I thank Chase and hurry to my car. Hope has let me down before. But this time I’m willing to put my heart on the line for Marcus—and do whatever it takes to get him back.
And do whatever it takes to make it up to him for not having more faith in him, in us.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Marcus
My first thought when I hear Frank’s voice is, what the hell’s he doing here? My second thought is “fuck.” Everything makes sense. The mysterious bike. Alejandro’s behavior and sudden anger toward me. I thought Ryan and I had been Frank’s only victims. I was wrong.
The urge to slam my fist into the wall, or better yet Frank’s face, hits me full force. I don’t wait to hear what they’re talking about. I shove the door open and it bangs against the wall.
Surprised at the sudden intrusion, both Frank and Alejandro spin around. They’re standing several feet apart, but the discomfort at being so close to Frank pours off Alejandro.
At the sight of me, anger and guilt pile onto Frank’s unshaven face.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I snap, eyes focused on him. Ryan and I learned the hard way how quickly he can sink his deadly fangs into you, the poisonous reptile that he is.
Frank raises his hands in front of him. “It’s not what you think.”
I edge closer to Alejandro. “What exactly is that? You’re not touching him like you touched me and Ryan?”
Until then, Alejandro had been watching Frank, body tense. At my admission of what Ryan and I had endured, he whips around to face me, shock and betrayal written all over him. He’s right. It is my fault. If I hadn’t kept silent about what happened, Frank would be in jail, and Alejandro wouldn’t have suffered the same fate as me and Ryan.
A startling, gut-twisting thought jabs me in the stomach, and almost knocks me to my knees. “How many boys have there been, Frank?”
He was forced to stop molesting my brother when Ryan finally had enough and left home. Except for the night Ryan died, when Frank held a gun to my head and pressed himself against my back, he hasn’t touched me since. And he hadn’t touched me since the night he raped Ryan in front of me. But Ryan, Alejandro and I can’t be his only victims. There must be others.
When Frank doesn’t answer, I repeat the question, except this time I yell it. He flinches.
I’ve been silent for too long. It’s too late to have him charged for what he did to Ryan and me, but his most recent victims can testify against him. He knows one way or another, he’s going to jail for a long time. I can see it on his face.
“It’s not like that.” A drop of sweat drips down the side of his face. He looks at Alejandro. “Tell him,” Frank begs. “Tell him he’s got it all wrong. Tell him I’ve never touched you.”
Alejandro keeps silent, eyes still on Frank.
Frank tears his gaze from Alejandro and locks it on me. “I recently won a lot of money,” he says, words rushed. “I’ll buy Ryan his damn gravestone. I’ll buy him the best one money can buy. All you have to do is walk away and forget everything.”
Chapter Fifty
Amber
Marcus’s car is in the parking lot, but he’s not on the courts playing basketball. No one is. The place looks pretty deserted. If it weren’t for Marcus’s car and the soft glow coming from a window, I’d have left, thinking no one’s around.
But I don’t.
From several blocks away, an emergency vehicle siren speeds past and fades in the distance. I park next to Marcus and walk to the entrance. I don’t know why, but I have a weird feeling something’s not right.
I check that I have my cell phone and quietly enter the building. The temperature feels chillier than outside. Part of me, a very small part, tells me to turn back and go home. But after what happened with Marcus, when he talked to the gang about Alejandro, turning away is the last thing I can do. He might need help. He could be bleeding to death. He could be....
I silently tell my brain to shut up. I don’t need my overactive imagination working overtime. That won’t help anyone.
Relief floods through me at the sound of Marcus’s voice coming from Dave’s office. I’m about to sprint down the hall and into the room, fling my arms around his neck, and kiss him, when he speaks. His icy voice stops me cold.
A man replies but the words are too quiet for me to hear. I move closer, careful not to make a sound.
“I recently won a lot of money. I’ll buy Ryan his damn gravestone. I’ll buy him the best one money can buy. All you have to do is walk away and forget everything.”
I peer into the room, but not far enough to be seen by anyone. All I can see is Alejandro and Marcus, both looking angry and sick. I can’t see the owner of the voice.
“Forget it,” Marcus snaps. “Ryan and I made a mistake.” His voice shatters on the last word. “You touched me and raped Ryan. We should have told the cops but we didn’t.”
My heart crumbles at his words and my stomach rushes up to meet it. My hand flies to my mouth to keep the sob from escaping.
“We made a mistake. Ryan let you keep hurting him just so you wouldn’t hurt me. Isn’t that right?” Marcus screams the last part.
He has always been strong and cocky. I’ve never seen him so vulnerable and beaten, not even after Carlos’s men attacked him. All this time, I’ve been suffering from survivor guilt, as the therapist explained to me, but I wasn’t the only one. It’s been tearing Marcus apart, too. And now his reaction after we made love makes sense. It wasn’t disgust at what I did. It was pain at what his brother endured.
I fight back the urge to run into the room and hug him. He won’t appreciate it. Not now. I doubt he wanted me to know the truth about his past. Especially not this.
I’m about to leave when I see Marcus notice me through the doorway. Sadness crowds every inch of him.
An intense heat builds inside me at the man who hurt him, and I have to hold myself back before I rush in there and slam my fist into the man’s face.
Chapter Fifty-One
Marcus
“We made a mistake. Ryan let you keep hurting him just so you wouldn’t hurt me. Isn’t that right?” I scream the last part. Frank doesn’t answer, not that he needs to. I already know the truth.
And now so does Amber.
The secret Ryan begged me to keep is no longer a secret. I’ve betrayed my brother’s dying wish, but I’ve betrayed Alejandro’s trust in me even more. He’ll never forgive me for what I’ve done and for what I didn’t do.
And I don’t blame him.
Amber looks like she’s going to storm in here and hit Frank, and I silently will her to stay put.
She mouths, “I’m sorry,” and I know that she is. She’s sorry for what Frank did to me and Ryan, and she’s sorry for finding out this way, instead of my being the one to tell her—when I was ready.
I lean down and whisper in Alejandro’s ear, “Amber’s in the hallway. Go outside with her and wait. Whatever you do, don’t let him know she’s here.”
He gives a small nod and leaves, taking Amber with him. I don’t have time to dwell on what she now thinks about me. I just relish the warmth surging through me that she cared enough to come looking for me. For now, it’ll have to do.
“Hey, where’s he goin’?”
“This is between you and me, Frank.” I don’t wait to hear the main door click shut. I launch myself into him. He’s used to beating me up without my fighting back. I learned at an early age that there was no point in fighting back. It only made things worse.
The benefit of that is he’s not prepared for my attack. He stumbles back and I punch him in the jaw. Fortunately he didn’t have the foresight to dodge out of the way before my fist made contact.
“That’s for what you did to me and Ryan.” My knuckles throb but it’s a pain I more than welco
me.
Before he can retaliate, I punch his gut. He doubles over, breath ragged. “And that’s for Alejandro and everyone else you’ve hurt.”
He recovers and charges at me. I sidestep out of his way. Years of basketball have made me quick on my feet. Years of beers turned him into a slug.
He spins around before I can jump him. “Should’ve tossed out your sorry ass when your mom and I hooked up. It’s not like she ever wanted ya.”
“Tell me something I don’t already know.” I swing at him. My fist slams into his eye. “It’s over, Frank. I might not be able to press charges against you, but once I talk to the cops, they’ll investigate, and all your dirty secrets will be out.” Including mine.
Shame crashes through me, but instead of making me weak, it fires up my anger.
Frank moves to the side, placing a metal folding chair between us. As if that’s going to stop me. A satisfied smile spreads on his lips.
What the fuck?
“Last chance to accept my offer, Marcus. Just how badly do ya want that gravestone for Ryan?”
He slips his hand into his jacket pocket.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Amber
“Who’s the man you two were talking to?” I ask Alejandro once we’re outside. My fingers tap against my thigh. I don’t bother to stop them.
Alejandro leans back against the wall, arms crossed. “Frank Wilson. Marcus’s stepfather.”
I don’t even know what to say to that. The man was supposed to protect Marcus and Ryan, and love them. Not physically abuse them or demean them in the worst possible way.
Once again, I wonder what kind of mother would marry a monster like that, and do nothing to protect her sons. Even my mom, with all her faults, would never be so cruel.
The pain on Alejandro’s face leaves me numb. Marcus and Ryan weren’t Frank’s only victims. Alejandro is one, too.
“If Marcus had known what Frank was doing to you,” I say, “he would have stopped him.”
“What do you know about anythin’?” The way he says it confirms what I already suspect.
“I know what it’s like to trust someone and have them hurt you to the point where you wish you were dead. I know what it’s like to wait for someone to save you, but no one comes. I know what it’s like to live as a shadow of who you used to be, too afraid to trust again. And I know what it’s like to be broken and wonder if you’ll ever feel normal again.”
He looks at me with renewed curiosity. “What ha—” A sharp noise, like a backfiring engine from inside the building, interrupts him.
I suck the chilled air into my lungs and feel it spread through my body. We spin around and stare at the door, unsure what to do.
Seconds later, the door flies open and slams against the brick wall. Frank spares us a moment’s glance, face white, blood splattered on his royal blue jacket. At first I think it’s his, but then remember what Marcus told me about Ryan’s death. His stepfather shot Ryan. Which means Frank has a gun.
Before I can register what that means for Alejandro and me, Frank takes off. He scurries across the street. I don’t wait long enough to see where he’s going. I shove my phone at Alejandro and yell for him to call 9-1-1 as I yank open the door.
I run back to Dave’s office. Marcus is sprawled on the floor, a hand pressed below his left shoulder. Blood covers his T-shirt and seeps from under his hand. A wave of dizziness rushes over me. I bite my lip hard. No matter what, I’ve got to keep myself together and not have a flashback.
I drop down beside him and touch his arm. “Marcus, it’s going to be okay. An ambulance is on the way.” He moans.
I rush to the file cabinet and grab the first-aid kit before returning to his side. He’s lost so much blood. I’m not sure how coherent he is anymore. I flip the catches open and lift the lid, praying it contains more than just Band-Aids.
After rifling through the kit, I snatch up two individual packages of large gauze pads and rip them open. “Here, I’ve got something for the bleeding.”
Marcus is barely able to apply pressure to the wound, his energy rapidly draining. It doesn’t take much effort to peel his hand away. I push up the sleeve of his blood-soaked T-shirt and press the pads on the wound.
Marcus groans.
God, where’s the ambulance? He won’t last much longer.
That thought drowns out the effects of the adrenalin that’s been keeping me going until now. Tears cloud my vision.
“I...” Marcus whispers. “I didn’t...accept his offer.” I can just make out his words. “Tell...cops what you...heard.” He winces at the effort it costs him to talk.
I’m not sure if I’m supposed to tell him to stop talking, so his condition doesn’t worsen, or keep him talking so he doesn’t slip into unconsciousness.
“He needs to be...stopped.”
“I will. I promise.” With my free hand, I interlace my fingers with his. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to your messages sooner.”
Marcus’s eyes drift shut and he whispers, “I love you, Kitten.” The tears I’ve managed to hold back break free. One lands on his hand. I sniff.
“I love you, too.” I should feel lighter saying those words, but I feel the opposite. Every time I open my heart to someone, they’re ripped away. But even knowing that, I repeat the words for Marcus’s sake. He hasn’t experienced much love in his life. The people who were supposed to love him turned their backs on him. And he never gave any other girl a chance to love him. To really love him. Not like he gave me.
I kiss his cool lips. A tear splashes onto his cheek. “Stay with me, Marcus. Please don’t leave me.”
After what feels like a million years, sirens approach and blue and red lights flash behind the closed blinds. The main door bangs open and a few seconds later a cop followed by two EMTs enters the room.
“He’s been shot,” I say, my hand still pressed against Marcus’s wound.
One of the EMTs kneels next to me. “You need to move away so I can work on him.”
Still on my knees I back away, and use the desk corner to help me stand. Now that the EMTs are taking care of him, my body starts shaking violently. I keep hold of the desk so I don’t collapse.
“I need to ask you some questions,” the cop says as I watch the EMTs work.
“Okay,” I whisper past the lump wedged tight in my throat.
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“I didn’t see everything.”
“That’s okay,” he says. “Tell me what you did see.”
I tell him about finding Marcus and Alejandro in the office, talking to Marcus’s stepfather. I tell him how Marcus admitted that Frank sexually assaulted Marcus and raped Ryan. I tell him how Frank had offered to pay for Ryan’s gravestone if Marcus kept quiet about everything. I tell him Alejandro and I were outside when we heard the gunshot. And as the EMTs roll Marcus away on the stretcher, I tell him how Frank ran out, covered in blood. The only thing I leave out is that Alejandro has also been victimized by the monster. Alejandro has to find the courage to tell the cop the truth.
The cop keeps me here long after Marcus is taken away, asking me more questions, many of which I don’t have answers to. After awhile, I don’t care anymore. I just want to be with Marcus.
Once the cop finishes, I drive to the hospital in a daze.
I park and sprint into the ER and ask the nurse about Marcus. I’m redirected upstairs, to the surgical waiting rooms.
The cop told me Marcus’s mother will be contacted. From what limited information Marcus has told me about her, I’d be surprised if she shows up. Secretly, I hope she doesn’t. I’d rather see Tammara here. At least in her own twisted way, she cares more about Marcus than his mother ever did.
Chase comes hurtling into the waiting room forty minutes later, breat
hing hard. All I can do is throw my arms around him and cry against his shoulder. He wraps me in his arms and hugs me tight. We’re not the only ones here. It’s been a busy night. Two other families sit in their own corners, stuck in their own private hell.
“What happened?” Chase asks once my sobbing slows enough for me to catch my breath and answer.
I don’t want to tell him everything. Not here where the families can hear us. None of them need to hear the horrifying details of what Marcus and his brother suffered through. And it’s not my place to tell Chase. Marcus only gave me permission to tell the cops the truth.
I repeat what I told him on the phone, adding a little more detail this time, about how Frank shot Marcus. Chase clenches his hands, ready to punch the wall. Several times.
“Do you think his mom will come?” My fingers tap-tap-tap against my thigh. I stop them midtap, then pick at the small thread sticking out of the tear in the padded chair I’m sitting on.
Chase shakes his head. “You and I are all he has, Amber.”
It kills me to hear that, even though it’s true. Marcus has spent most of his life building walls to keep people out. At least now I know why.
I lean my head against Chase’s shoulder. He keeps his arm around me as my eyes drift shut. At some point he shifts slightly, jarring me awake.
“You should go home,” he says, his voice low. “Don’t you have a math final tomorrow?”
“How did you know?”
“Marcus told me. He’s been worried about you and blamed himself for not being there for you. In case you haven’t noticed, he’s quick at blaming himself for everything.” Pretty much like me. “Go home. I’ll call you once I know something.”
I smile at him, grateful for his concern. “Thanks, but I’d rather stay.” It’s not like I’ll be able to sleep or study anyway.
“You sure?”
“Yes.” More than ever before.
An hour or two later, a guy in scrubs comes into the room and approaches us. One family has already left after receiving bad news. I hold my breath, hoping the guy isn’t going to tell me what another surgeon told them.
Tell Me When Page 26
