that promise. I smile. “Where is he?” I ask.

  “He took off after Tris,” Adrienne says. I see the look of disgust on her face as she spits Tris’ name out. I bite down on my lip nervously. I don’t like the sound of that.

  “Parker told Tris we were going to have a fucking foursome!” Evan declares, shaking his head. “He didn’t even ask me first!”

  Bree and I both look at each other in confusion before we turn to Spencer for some sort of plausible explanation to that unusual piece of information.

  “It’s not what you think,” Spencer says with a laugh. “Parker was pushing Tris’ buttons, so he was trying to fuck with him. Evan’s just too out of it to understand what it was that was going on.”

  “I knew what was going on. Adrienne kissed me and I knew it was happening. She tastes like cherries.” He grins. Bree’s mouth drops open, and before anyone has a chance to get an explanation out, Bree slaps Adrienne right across the face.

  I gasp, not expecting that from Bree at all. And before I have a chance to recuperate from the shock of it, she follows it up with another slap across Evan’s face!

  “You asshole!” She shrieks. “You storm off on me and treat me like shit for kissing my ex and not even a fucking hour later you’re off kissing yours?”

  Evan shrugs and mumbles, “I guess we’re even now.”

  “Fuck you.” She turns to Adrienne, “Why would you do that?”

  Adrienne rubs her cheek where Bree just hit her. “It was to make Tris believe Parker’s lie. I don’t want your boyfriend,” she says coolly.

  “Oh.” Bree takes a seat next to Adrienne and motions for her to move her hand from her cheek. “Did it leave a mark?”

  Adrienne sighs, removes her hand and leans into Bree. “You tell me.”

  “Can I get some ice?” Bree asks Parker’s bartender friend. She brings over a wet cloth wi
th some wrapped up ice inside of it. She hands the makeshift icepack to Bree who takes it and places it softly to Adrienne’s cheek. I watch in awe as Adrienne brings her hand to Bree’s and their eyes meet. The connection nearly takes my own breath away; I can’t even imagine what it’s doing to the two of them.

  I look to Spencer questioningly, but he doesn’t appear fazed. I guess he’s done trying to figure out any of his girls anymore. But I can’t shrug it off as easily, I have no doubt in my mind that there’s something undeniable between those two. Is Adrienne attracted to girls?

  Evan shakes his head in disbelief. “I can’t even watch this,” he grumbles, obviously seeing what I’m seeing. He gets up from the stool abruptly, nearly crashing into the table behind him. Bree, startled, pulls away from Adrienne.

  Evan’s too drunk to even be standing, let alone still out at a bar. I’m filled with pity for the poor guy. As much as I can’t stand him, this must be incredibly painful for him to watch. “He needs to lie down,” I say, stating the obvious.

  “Yes!” Evan says, pointing at me in an overly exuberant manner that one can usually expect from a drunken person. “You are exactly right. I need to lie down.”

  “There’s no way we are going to be able to get him back to the hotel without getting caught. He can’t even stand,” Spencer says.

  “I have a room upstairs,” Isabelle tells us. “He can stay till he’s well enough to go.”

  “Yeah ok,” Evan slurs, already starting toward the wooden staircase behind us.

  “Why did Parker go after Tris?” I ask, getting back to the problem at hand. Evan being this drunk and heartbroken is the least of my worries right now. Parker went after Tris for some reason, and after everything I’ve learned about their history, I’m convinced that it isn’t for a harmless reason.

  “Tris sent Evan a video of me with him and Parker,” Adrienne tells me.

  I bring my hand to my mouth in order to muffle a gasp. What happens at the mansion stays at the mansion, and every member knows this. Those who break that rule suffer dire consequences. Tris knows that. Why would he jeopardize his life just to taunt Evan? Or did he do it to torment Parker? Whatever the reason, this is very bad news.

  “We have to find him!” I say to Spencer, panic-stricken. “He’s pissed enough to kill him. I can’t let that happen.”

  “Why not?” Both Evan and Adrienne ask in unison. Evan shoots her a dirty look and Adrienne rolls her eyes.

  “Because it will destroy him,” I say, and Isabelle nods in agreement. “How do you know him?” I ask her. “Does he fight here? Is there a place in Madigan where he fights?”

  “He fights here often for Dimitri,” she replies, matter-of-factly. “He stays upstairs when he’s in town.”

  I cringe at the thought of Parker coming here, each time staying in a room owned by this very attractive older woman who likely tends to his wounds after each of his fights. I hate the image I’m drawing for myself but there’s no time for these thoughts right now. “Where is this place that he fights at?” I ask her, pushing my insecurities out of my mind.

  “Here,” she says, reaching for a pen and piece of paper under the counter. I watch as she draws out a rough map of the next seven blocks or so. She names a few streets, circles a spot, and then draws a line from where we are now to where I need to go. She hands me the piece of paper. “It’s a red brick building and it will look abandoned. Go around to the back, there is a big black door. Knock four times. Someone will answer and want a password. The password is Zeus. Parker fights underground; you won’t find him on the main level. Go to the basement and look for the games hostess. If Parker is there, she will know where.”

  “Ok,” I say once she’s done explaining everything. I take the map and dart toward the door without another word.

  “You’re not going without me,” Spencer says, grabbing ahold of my wrist and stopping me in my tracks.

  “Fine,” I say. “But we’re going now. We might already be too late.”

  “And Skylar?” Isabelle calls out after me. I turn to face her. “Dimitri will be there. Make sure you and your friend both belong.”

  I look to Spencer questioningly, but he doesn’t seem to know what to make of her statement either.

  “Just be very careful. He can’t be trusted,” she adds.

  I nod uncertainly. Dimitri will be there. I try not to let those words affect me, but I can’t help what they are doing to my insides. I’ve never met the man who owns Parker’s life, and I have a feeling Parker never intended for me to either. But what did Isabelle mean when she said to make sure we both belong? Belong where? I don’t understand the cryptic warning, and I want nothing more than to be able to demand for her to elaborate, but there isn’t any time left. I have to leave now.

  “Are you guys ok to take care of him?” Spencer asks Bree and Adrienne, gesturing toward Evan who’s now lying against the railing of the staircase.

  Bree shakes her head in either disappointment or embarrassment, I can’t be sure which. She looks to Adrienne questioningly.

  “Yeah, we’ll take care of him,” Adrienne says, removing the ice pack from her face and placing it on the bar in front of her.

  I’m a little concerned about leaving those three alone together after seeing what I just saw between Bree and Adrienne earlier, but I don’t have time to worry about it right now. Parker’s ready to kill and I need to stop him before it’s too late.

  Bree

  The wooden staircase at the back of the pub leads to an upstairs hallway with two locked doors at the end. The door on the left is the one Isabelle is leading us to. She places a key into the deadbolt and throws the door open.

  “Bathroom is over there,” she says, pointing to her left.

  I look around the tiny room. There’s a small dresser with a mirror on one wall, a tiny window overlooking the busy city street below, and a double sized bed that actually takes up most of the area of the room. Like Isabelle said, there is a small half bathroom to our left with a toilet and sink. The room is clean and well kept, but the pictures on the wall and blankets on the bed are incredibly dated. This isn’t a room that has been given much thought to over the years, it’s blatantly clear that it’s only used when needed, and it’s not here to impress anyone.

  Evan walks over to the bed, or should I say, he stumbles over to the bed. “I just need to lie down for a few minutes,” he says, crawling into it and reaching for one of the pillows. He rolls onto his side, cuddles the pillow to his chest, and closes his eyes.

  I notice Adrienne and Isabelle both trying to hide little smiles and so I let a tiny smirk escape my lips as well. He is adorable; I’ll give him that. In spite of all the anger I’m feeling toward him right now, seeing him lying in the bed like this makes my heart melt. In this moment, I see how innocent and vulnerable he is, and it makes me realize that it’s me who’s hurting him.

  I was wrong in picking him, I know this, and yet I also know that my feelings for him are, in fact, very real. I do love him, just not in the same way that he loves me.

  “If you need anything I’ll be downstairs until at least four. After that, my apartment is the door across the hall,” Isabelle says.

  “Thank you,” I say with a polite smile.

  “Pas de probleme,” she replies with a little wink before closing the door behind her.

  Adrienne flops down onto the bed next to Evan, causing him to open his eyes. “Do you mind?” he grumbles.

  “Not at all?” Adrienne replies gleefully. She turns to me, “Bree, do you mind?”

  I stifle a laugh and shake my head. She’s terrible.

  “Ok, so I’m just going to go ahead and state the obvious here. That girl has been with Parker. Everyone who agrees with me, raise their hand.”

  As much as I hate to admit it, I think she might be right; there is more than a simple friendship there. I mean, she keeps this room for him when he’s in town, for crying out loud!

  Adrienne throws her hand up
in the air as I slowly raise mine. From the corner of my eye, I see Evan’s hand rise as well.

  “I knew it!” Adrienne exclaims. “Do you think Skylar can tell?”

  “No question,” I reply without a doubt.

  “And Bree would know,” Evan slurs. “She’s obsessed with her girlfriend, Skylar.

  Adrienne slaps him across the leg. “Low blow, Ev,” she says. “That’s your girlfriend you’re talking about,” she reminds him.

  I’m not surprised that he needs the reminder after everything we’ve been through. And, to be honest, he’s right about Skylar, I’ve done nothing but obsess over her relationship with Parker since the minute I found out about it. I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth.

  “Is she my girlfriend?” he asks sarcastically.

  “Evan, we need to talk,” I say, standing awkwardly in front of him.

  I watch as he closes his eyes in what appears to be defeat. He shakes his head sadly. “No we don’t.”

  “I chose you,” I say desperately.

  He shakes his head again. He rolls onto his back but doesn’t open his eyes. I can tell that in spite of his drunken state, there isn’t any part of him that’s not calm right now. All the humor, that he had possessed earlier, has now been replaced by a deep seriousness. His facial features are relaxed and he seems to have made a clear choice. And I’m desperate to ignore that choice, to sway his thoughts back to where I want them to be. With me. With us.

  I look to Adrienne helplessly, and I see how sorry she feels for me. She reaches out to my hand and gives it a quick, supportive squeeze before getting up off the bed and walking over to the bedroom door. “You two need to talk and I need a drink. I’ll be back after.”

  Evan doesn’t acknowledge her words, but I give her a little smile as she’s walking out the door.

  The room stays quiet for a few minutes and I begin to wonder if he’s fallen asleep. I shift my weight from one leg to the other, before taking a seat on the bed next to him. I lie down on my side so that I am facing him and begin to run my hands through his hair gently. His eyes flutter open the instant he feels my hand touch his head.