“When did you change your mind?” Xavier asked.
“When I saw you three in the hospital room,” I said. “There were so many people there. I was feeling flustered. I knew nothing. I knew nobody. Then I saw you three. And it was like this avalanche of memories. Just attacking me over and over. That’s why I kind of freaked out and kicked everyone out.”
“Then you made your plan?” Noah asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. In the hospital I decided to do it. So I convinced the doctors and nurses and my father I had no memory. I’m supposed to be seeing doctors and getting tests done or whatever, but I obviously don’t need to. It’s been kind of a pain to do.”
“I bet,” Easton said.
There was tension in the room, as expected.
But strangely, it was a calm tension.
I told myself that’s what they wanted. They wanted to lure me in. Make me feel comfortable. Like they did before, right? This was how they did things. To those at BFH they attacked hard and fast. That’s how they built their reputation. For the really bad stuff, they were slow and methodical.
That’s why I stood near the open door.
In case…
I grinned. “Anything else?”
“Oh, we have a lot to talk about,” Noah said. “We have to finish what was started. I think you know that, Winter. Memory or not, things have been a little more than interesting around here.”
“Is there anything to actually finish?” I asked. “I think the line here is pretty clear. We all know what we know. So why not leave it at that?”
“Leave it at that?” Xavier asked. “Not a chance, Winter. It’s too late for that.”
Easton walked toward me. “Tell me everything you remember, Winter.”
“Trust me, Easton, I know we didn’t sleep together,” I said. “Nobody is going to believe you. Nobody is going to convince me otherwise.”
“This has nothing to do with that,” he said. He kept moving closer to me. “I want to know what you know. Every detail. Right now.”
I reached back with my right hand and snapped my fingers.
That was the signal.
I was in trouble.
I needed help.
When I saw the look on Noah’s face, I slowly started to smile.
“Hey, motherfuckers,” Talon said as he stepped up next to me.
“What the fuck is this?” Noah asked.
“This is Talon,” I said.
“Yeah, we know,” Easton said.
“What the fuck is a Troc doing standing in my shop?” Xavier asked.
“Want me to take a step back?” Talon asked.
I grinned.
Talon knew how to turn up the cockiness when needed.
Xavier stepped toward Talon. “Why don’t you just keep going back. All the way to your shithole of a home.”
“Where do you think I’ve been?” I asked.
“Yeah, we know,” Easton repeated.
I looked at Noah.
He was enraged.
His hands balled into fists.
“This is what you want, Winter?” Noah asked. “After everything we’ve been through? This is what you want…”
“It’s not want, it’s need,” I said. “Tell them what I do, Talon.”
“She pays me,” Talon said. “She pays me for protection. Who would have ever thought that, right?”
“Protection from what?” Xavier asked. “Whoever is following you is following us too. We’re in this together.”
“You weren’t in Tank the night I crashed,” I said. “None of you were. Do you really want to keep dancing around it?”
“Dancing?” Noah asked. “You remember everything, Winter. Yet you’re the one dancing around what we were going to do.”
“Tell me this Troc isn’t fucking you,” Easton said. “I just need to know. Before this gets too serious. Did you pay this Troc to sleep with you?”
“If she did, there wasn’t any sleep happening,” Talon said.
Noah punched the table.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Xavier said. “You don’t need to be here, Troc.”
“I’m paid to be here,” Talon said. “I’m not moving.”
“Want to bet?” Xavier asked.
“Stop it,” I yelled. “All of you. Just stop it. This isn’t about the Bumps and the Trocs. This is about us. The truth. What you did to me. What I know about you. We need to figure it out. End this once and for all.”
“End it?” Noah asked. “We were just getting started, Winter. It was… it was your idea…”
“What was my idea?” I asked.
“Talon, please get out of here,” another voice said.
I turned my head and saw Gia.
Gia?
“Gia?” I asked.
She stepped in front of Talon and opened her arms.
“Oh, this just gets better and better,” Easton said.
“Gia, get out of here,” I said.
“No,” she said. “This isn’t fair to do to him.”
“Fuck, you have your own harem,” Noah said.
“She’s not paying me with cash,” Talon said as he nodded to Gia.
“What the fuck does that mean?” Xavier asked.
“I’m sorry, Winter,” Gia said. “I can’t let anything happen to him. I’m in love with him.”
“You love me, darling?” Talon asked Gia.
Easton suddenly breezed by me.
He looked at me. “Bad idea, Winter.”
I opened my mouth and turned my head just in time to see Xavier lunging at Talon. He moved with speed and force. He threw the first punch, hitting Talon on the right side of his face.
Talon pushed Gia toward me and I grabbed her.
She screamed and thrashed to get out of my arms.
“It’s okay,” Talon managed to yell. “Get somewhere safe. Right now.”
Xavier hit Talon again.
I heard Easton groan before he threw a punch to Talon’s stomach.
Then came Noah, charging from around the table, rolling up his sleeves.
“Noah, don’t do this,” I said.
“You did this, Winter,” he said.
Noah jumped right in and threw two punches that dropped Talon to one knee.
Talon pushed himself forward and tried to wrap his arms around Noah and Xavier.
But it didn’t matter.
It was three on one.
I paid Talon to be there.
He had to have known this was something that could happen…
“Let me go!” Gia screeched.
I turned and pushed her out of the garage.
“We can’t do anything,” I said.
“I love him,” Gia said. “They’re beating him up. Because of you. You did this. I’ll never forgive you!”
My heart cracked.
Gia was panicking.
She started to shake.
I looked back and saw Noah, Easton, and Xavier beating the hell out of Talon.
Xavier took a second to back off.
He took a deep breath and looked right at me.
I mouthed to him please stop…
Xavier then pointed to Gia. “You’re with a Troc?”
“It’s not your business,” Gia called out. “Leave him alone. Leave me alone.”
“You showed up,” Xavier said.
Easton grabbed Noah and pulled him away from Talon.
Talon jumped up to his hands and knees and stayed there.
“We’re done here,” I said.
“Stay the fuck away from the Trocs,” Xavier said.
Again, he was talking to Gia.
Xavier looked down at Talon. “You listen too, you fucking Troc. Do you hear me?”
“Oh, I hear you,” Talon said. “Should we keep going?”
“You keep fooling around with my sister and we will,” Xavier said.
Gia gasped louder than I did.
“What…” Gia asked.
“Don’t give me that
shit,” Xavier said. “You think I don’t know? I know everything. So whatever fucking plans you two have had, I’ve known all along. Now get this fucking Troc out of my shop.”
My heart slammed inside my chest faster than I ever felt it in my life.
Easton helped Talon up and then he threw him out of the garage.
Talon hit the ground, ass first, and just sat there.
Then it was Noah, Easton, and Xavier standing in the open garage.
“This isn’t over yet, Winter,” Easton said.
“We’ll see you soon,” Noah said. “Next time, you better be alone.”
The garage door shut.
I felt like I was going to throw up.
I looked at Gia. “He knows…”
“He knows,” she said.
“Xavier is your brother?” Talon asked from the ground.
Gia looked down at Talon and fell to her knees and hugged him.
Gia started to cry and Talon looked up at me.
I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to apologize or not.
I paid him to be there. And he was a Troc.
Talon hugged Gia tight. “I’m fine, darling. I knew that was coming. They would never really hurt me. That was just a message. A warning. I’m fine…”
Talon’s face didn’t look fine.
I turned, touched my stomach and covered my mouth.
How much crazier could this thing get?
Chapter 9
The alone
I walked out of the beach house across the deck and stayed silent so I could see Talon and Gia together. He had his arm around her, hugging her tight. I saw her right hand clutched tight to the back of his shirt.
They were really together. And they probably did love each other.
It was still a tough thing to swallow. Which was nothing but pure jealousy and the stupid fact that I was brought up to believe that Bumps were better than Trocs. And that meant as a Troc, Talon should have been easy to obtain, use, boss around, and toss aside.
Talon turned his head and looked back at me.
I had a towel and a bag with some ice.
I lifted the items and shrugged my shoulders.
Talon smiled.
He then made a move and eased Gia away from him.
They both stood up.
Gia tucked her hands into the sleeves of her hoodie and kept to herself.
I swallowed hard and walked the towel and ice to Talon.
He flexed his jaw.
“Is it broken?” I asked.
“No,” Talon said. “Don’t give them that much credit. They weren’t out to really hurt me. That was just a warning.”
“That’s some warning,” I said.
“Happens all the time.”
“What?” Gia asked.
Talon smiled. He put the bag of ice to his left eye and sighed. “You have no idea how much that happens. We’re always fighting. Trocs and Bumps. It’s just part of life. We know not to go too far either. If a Troc were to really hurt or kill a Bump, the uproar would be really bad. And the same for the Bumps. If they hurt one of us bad enough, the fight would be endless. So we all walk the line.”
“Talon, I’m so sorry about tonight,” I said.
“Winter…”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I wanted you there to throw them off balance. I had this vision of them backing down. Realizing I was badass enough to get involved with the Trocs to protect myself. But they were…”
“They were Bumps,” Talon said.
I looked over at Gia.
She turned her head.
Then she started to walk away.
I moved down a step and Talon touched my arm. “Let her go, darling. She’s trying to take it all in.”
I set my sights back on Talon. “She’s my best friend… and if we have to fight each other to make this right then that’s what we’re going to do.”
Talon grinned. “Will you fight each other in nothing but your bra and panties?”
I hurried after Gia and grabbed her shoulder.
When I spun her around, I fully expected her to take a swing.
Instead of that, she let out this grunting sound.
“I want to hurt you,” she said.
“Then do it,” I said. “We have to work this out. I can’t get through whatever comes next without you or Talon.”
“What were you thinking?”
“Exactly what I said,” I said. “He was supposed to be there and piss the guys off. Not turn into that.”
“What did you really think…”
Gia tried to walk around me.
I blocked her path.
She stopped and looked up.
“This bitch wants to get hit,” Gia whispered.
“Yes, she does,” I said.
Gia moved to my left and I went with her.
“Winter.”
“I’m not going to let you walk away from me,” I said.
Gia pushed me.
I stepped back.
She came at me again.
She pushed me a second time.
She lifted a fist to show me.
Then she shook her head.
“It was my fault. We all know that.”
She walked around me and I let her go back Talon.
“I did this to you, Talon,” Gia said. “Not Winter.”
“Nobody did anything,” Talon said.
“Why are you being so nice?” I asked Talon. “Did they hit your head?”
Talon grinned. “I got paid tonight. And Gia is going to take good care of me so I don’t feel any pain. Plus, showing up back home from taking a beating from the Bumps is a good thing. Shows I have the nerve to take them on.”
“But I did this,” Gia said. “I had no idea Xavier knew…”
Talon took the ice from his eye. He moved it to his right cheek where Xavier landed the first punch.
“Yeah, what the fuck was that about?” Talon asked.
“It’s a deep, dark Bump secret,” I said.
“I don’t care anymore,” Gia said.
“Gia, be careful.”
“Of what?” Talon asked.
“You’re a Troc,” I said.
“You don’t trust me?”
“No,” I said.
“So you think I’m in love with your best friend just to get some information?” Talon asked.
“Maybe,” I said.
“You love me?” Gia asked.
Shit.
They looked at each other.
“You said it first,” Talon said.
“Talon…”
“Oh, will you two just go then?” I asked. “I’m not going to stand here and watch this.”
“She’s jealous,” Talon said.
“Not even close,” I lied. “I still have to figure out what to do here. I have to do it alone this time. I don’t want anyone else involved or hurt.”
“You sure about that?” Talon asked.
“I have no choice.”
We were silent for a few seconds.
“Is everyone good here?” Talon asked.
Gia looked at me.
We both nodded.
“We’re good,” I said.
“Best friends,” Gia said.
“Best friends who want to experiment with one guy?” Talon asked.
Gia and I both said No at the same time.
“So Xavier is your brother,” Talon said.
“Yeah,” Gia said. She looked at me. “Whatever. I don’t care anymore.”
“Okay,” I said.
She looked at Talon. “He’s my brother. His father had an affair with my mother. My mother got pregnant and had Xavier. Then his father took him away.”
“Wow,” Talon said. “And you Bumps think we live messy lives. You all are fucked up.”
“Yes, we are,” Gia said. “That’s why he attacked you.”
“How did he know?” I asked.
“That’s the scary part,” Gia said. “They know everything.”
/>
“That’s my fault too,” I said. “For thinking they didn’t.”
“Well, if that asshole knew about Gia, why hasn’t he said anything?” Talon asked.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“I kind of want to find out,” Gia said. “If Winter leaves anything left of him…”
I smiled. “I’m done with this. I’ll meet them all alone. Whatever. There’s no more secrets now. So nothing can happen.”
“You sure about that?” Talon asked.
“No,” I said. “But I’m going to lie to myself and say that I am sure.”
“I’ll just say my part here,” Talon said. “If you do need help, bring cash or else I won’t show up.”
“Talon,” Gia said.
I laughed. “Actually… I respect that.”
“Good,” Talon said. “I need to get out of here.” He grabbed Gia’s hand. “Coming with me?”
“Of course I am,” Gia said.
“What about Winter?” Talon asked.
“What about me?” I asked.
Talon looked at me. “You can come too. I bet Emily misses you. She had a great night with you on her lap…”
“Don’t be gross,” I said. “I’m staying here. I have the place to myself.”
“What about someone following you?” Gia asked.
“I don’t know. I’ll just hide in my room. I need sleep anyway.”
Gia walked toward me and we hugged.
She sighed.
“I know you’re not going to sleep, Winter. And I know I can’t talk you out of it. So just please be okay.”
I nodded. “You’re a good friend.”
“A best friend.”
“If we keep hugging any longer, Talon is going to make comments.”
“True,” Gia said.
She backed away and I watched Talon take her hand.
They were off, together, to go to Talon’s shitty house down where the Trocs lived.
And I was alone in a fancy and super expensive beach house.
Although I wasn’t going to be alone for long.
One text message, my night wasn’t done quite yet.
I lied.
Devious Love (Bay Falls High NEXT Book 3) Page 8
