Ava could tell the second it registered because she plucked her phone from my hand and smiled before saying, “That’s what I’m going to do to you, Deke Marlow.” She put her phone back in her pocket and wrapped her arms around her book, hugging it to her chest, looking positively giddy. “Delaney didn’t want me to say anything, but since she’s move on, why not?” She said, shrugging her shoulder. “Delaney’s parents ambushed her with the Reynolds in New Hampshire and when she realized it, she decided to finish the tour, but was going to come home. She tried to call you, but she lost her phone. After the tour, she went and bought a new phone, only to answer a call from me telling her what was going one. She jumped on the first flight out of New Hampshire to get to you so she could explain.” Ava cocked her head. “And what did you do? You fucked Melissa Randall after telling Delaney to get an abortion if there ends up being a little bit of residue from your relationship.”
“I never fucked Mel-”
Ava’s laugh cut me off. “Does it even matter?” she challenged. “You threw away the best thing that will ever happen to you, Deke. I don’t need to do shit to you because that regret…that…erosion is going to stay with you forever.” Her true words were making it hard to breathe. “Delaney’s going to move on with someone who is going to love and trust her, and she’s going to be happy, Deke. She’s going to be happy despite you and that’s enough for me.” She took a step back, and she looked joyous. “Oh, and another thing, if Delaney sucks in bed, it’s because she had a horrible teacher. Her next lover should be able to fix that.”
Ava walked off before I had a chance to kill her.
Because I really, really wanted to.
I wanted to snuff the life out of her until her words lost their truth.
I stood there feeling as if my chest was caving in; like my heart was being crushed.
If what Ava said was true-and she had no reason to lie-Delaney hadn’t chosen her family over me. Delaney had chosen me, and I…
My back dropped against the row of lockers with the significance of what I did to her. All week long I had held on to my righteous anger, not letting anything else in, but now…now that I no longer had a right to be angry, everything I said and did to her that night burned in my mind like an iron left unattended.
And, Christ Almighty, I actually told her to put her abortion on my fucking tab.
I made her believe getting pregnant by me was nothing special. I announced to damn near the entire school that Delaney let me fuck her without protection. I blasted all of her private moments to everyone.
Ava was right.
I hadn’t trusted Delaney.
I fired off a group text to Ramsey, Liam, Linnie, and Emerson that I was leaving school and I’d fill them in later right as I stormed out of the building.
I needed to find Delaney.
I let out a pathetic laugh because she had been right all along, too. She knew the truth would come out sooner or later and she knew I’d be begging for forgiveness. My stomach soured with how I wanted to call her but couldn’t. Knowing that picture she took of Melissa on my lap would be what popped up if I called her is the only thing that kept me from calling her.
I drove to her house thinking about how that picture of her and Winston had made me feel and knew that I could never take away what seeing Melissa on my lap did to her. I did the one thing you just can’t do to a girl. I shoved another girl in her face.
Delaney was already insecure with my status in this town, reducing her and what we had to nothing was the worst thing I could do to her-to us.
I had to pull over onto the side of the road.
Everything I did to her Saturday night kept playing over, and over again in my head and I couldn’t escape the sickness. I wondered how Ramsey lived with it; with what he did to Emerson way back when. I might have crossed some serious lines with Delaney, but I had never put her health in jeopardy, and I seriously wondered how Ramsey lived with himself. If what I was feeling was an indication of what I’d feel for the rest of my life, I’d rather put a bullet through my brain.
Ava’s taunting comment about how Delaney’s next lover would be better churned in my gut. I could live with losing her to Reynolds because she was his before I came into the picture, but to see her with someone else?
I leaped out of the car and almost threw up on the side of the road when I pictured Delaney pregnant with another man’s baby after aborting mine because I told her to.
Jesus Christ.
I couldn’t do this. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and dialed Ramsey. He answered on the second ring. “Deke?” Then I heard him faintly telling the teacher he had to take the call.
I gave him a few seconds to clear the classroom before I said, “I fucked up, man.”
I could feel Ramsey’s stillness over the phone. “Where do you need us?” he asked, ready and willing to save me.
“It’s not like that,” I muttered, my mouth dry. I had to take a couple of deep breaths before I was able to tell him everything. I told him about approaching Ava because I was worried. I told him about Ava showing me the old post. I told him how Delaney had come home to me. I told him everything. When I was finished, I confessed, “I think I’m losing my mind, Ram.”
His was voice serious and absolute as he said, “It’ll never go away, Deke.” I knew what he meant. He was talking about how I treated Delaney Saturday night. “If you do this…if you chase after her,” he stressed, “you’ll be living on your knees for the rest of your life where she’s concerned.”
I thought about his words. “And how does that make you feel?”
Ramsey let out a soft laugh. “Emerson is so vital to my existence, I’d crawl after her if I had to in order to keep her in my life, Deke. After what I did to her…I’ll take whatever she grants me.”
“I know what you mean,” I said solemnly.
Because I did.
Chapter 34
Delaney~
It’s been five days, and the wound was still fresh. And I’m not talking about scabbed up with the edges itching either. I’m talking about still bleeding fresh.
Luckily, I’ve spent the past few days receiving furniture deliveries and have exhausted all my time-and Ava’s time-furnishing my new home. It’s been kind of fun actually, and we’ve managed to avoid any and all social media.
I got an email finalizing my high school diploma, and it’ll be mailed to me in a couple of weeks. I also got my period yesterday, and the relief had swept my legs right out from under me. It was the only time I’ve cried uncontrollably since that first night.
I’ve ignored all calls from my parents and Winston and the only reason I was back at my parents’ home was because I needed to finally pack up the rest of my belongings. Admittedly, there wasn’t much, but I had lots of memorabilia I wanted to take with me.
There were countless photos of me and Ava throughout the years, academic awards, and even some sports trophies from my younger years.
I had driven over this morning, and it was taking me longer than I thought to pack, but with the housekeeping staff used to being invisible, no one questioned what I was doing home.
My parents still weren’t any wiser to the fact that I had emptied my bank account because I had received a notification of a recent deposit. The deposits were set up to deposit into the account bi-weekly, and so if my parents had any inkling as to what I’ve been up to, they would have put a stop to the deposits. I had no shame, though. The second the notification had come through, I had driven to Sands Cove and withdrew the recent deposit. This time I had been dealing with a different customer service representative, and since I didn’t look like death warmed over like last time, she was a little more leery about my withdrawal. It won’t be too long before someone at the bank notifies my parents of the account activity.
Everything came to a pause when Winston’s car swerved into my driveway during one of my many trips to my new car.
I left the trunk open, not bothering to hide what I
was doing, and watched Winston get out of his car and slam the door shut.
When he was standing in front of me, he barked, “Where in the fuck have you been?”
I stared up at the boy I once considered a friend and all I saw was greedy betrayal. He had conspired with my parents to break me and Deke up, but he had done more than that. He had helped destroy everything I believed love to be. Sure, he couldn’t have guessed things would turn out as viciously as they had, but that didn’t matter. He chose to join my parents in being deceitful and I couldn’t look at him the same anymore.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “That’s none of your business,” I replied coolly.
He ignored my response. “You just leave New Hampshire and tell no one,” he chastised. “Your parents were worr-”
I dropped my arms. “Oh, stop it, Winston,” I snapped. “You and I both know my parents couldn’t care less where I’m at or what I’m doing. They were just pissed their little ambush didn’t work.”
“Jesus Christ, Delaney,” he swore. “Why can’t you just stop it? Why can’t you just stop being so selfish for a second and think about what you’re doing to all of our lives?”
“Me, selfish?” I screeched. “Are you serious? I’m being selfish because I want to be happy in life? Are you kidding me, Winston?!”
And then he confessed something I had no idea about. “Your parents are broke, Delaney,” he yelled, revealing the ugly truth. “Your dad has a gambling problem, and he’s on the verge of losing everything.”
“You’re lying,” I whispered, stung and hurt.
Winston ran his hands through his hair, and lifting his face to the sky, roared to the Heavens, and I knew he was telling me the truth. He looked back down at me and said, “It’s true, Delaney. He has a gambling problem, and your mother either doesn’t know or doesn’t care.”
I tried to process the words, but in the middle of realizing he was telling me the absolute truth, something else occurred to me. “What do your parents get out of this, Winston?” I asked. “What do they get out of this besides the partnership they always hinted to?”
“Delaney-”
“Tell me!”
He was quiet for so long, I didn’t think he was going to answer me, but he finally said, “There’d be no pre-nup, Delaney. Your father changed his will to leave every patent and discovery to you. Our marriage gives my dad the right to everything medical breakthrough your father has ever been involved in.”
I shook my head. “No,” I whispered in denial. “If it’s all mine, then it would go to our children, or you if-”
This time, it was Winston shaking his head at me. “As your husband with no pre-nup, I’d have the right to sign everything over to my dad.”
The breath left my body and the edges of my sight faded in and out. My parents were broke, and Winston’s parents were going to bail them out using me as the currency. This wasn’t an arranged marriage to strengthen two dynasties.
This was extortion.
Oh, it might have started out that way when we were ten and the agreement was made, but Winston’s father was clearly more craftier than my own.
Ava.
Ava had a horrible reputation for being a bitch and a whore. She did drugs without a care in the world, and she played with guys no matter who was watching. She was beautiful, wild, ferocious, and wonton with no regard to what people thought of her.
She was, by all accounts, these horrible things, but she’s the only person in all my life who has loved me, defended me, and stood by me unconditionally, asking for nothing in return.
Meanwhile, the people with reputed reputations of class, money, pedigree, strength, and power were the weak ones who have used me and let me down time, and time again.
Fuck. These. Assholes.
“Well, it doesn’t matter what our parents had planned, Winston,” I replied. “It’s over. All of it, it’s over. I want nothing to do with you, your parents, or even my parents.”
“You can’t mean that, Delaney,” he clipped out. “How will you live?” Spoken like a true spoiled, entitled piece of garbage.
I found my first genuine smile in days as I said, “I’m going to work. I’m going to work, earn an honest living, and surround myself with people who want what’s best for me-not them.”
“Delaney, if I don’t get you to-”
I barked out a humorless laugh. Of course, he was only here because he was at risk of losing something. “It’s over, Winston,” I said, each word stressed with meaning. “As soon as I pack my last bag, I’m out of Sands Cove.”
His eyes popped, and he reared his head back. “You can’t be serious?”
All of the sudden, I realized I didn’t owe Winston any more of my time. I didn’t owe anyone in this town anything. Ava and the housekeeping staff were about the only people in the world who warranted my respect.
But there was one thing I wanted to know. “Who posted that picture, Winston?” I asked. “Was it you or my mother?” I wasn’t sure he was going to fess up, so I said, “You owe me.” By now, he had to have heard about what had gone down at the cove.
He sighed before admitting, “I…I doctored the picture for your mom, but she’s the one who posted and tagged it everywhere.”
I figured that’s what had happened. I wasn’t surprised, but I was disappointed that his words still brought out an emotional response from me.
“I need to get back to what I was doing, Winston,” I said, my voice defeated but…substantial; strong.
“Delaney-”
Whatever he was about to say was cut off by a white Lexus racing up the driveway behind my car, and all I could think of at a time like this, was how at least Winston was courteous enough to not block my car in when he drove up.
How silly.
Winston and I stood side by side was we both watched Deke Marlow get out of his car and stomp up the driveway.
It hurt.
It fucking hurt to just look at him.
I was going to need more than five days to steel myself against the love I, regrettably, still felt for him.
Chapter 35
Deke~
Seeing Delaney standing next to Reynolds took me back to the day she aligned herself with him at school and I had kicked his ass. Only, this time, I was in the wrong here, and Reynolds was irrelevant.
Ignoring Winston, my eyes ran over Delaney from head to toe and back up again, and she looked exhausted; lifeless.
I wasn’t any good at this sort of thing, so I did what I always did when I wanted something…
I took it.
“We need to talk,” I told her.
Before she could reply, Reynolds tried to play at being her hero again, and that was all it took to make me snap. “Deke, Delan-”
I threw my left then followed up with my right hook. He fell back and as soon as his ass landed on the grass, I was on top of him. But before I could get a third hit in, Delaney had thrown herself in between us, shielding him, forcing my arm to reach back and drop.
“Are you insane?!” she screamed. “What is the matter with you?!”
“He doesn’t belong here!” I roared.
“Neither do you!” she yelled back.
I stood up, grabbed her arm, and yanked her to me. “You either go in the house with me right now, so we can talk, or I will, swear to fucking God, kill him, Delaney.” I wasn’t exaggerating either. Searching for her as my life fell apart all around me, only to find her with Reynolds, was fucking me up.
Her beautiful chocolate eyes rounded in outrage. “How dare you?! You have no right-”
I dropped her arm and whirled back around towards Winston to finish the job. Before I could reach him, Delaney threw herself in front of me to block me. “Stop it!”
“You’re always trying to fucking save him, Delaney,” I yelled. “Why?!”
“I’m not trying to save him,” she argued. “I’m trying to end this bullshit!”
“Then go inside and talk to me!” I
demanded. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Winston slowly getting up and I wanted so badly to knock the motherfucker back down.
Delaney faced Winston and said, “Winston, you need to leave.”
“But-”
“Leave, Winston,” she repeated. “And understand I don’t ever want to see you again. Ever.”
My heart was thundering inside my chest because I was sure I was next. She didn’t have any reason to hate Winston more than she hated me and her voice was ice cold and unfeeling as she spoke to him. His eyes shot to mine and he must have believed what he saw in them, because he gave Delaney a tight nod and walked towards his car to leave.
The second his car was out of sight, I turned back to Delaney. “Baby, I-”
The slap was so powerful, my head snapped sideways causing a wave of heat to shoot up my neck.
But I deserved it.
I deserved that, and so much more.
“Don’t ever call me that again,” Delaney seethed. “I thought I told you I never wanted to see you again, Deke. What are you doing here?”
My face stung like a motherfucker, but I’d let her hit me again if that’s what she needed to do to purge out all her hate and hurt. “I know, Delaney,” I replied. “Ava told me everything.”
She didn’t look surprised at all over that little announcement. Delaney had adopted a hell of a poker face, and I hated it. “So?”
There were a million things I could say to her to try to excuse my behavior, but the truth was, there was no excuse. I hadn’t trusted her, and that’s where I failed her. I hadn’t trusted her and, in doing so, I lumped her in with the group of people who weren’t trustworthy, and that was wrong of me.
So very fucking wrong of me.
I had nothing but naked honestly to offer her. “Tell me what I have to do, Lamb,” I replied.
Gone was her poker face. Now, she looked murderous. “Do not call me that,” she snarled. “I am not your lamb. I am not your anything.”
“Tell me what I have to do, Lamb,” I repeated because she was my lamb. She was my lamb and I’ll crawl behind her for the rest of my life just like Ramsey said if she forgives me. I’m pretty sure I’ll crawl behind her even if she doesn’t forgive me.
The Enemy Series Page 55
