by Lindsey Gray
“I really just hope he doesn’t hate me after what we’ve got planned.”
“On the trillion to one chance that he does, I’m telling him it was all your idea.”
She smacked him on the shoulder as he leaned against Finn’s car.
“You think he’s really ready for all we’ve got planned?” Aiden’s voice was low and deadly serious as he stared in front of him. He and Lucy had been talking for months about what they needed to do this summer, and Finn had agreed to try.
“I think so. He knows what we want to do. I think he’s just scared of what will happen when it all comes out. His family and the police, he’s ready to tell us, but them too?”
“He thinks it’s going to be hard to prove?”
“I guess so. I mean, there’s you. You saw the pictures and the bruises. You can testify to that at least. He just thinks it will be a he said/he said kind of deal.” Lucy looked down as her fingers twisted together nervously.
“Hopefully, that won’t be a problem.” Lucy gave him a slightly confused look as she arched one eyebrow. “This is the part when you call me a genius.”
“What did you do?”
“Did Finn ever tell you after he slammed his computer against our dorm room wall that he left it with me?”
“No, he didn’t.”
“He did. I fixed it. I’ve got the file and e-mail on a CD. I even got the guy’s IP address.”
“Do you know who it is?”
“No, someone local was all I could tell. I didn’t get into it any further. I figure when we go to the cops, they can look into all of that.”
She turned and wrapped her arms around Aiden and planted a big, wet kiss on his cheek. “You are a genius.”
“I leave you two for five minutes.” Aiden sighed and released Lucy as Finn pulled her into his arms.
“I’m just so irresistible. She can’t help herself.” Aiden smiled before Finn grabbed his head and shoved him into the backseat of the car.
It was the smallest graduating class in about a decade, making the ceremony bearable. Jack was one of the last to cross the stage. The crowd erupted in thunderous applause as the prom king and basketball star received his diploma. Most of the cheers came from the O’Malleys and Lane, but it was sweet just the same. Lucy had to hand it to her brother, for all his faults, Jack had really pulled it together. He had Rylan, who adored him, and a full ride basketball scholarship to the NYU. She hoped that maybe the NBA was in his future, too.
“I thought this day would never come.” Lucy’s little arms barely made it around Jack’s gargantuan neck.
Lane came up behind Jack and Lucy and joined in their little moment. “I’m so proud of both of you. I can’t believe this is it—my twins graduating and going off to college. I know your mother is looking down on you today.” He started to tear up.
“Dad, it’s okay.” Lucy took him in her arms.
“I feel so bad that she missed so much of your lives. I know she would have been here with the camera and confetti. Now you both are leaving me. I feel the empty nest syndrome coming on all ready.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to spend with us. We have all summer. Plus we’re only going to be an hour’s drive away.”
“I know. You both grew up so fast.”
Jack took Lane from Lucy and wrapped him in his arms. “We love you, and we wouldn’t trade you for any other dad in the world. You have done the best you could. Don’t ever doubt that. You are a big part of the reason Luce and I turned out as well as we have and have our heads on straight.”
For a basketball player, Jack sure had a way with words.
They ended the family bonding before returning to the O’Malley’s place. It really was an extravaganza. Most of the senior class and their families were there plus every friend or acquaintance of Murphy and Claire’s on the east coast. Overall, about three hundred people fit under the monstrous white tents set up behind the house. Rylan’s favorite restaurant in Manhattan catered the food, and there was a massive dance floor with a deejay that played everyone’s favorite songs.
Finn wore one of Lucy’s favorite colors, black, which made Lucy want spend the rest of the day staring into his eyes. He looked so damned sexy in his black slacks and black button up shirt.
It was barely evening, and Lucy had already danced with Murphy, her father, Jack, and even Aiden. She was in desperate need of a break—a Finn break. Every time she caught a glimpse of his black shirt across his shoulders, she shuddered. He finally got her back in his arms and twirled her around one last time before he made a suggestion.
“Everyone’s out here. The house is completely deserted.”
“Why, Mr. O’Malley. What on earth are you suggesting?” She batted her eyelashes as he held her closer.
“Aiden is going to be here for two weeks. How much Finn and Lucy alone time are we really going to get?”
“You’re probably right. We should squeeze in as much as we can.”
Finn grabbed her hand, dragging her off the dance floor and up to the front of the house. They sprinted up the front steps, and she almost lost her shoe. As soon as they got inside and shut the door, Finn crushed Lucy to him and kissed her passionately. She moaned softly into his mouth as she felt the heat radiating throughout her body. She thought maybe he was ready for some real alone time. She could only hope that this night would be the night.
Lucy heard footsteps and someone clearing their throat. Finn pulled away and dropped his forehead onto her shoulder as she turned to see a man standing there.
“I’m sorry. We didn’t think anyone else was in here.”
“That’s quite alright. It’s nice to see Finn finally has a beautiful young woman on his arm.”
“What a charmer,” she thought as she smiled in the man’s direction. He was a nice looking man in his mid-thirties with dark hair and deep brown eyes. He was a little bigger than Finn, but certainly just as lean. Lucy continued to smile at the compliment, but Finn was oddly silent. His body was stiff as a board as he gripped her hand so tight that she thought her knuckles might break. Finn slowly turned.
“No introductions, Finn? He always was a little lax on his manners. I’m Viktor Karpov.”
He held out his hand as he moved closer. He took her free hand and kissed it.
“Lucy Butler.”
“Nice to meet you.” He stepped back as his gaze turned to Finn. “Not even a hello for an old friend?”
“I’m suddenly feeling very sick.”
That’s when Lucy turned to see Finn’s face had turned ash white. “You don’t look good. I told you that shrimp smelled funny. I don’t care how much your parents paid for it.”
Finn’s eyes were fixed on Viktor. “Is Camille with you?” His words were cold. Lucy thought he would be more polite to the man who seemed to be an old family friend.
“Yes. The girls attacked the cake, I’m afraid. They’re just washing up.”
A slender woman with long, silky, black hair came into the room. On her hip, she balanced a little girl with the same long black hair while another little girl followed at her feet. The girl that looked to be the older of the two came running over to Finn.
“Finnie!” He crouched down and caught her in his arms. Lucy saw his eyes close and a sweet smile creep across his face as she placed a kiss on both his cheeks.
“Chloe.” He pulled her back as he studied her face. “I have missed you so much.”
“Why don’t you play for us anymore?” Chloe looked a little sad as she stroked Finn’s hair.
“I moved back home to be with my family.”
“Well, she’s missed you. We’ve all missed you.” Camille came over with the other little girl and gave Finn a hug.
“And how is little Miss Olivia?” He traced his finger down the little one’s nose as she giggled. Lucy thought Finn was adorable with the two little girls. She let her thoughts wander to what he would be like with their own children someday.
Finn brought Lucy
out of her trance as he grabbed her hand. “This is my girlfriend, Lucy.”
Chloe stomped her foot in front of Finn.
“What?” He asked as he picked her up.
“I thought I was your girlfriend,” Chloe said with the cutest little pout.
“For you, I think Lucy would be willing to share.”
“It’s nice to meet you Lucy.” She shook Camille’s outstretched hand. “I’m Viktor’s wife, Camille, and these are our girls, Chloe and Olivia.”
“I’m glad you all could make it.”
“Wouldn’t miss a chance to see our old friends again.” Viktor took little Olivia from Camille’s arms.
Finn turned to Lucy. “Viktor and my father are old friends.”
“I was actually the one who helped Finn get accepted to Two Roads. Then with only a semester left, he leaves us.”
“Our house was like a second home. Finn hasn’t told you about this?” Camille asked.
Lucy stumbled for her words as things clicked into place, giving her a moment of perfect clarity. A man who he’d spent hours upon hours with. A man who was on the staff at Two Roads. A man with a wife and two little girls. Despite all that, the look on Finn’s face, a look Lucy should have caught, was enough. Finn tried to hide his pain, but Lucy could tell when the memories came seeping in from the corners of his mind.
“S…s…sorry,” she stuttered. She cleared her throat in an effort to compose herself. “Since he’s been back, we’ve been caught up in a lot of other things.” Other things? You can do better than that, Lucy.
“I can see that.” Viktor remarked at the prom pictures Claire had proudly displayed on the nearby table.
“It was just, Finn was like Viktor’s protégé. He wasn’t just his teacher. I’d like to think he was part of the family. We all miss hearing you play.” Camille squeezed Finn’s hand.
“We were half hoping we could convince Murphy to let you return so you can use that scholarship to UCLA.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Finn replied through tight lips.
Lucy gazed at Finn before attempting to speak for the both of them. “Finn and I have plans that don’t include UCLA. I know you would love to have him back, but I’m afraid,” she said gently, placing her hand on Finn’s cheek, as he closed his eyes and leaned into her palm, “it’s just not possible.”
Lucy turned her attention back to Viktor and his sickeningly sweet grin. Lucy matched his with one of her own, trying desperately to hide her disgust as much as Finn was.
“I see.” Viktor nodded. Lucy thought he knew she was telling him that Finn was all hers.
That’s when Aiden came barreling through the front door. He had one of Rylan’s little cheerleader friends plastered to his side.
“Here you are. I’ve been looking everywhere.” He looked past Finn and Lucy to see Viktor. “Hey, Mr. K. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Viktor’s posture straighten as he slipped into his professional guise. “Aiden, spending some time with your old roommate.”
“Yeah and even making some new friends.” The cheerleader giggled as she cuddled up at Aiden’s side. “Finn, you’ve got to get back out there. Rylan and Jack are starting a dance contest. Melanie here thinks we can take them. What do you think?”
“That sounds like fun. Wouldn’t want to miss that.” Camille took Chloe from Finn.
“Come on, Daddy. I wanna dance.”
It scared Lucy how Viktor stroked Chloe’s cheek. “I could never resist you.” Viktor turned back to Lucy. “It was lovely to meet you, Lucy. I do hope we have a chance to speak again before we leave.”
Lucy just nodded as Viktor took Camille and the girls back outside.
Lucy really thought she was going to vomit right on the spot, but she knew she had to keep it together. Finn hadn’t confirmed anything. She turned to him, but he spoke before she could.
“Melanie, do you think you could give me a moment with Aiden and Lucy?”
“Sure, Finn.” Melanie turned for the door, but not before she smacked Aiden on the ass. “Don’t keep me waiting too long, A.” With that, she slipped out the front door.
Before Lucy had a chance to gauge the look on Finn’s face, he collapsed on the floor. He was quiet at first, but when she put her hand on his shoulder, he completely broke down.
“Okay. What did I miss?” Aiden was still clueless.
Lucy crouched down next to Finn and lifted his eyes to hers. “It was him, wasn’t it?”
Finn couldn’t speak, and he barely nodded. That’s when Lucy’s dam broke. Aiden understood when he saw the tears in Lucy’s eyes.
“Help me get him to the couch.” Lucy took one of Finn’s arms and slung it over her shoulder while Aiden took the other side. He was a mass of dead weight as they dragged him into the living room and on the couch. Lucy cradled Finn in her arms as Aiden paced in front of them.
“Oh, my fucking God. It was Karpov. All this time. God damn it!” Aiden kicked the coffee table, breaking its leg. “Why couldn’t I see it?”
Lucy sniffled as her chin rested on Finn’s head. “Aiden, don’t blame yourself. No one knew. Not even his wife.”
“Shit, his wife…his girls. Fuck! Finn’s like a godfather to those girls.”
That just made Finn’s sobs worse. He buried his head in Lucy’s chest as his teeth dug into her flesh.
“We can’t let anyone see him like this. Go get some tissues and some water or something from the kitchen.”
Without a word, Aiden followed her instructions.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” Finn cried into her chest.
It was becoming all too much for Lucy to bear. Lucy thought the abuse itself was bad. Now knowing who it was just made it that much worse. “It’s not your fault, baby. I’m here. I swear, I’ll make everything alright.”
Aiden came back with the tissues and the bottled water. Aiden opened the water and tried to give it to Finn.
“Come on. You’re going to get dehydrated if you keep this up.”
“Thanks.” Finn took the water as he left Lucy’s arms and fell back onto the couch. “I just never expected…I wasn’t prepared for him to be in my house, meeting my girlfriend.”
“I can’t believe he had the balls to show his face around here. And what was that about trying to talk your dad into letting you go to UCLA? The man is obviously delusional!” Lucy was practically shouting, but she really didn’t give a damn. If that Viktor had been alone, she would have torn him limb from limb. She knew Aiden would have happily joined in.
“Now you know…why I couldn’t say anything.”
“Finn, man…You’ve got to tell your folks. They need to know. And what about those girls, Finn? Do you care about them at all?” Aiden said.
Finn looked up at Aiden. “Yes, you know I love them.”
“You want them living under the same roof as that pervert? What if he starts in on them? What if he already has?”
Finn rose from the couch and lunged for Aiden. “Don’t say that! Don’t ever say that!”
Finn pinned Aiden down on the floor, but Aiden didn’t fight him.
“What if it’s true?” Aiden continued. “Can you stand by, knowing what you do? What are the chances that he’s hurting those girls, too? Think about them, Finn. Think about their future. If he isn’t yet, he will eventually. You know that.”
Finn crawled off Aiden. He brought his knees to his chest as he sat on the floor by the couch. “I can’t let that happen to them. What am I going to do?”
“I’m not leaving you tonight, that’s for sure,” said Lucy, stroking Finn’s head.
“But you’re supposed to be with your dad tonight.”
She shook her head. “I don’t care. Right now, you are more important than any family bonding time. We’ll tell them we’re sick.”
“What?” Aiden asked.
Lucy got up from the couch and pulled Aiden out into the hallway. “Aiden, you go find Claire and tell her Finn and I are
sick, like puking sick. I don’t care if we have to spend the night on the bathroom floor. I’m not leaving.”
“You want me to go out there…with him?” Aiden face twisted with disgust.
“Just head straight for Claire and come right back. I’ll get him up to his room, and we’ll hide out in the bathroom until everyone is gone.”
“I can’t make any promises that Mr. K. won’t have some broken limbs before I come back.” Aiden punctuated his point by shadow boxing a few punches to an imaginary opponent.
“Just try for Finn.”
“Fine. Can you get up to your room alright?”
Finn interrupted them, “Yeah, just go tell my mom.” He sounded calmer.
Aiden nodded and left. Finn and Lucy walked up the flight of stairs in silence. She got him to his room, made him sit on the bed before she slipped her dress off, and put on one of his t-shirts and a pair of boxer shorts. She pulled him back up and unbuttoned his shirt. He shrugged it off his shoulders as she unzipped his pants. They fell to the floor, leaving him in just his boxers. They grabbed a few pillows and some blankets off his bed and went into the bathroom. They made a makeshift bed on the floor and lay down.
Lucy curled up on Finn’s chest as she listened to his heart calm down. He relaxed as she rubbed her hand across his chest. Lucy, on the other hand, was riddled with anxiety. She knew telling his parents would be one of the hardest things he’d ever have to do.
“Finn, I’m here.” Lucy was incoherently mumbling against his chest. She had warned him, she sometimes talked in her sleep. Somehow, he felt incredible to know that he invaded her subconscious as well.
Knock, knock.
Finn nudged Lucy awake, and she moved over to put her head next to the toilet.
“Come in,” Finn said in the weakest voice he could muster.
The door opened and his mother stepped in. “Oh, it’s worse than I thought.” She shut the door behind her. “Aiden said you were sick, but, oh honey, both of you?”
Lucy started to add some gagging noises for effect. Finn went over and rubbed his hand on her back.
“What can I do?”
“I think we need to get it out. We’re kind of taking turns. I think we’ll camp out in here for the night. I really don’t think she can make it home.”
