Leap of Faith (Iris Boys Book 3)

by Lucy Smoke

I snickered at Texas' expression.

  "I will so get you back," he said, eyeballing me as I hit the locks and he opened the back door.

  I looked forward to seeing him try.

  Epilogue

  Grayson

  If she's everything you say she is, the best thing for you to do is to leave." Marv's words echoed in my mind. Leave. That's all I ever wanted to do. She had gotten her time with me. Marv was right. Now was my time. Today was the last day I'd ever set foot in her venomous presence again.

  Unlike four years before, I drove my own car up the long driveway straight to the front doors of the mansion. I had spent the last three years sequestered here when I wasn't at school or doing something for her. Why else would I have chosen to sign up for the football team every year? The practice was year-round. At least, for me it was. I used any excuse I could to get out of this prison.

  I took the steps two at a time, steeling myself as I threw open the front doors. An antique butler, probably older than the floors themselves—newly remodeled—rushed up to me out of nowhere. "Master Caruso, you're home. We weren't expecting you so soon."

  I waved him away. "I'm not staying. Where is Teddi?" If he, or any of the other servants she required around her twenty-four hours a day, thought it was odd that I would call my mother by her first name, they never said so.

  The old man bowed his snow-white head. "She's in the study with a guest, sir, but she asked not to be—Master Caruso!" he cried out when he realized that I was already heading in that direction. "Master Caruso! Stop!"

  Perhaps it was my urgency, but I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. I was meeting with Marv and Knix as soon as they returned to Charleston with Harlow. I found the room I was looking for and in the split second it took for me to reach for the handles, I realized that my mother’s voice wasn’t the only one inside. The study room doors hit the walls with a loud bang and the man standing over my mother, laid out on the desk, scrambled up. I gritted my teeth as I glared at the man.

  For her part, Teddi didn't even flinch. Then again, that might have been because of her regular Botox appointments. I used to think it was those very chemicals that made it so that she couldn't feel anything, until I got older and learned better.

  "What the fuck!" the gray-haired, foul-mouthed geezer cursed.

  "Get out," I said coldly, standing to the side of the doors as the butler gaped openly before squeaking and turning to rush away on his spindly little legs. Chances were he would be fired by the end of the day—one of many casualties in Teddi's empire of servants. The old man would be better off.

  "Who the hell do you think you are?" the old man puffed up his chest and stuffed his now-limp dick back into his pants.

  I glared at my mother as she huffed out a very put-upon sigh and sat up, straightening her wrap dress so that it appropriately covered her body. I swear I vomited a little in my mouth.

  "I'm her son, jackass. Now, get the fuck out before I kick you out." I pointed to the open doorway.

  Teddi showed no emotion—not that she really could—as the man whipped his head around to look at her. "I thought you were in your twenties."

  I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, asshole. They all think that."

  The man huffed and, with a red face, finally made his way out of the study. Teddi looked at me with a bored expression and waited until the front door slammed shut. She puffed out another breath. "Well, that went well," she said. "I hope you're happy. That was my next trip to Bali, I hope you understand—"

  "Fuck Bali and fuck you," I snapped.

  She waved her hand at me, unconcerned as she moved to sit on one of the lounges. Crossing her legs, one over the other at the knee, she nodded towards the decanters against the opposite wall. "Pour me a drink."

  "I'm not your fucking servant," I said. "I only came by to tell you that I'm moving out. I'm done with you."

  She didn't say anything for several minutes. Then, with a sly smile, Teddi uncrossed her legs and stood up. As she approached me slowly, tapping her long, sharp nails against her side, an uncomfortable tingle raced up my spine.

  "Grayson, darling," she said quietly, reaching up and taking my chin in her delicate hand. I had never hit a woman before, but I wanted to now. A bad feeling sank like boulders to the pit of my stomach. "Why are you so cruel to your mother?"

  I jerked my chin away, breaking her grasp. Her hand fell to her side "Your goddamn alimony ran out and this is what you resort to?" I sneered. "Fucking strangers in the study? Yeah, you're the fucking mother of the year. You've known this was coming for a long time. If you had any leverage, you would have used it against me by now. As it stands, you have nothing." I hissed the last word, enjoying the feel of it on my tongue. I turned away but stopped when the most chilling sound hit my ears. She was laughing. Theodora Vandersen-Caruso did not laugh. At least, not like this.

  I turned back. Teddi gave mild chuckles or vaporous giggles. She did not laugh. It was disturbing to hear, but even more disturbing to watch. There were actual, real, tears in her eyes. "Oh, Grayson," she wiped them away with a delicate hand, "you're so amusing."

  I stared at her as she moved away, heading towards the decanter. Taking a crystal glass from the rack, she lifted and poured the brandy that always seemed to be there. No matter how much we drank from it—and for me, that had been quite a lot while I stayed here full time during the school year—it always seemed to refill. The servants more than likely kept our glasses well stocked. The drunker my mother was, the easier she was to handle sometimes. For hours, she would just lay about, staring at the ceiling as she drank absently in silence.

  Now, however, she was anything but absent as she turned back to me and lifted the glass to her lips. When Teddi lowered the crystal to the stand again, a noticeable red lipstick smear lined the glass where her lips had been. "You seem to think that you have a say in what you do next," she started. "I've let you go out and have your fun, darling, but truly did you think it would be like that forever?"

  I shook my head. "There's nothing you can do to stop me."

  Taking her glass and refilling it before she returned to the lounge, Teddi watched me with her beautiful—albeit deadly—eyes. She was like a snake, gorgeous even when coiled and ready to strike. "Face it, Grayson, you're the last of the Vandersen line. Your brother was a disappointment."

  "He—" I started, but she cut me off.

  "Oh, I know," she snapped, "you put him in rehab and look where that got you."

  I swallowed. How could she have known? Her eyes lit up as she tilted her head and took a long sip from her glass. "That surprises you," she stated. "Did you really think I wouldn't keep tabs on you?"

  "You've got someone watching me?" I snapped, fury rising.

  She rolled her eyes. "Of course. He's quite good too. Very attentive. Perhaps one of the best I've had yet..." Her finger circled the rim of her glass. She smiled my way. "It doesn't hurt that he's good at his job, too."

  My lips curled back in disgust, but she kept talking. "And when he told me you had met a girl, I knew it would only be a matter of time."

  There it was. The bad feeling. The rocks in my stomach. Her eyes met mine and her lips pulled back once more in a predatory way. "She's a young and beautiful girl, Grayson. I see why you like her." Teddi's eyes turned to the table between the lounges, as did mine. There she flipped open a plain manila folder and, with a shove, pictures rained down over the floor. Pictures of Harlow. Harlow in high school. Harlow getting into my old mustang. Harlow when she worked at the diner. Harlow in a beautiful lavender dress, standing amidst cops as Knix and Marv led her down a street. Harlow sitting in a hospital room. Harlow walking across the campus we had just left. Harlow with her hair blowing back from her face as she sat in the passenger seat of a dark SUV next to...I couldn't make out who she was with this time, but it didn't matter. The message was sent and received.

  "You're threatening someone you don't even know?" I bent down and picked up the picture of Harlow I
had never seen before. She was gorgeous. Her hair swept into a messy bun with just a few tendrils of light brown hair falling around her face. Her neck looked long and slender as she walked along the sidewalk with Knix at her side. I had no clue when this had been taken or where they had been heading, but the red sundress she wore looked stunning as it cinched around her waist and flowed around her legs—legs that I wanted around me as I drove my fingers into her hair and kissed the shit out of her.

  I knew things were complicated. She wasn't exactly available, but neither were things set in stone. She was dating four guys. I just wanted a piece of her. I understood their need to have some part of her. She was an amazing girl—a woman, really. She was soft as well as strong. Mouthy. Loving. And warm. So goddamn warm. I needed some warmth in my life.

  I lifted my eyes to Teddi's. "As you can see," she said, taking another long sip, "I've been keeping tabs on more than just you, darling."

  I clenched the photo in my fist. "What. Do. You. Want?"

  Like a cat that ate the canary, Teddi stood and finished the rest of her drink before she sauntered over to me. "You're mine, Grayson," she said. "You're my son and I don't even care if you're supporting your good for nothing brother on the side. You can't leave this life. Once you're in, you're in."

  "And what exactly does that entail?" I demanded.

  Those long, sharp nails of her scraped across my jaw as she patted my cheek. "In due time, dear, but I would suggest you be forewarned and not get that little slut knocked up before you find out all that I require of you. Besides, if she does get pregnant, how can you even know if it’s yours—looks like she’s interested in a lot of suitors."

  With those parting words, Theodora Vandersen-Caruso left me in the study with the smell of brandy and sex.

  Feeling suddenly exhausted and hollowed out inside, I stumbled to the decanters and drained one before throwing it across the room where it shattered against the wall. Teddi must have warned the servants away—a rare kindness—because no one came running as I slid down the wall. In my pocket, my phone buzzed. I didn't realize I was still gripping the picture of Harlow in the red dress until I went for it with that hand. I paused, uncurling my fingers, and let the paper fall to the floor. My breath caught in my throat as I fished out my cell. Marv's name flashed across the screen, probably to let me know that they were back in Charleston.

  The phone continued to ring. I couldn't do this again. I had to tell him. I had to tell him everything.

  Iris Boys 4: Sneak Peek

  Marv

  I stared at Grayson in shock. A quick glance around the room confirmed that I was not alone. Knix was the first to recover—of course he would be.

  “What exactly was her threat?” he demanded. Already, I could see his mind scouring through thoughts and would-be possibilities. Always thinking of the next step—what to do.

  A threat hung over us, a goddamn knife clinging to the slenderest of strings, waiting to drop. Harlow was being threatened and none of us would stand for that, especially not me. Not now. Not ever.

  “She didn’t actually say she’d do anything to her.” Grayson’s face was ashen as he stood before us. His eyes didn’t bounce around the room like someone who was nervous. No. Instead, they stared right through us, seeing something that was obviously not there as he answered Knix’s question. “But she did imply that unless I bent to her will, Harlow wouldn’t exactly be safe.”

  “Safe?” Bellamy echoed, glancing around. “She’s not exactly safe now. I mean, think about all those fucking accidents that have been happening. The car that nearly ran her over. The bike accident—she ended up in the hospital!” Bellamy’s gaze widened, and he turned, sharpening his look on Grayson. “It was her, wasn’t it? Your mother was the one who made all those accidents happen!”

  I had only heard that depth of absolute fury in his voice a few times in the few years that I had known him. Because of it, and the fucked-up situation, I found myself doing something I never would have predicted. I stepped between Grayson and Bellamy and faced my friend down, effectively stopping Bellamy’s forward momentum when he started towards Grayson—I was sure, with every intention of pounding him to a bloody damn pulp.

  “This isn’t the place to do this,” I said sharply, glancing to Knix for backup.

  Knix met my gaze and nodded. “He’s right, Bell.” Knix moved towards Bellamy and put what I was sure was supposed to be a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Bell shrugged it off.

  Bell kept his gaze focused on me. “You’re protecting him now?” he demanded. “Of all people, I didn’t think you—”

  “Things have changed,” I interrupted. “We don’t have room for enemies between us anymore.” I glanced behind me and was thankful that Grayson seemed to have come back to himself. His eyes were more aware, though a bit clouded. With what, I didn’t know. “Besides,” I turned back to Bell and Knix and Texas—the former who had yet to say anything, “Harlow has made it clear that she prefers him around.”

  “She doesn’t know what she wanted. She was drugged and had been through an ordeal,” Bell argued.

  “Do you want to go ask her then?” I asked harshly. Shoving a hand through my hair, I grabbed a chunk and tugged. A deep, dull throbbing started at the back of my skull. Even my damn bones felt tired and achy.

  “Then Grayson’s gonna go back and talk to her,” Bellamy said, crossing his arms over his chest. “We’ll go, and we’ll make sure this bitch doesn’t think that she can just—”

  “Whoa, hold on there, Bell.” Knix’s gaze darkened and he pinched the bridge of his nose, his frustration clear. “It’s not that easy. We can’t just go to the home of Teddi Vandersen-Caruso and demand that she back off Harlow. That’s not how the socialite world works. She wouldn’t even acknowledge that she’s done anything. There’s no proof either, that she’s been the one behind the accidents or attacks or whatever is going on with Harlow. All we have is Grayson’s account of a threat, that was really too vague to be a threat, and photographs. She could just say she was making sure her son wasn’t dating a gold-digger. Her side of the story will hold up. She’s a paragon in her community—donates to charity, has loads of money, lives in a nice place, is seen practically everywhere. She’s a part of the Charleston Country Club.” The longer Knix spoke, the harder he pinched the bridge of his nose. When he stopped, he dropped his hand away, but there was still a slight red mark where his fingers had bore down.

  “If she’s implying that Harlow is—” Bellamy’s face flushed red, outrage and pure fury bubbling up.

  Finally, Texas stepped forward and put a hand on Bellamy’s arm. Though he wasn’t much shorter than the rest of us, he definitely looked small next to Bellamy as Bell huffed and puffed and swelled with anger. Texas leaned up and whispered something too low for me to hear. Even if I had a chance to lean forward and try to listen, out of my peripheral vision, I noticed that Grayson was no longer stationed behind me. Instead, he had moved to my side, facing the others as well.

  Bell turned a frustrated look on Texas who stood quietly and waited—for his reaction or his reply? Maybe both, I decided. “Fine,” Bell finally said darkly, “but if she comes close too Harlow, all bets are off.” Before he stalked away, Bell turned back to the rest of us, his eyes landing on Grayson again. “Make sure you get fucking proof next time,” he snapped before stomping away.

  I couldn’t blame him. It almost seemed that he had taken all my anger and frustration and left me sounding like the sensible one for a change. I wasn’t sure if I liked the new dynamic, but I didn’t fault him for being protective. If I hadn’t been so tired, I likely would have reacted the same way.

  Texas looked after Bellamy and sighed before turning to the rest of us. “What now?” he asked.

  “Good fucking question,” I said.

  “Are you going back?” Knix directed his question to Grayson.

  Texas and I turned our gazes to the man who had dropped the bomb on all of us.

  “
I can’t,” he said. Unlike how he usually was, Grayson was sedate, perhaps just as tired as the rest of us. But there was also an anger in the tension of his shoulders and…was that guilt in his eyes?

  “Where will you go then?” Texas asked, still quiet, still unreadable. What had he said to Bell? I wondered.

  Grayson shook his head, looking much older than his nineteen years. “She’s wrapped up all my funds. My trust won’t kick in until I turn twenty-one,” he admitted. “I’ve got some of my own savings. I’m not an idiot.”

  Knix nodded in response. “You’re welcome to stay here for the time being.”

  I shook my head and glanced sharply at my leader. “Um, I’m not sure if that’s possible,” I said. “Unless you’ve forgotten. When you designed the house—”

  “I had my construction come out and start on the pool house while we were gone,” Knix interrupted with an exhausted exhale. “I had intended to offer it to Harlow’s mother if she wanted to leave the center, but…I suppose it’ll be fine if we let Grayson use it for now. Besides,” Knix turned a weary smile on Grayson, “all the better to keep an eye on you, right?” He tried for joking, but it fell flat and he grimaced almost immediately after the last word left his mouth.

  “You don’t have to—”

  I clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. If Knix says it’s good, then it’s good.”

  “It’s not quite finished, though,” Knix warned. “The bedroom is done, but the kitchen in it still needs some work and the walls need painting.”

  “I don’t really care,” Grayson admitted. “Right now, I just want a bed to crawl into and forget about this day for a good eight hours.”

  Texas and Knix both nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a plan to me,” Texas said.

  “Come on.” Knix headed for the back doors, to wherever I supposed he had started constructing the pool house. “I’ll take you.”