Fallen Crest Family

by Tijan

  followed when he went inside, and he stopped to peruse their small living room and kitchen. The stairs were straight ahead with an open door beside them. I saw now that it led to a bedroom. The same boxes of liquor were inside, along with clothes, and dirty dishes.

  I gestured upstairs. "Her room's up there. I'm going to shower and change. You'll be okay down here?"

  He hadn't stopped looking at the living room. A ratted couch was covered with a bed sheet. The table in front of was covered with magazines, dirtied plates, and cans of beer and soda. Against the wall, their large screen television was the only thing that looked expensive. Mason took a step around the couch and lifted one of the remotes. When he saw that I was waiting, he nodded, "I'll be fine. You're okay up there?"

  I nodded. I knew he was really asking if I'd have any more panic attacks, but it hadn't been a full-fledged one. Or maybe I was becoming used to them. "I'll be fine. I'll hurry down."

  "No, no." He waved a hand at me. "Take your time."

  "You sure?"

  "Yeah. I'll be fine."

  "Okay." I grinned as he stood in the middle of the living room, searching where to sit. There was a loveseat next to the couch, but it was covered with a similar bedsheet. He bent down and removed a pile of magazines from one corner and perched on the edge. When the television turned on, I headed upstairs.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  I heard raised voices when I got out of the shower and ran downstairs. My body was tired. Actually, my heart was tired. But when I heard Mason, a jolt of adrenaline burst through me. I grabbed a towel on the way and had it wrapped around me when I skidded to a halt at the bottom of the stairs. Mason had his back to me. His shoulders were tense and bunched forward. His hands were in fists at his side, and I knew he was a heartbeat away from a fight. When I took another step down, my eyes widened. Heather stood in front of that guy, the model with tattoos. He was in the doorway and had a similar stance as Mason's, but her hands were braced to his chest. A snarl was on her face until she threw a look over her shoulder and saw me. Her eyes bulged out.

  "Chill, Chan. Seriously. There's the evidence, smack dab in a towel. You see her?" She shoved her friend back a step. Then she swung an arm and pointed at me. "He was here for her, not me."

  Mason glanced back and bit out a curse. "Sam." He stepped up to block me from view. "Go get some clothes on."

  "But," I searched around him.

  The guy had visibly relaxed, but Heather was still in front of him. Her arms were crossed, and I knew from the tension in her shoulders that she was glaring at him.

  "Go." Mason's hands gripped my hips as he urged me up a step.

  "Go with her," Heather spoke over her shoulder.

  "Better idea. Let's go."

  "What was going on?"

  But he wasn't listening. When I didn't move, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me up the stairs. His arm wrapped around the back of my legs and my body kept straight so I watched over his shoulder. Heather glanced at us and shook her head. She rolled her eyes, but the guy said something to her. As she looked back at him, she swatted at his shoulder. And then I couldn't see anymore as Mason stopped at the top of the stairs.

  "What happened down there?"

  "I'll tell you when you've got some clothes on."

  "Oh."

  "Exactly."

  I'd forgotten about my state of undress. I giggled. And then I really thought about the situation. I had a mini-panic attack, Mason brought me here to regroup and shower, and then I walked in on him about to get into a fight with only a towel on. Goodness. The swift change of events had me feeling light-headed as I sat on Heather's bed.

  "What's wrong?"

  I shook my head, still dazed. "I take it that guy didn't like that you were here?"

  He grimaced and then sighed. "Where are those clothes? I'll feel better when you're dressed."

  "Okay." But I didn't move.

  "Seriously?" He raked a hand through his hair, the little he had with his crew cut. His eyes widened and irritation flashed over them. His shirt lifted from the movement. I caught a glimpse of his abdominal muscles, sculpted with perfection. The oblique muscles had been hardened and stuck out as they disappeared under jeans that hung low on his hips.

  I licked my lips. God, those muscles. I wanted to touch them. I wanted to—his hand caught mine and he hauled me off the bed and into his arms. I found myself staring into heated eyes, lined with suppressed anger and more. A groan escaped me, and I started to close my eyes as my head bent down. I needed him. His kiss before had sparked the flame, but now it raged inside of me. I couldn't bank it down now.

  "Are you two kidding me?"

  Heather's voice was like a bucket of cold water being thrown over us. I shoved back from Mason. I would've pulled him down to the bed. Even if he had protested, I knew that I would've made him forget where we were. Goodness. I drew in a gaping breath as I clutched my towel, the only thing covering me still.

  I croaked out, "Heather."

  She was in the doorway with a fierce frown on her face. Her arms were crossed, but she jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "I brought your food over here, figured you'd need some grub in you." Then she looked at Mason. "I'm sorry about Channing. He's a bit protective of me, and you're…you…"

  He clipped his head in a nod but didn't say a word. As he turned to look out the window, he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

  "So…" Heather watched me now.

  I flushed and grabbed some of her clothes. "I'll put these on and head downstairs."

  She waved at me. "Take your time. I wanted to check on you, didn't realize what I'd be walking in on. But whatever. Logan showed up and filled me in on some things. Your friends are all still there so you're going to be dishwasher again tonight. I hope that's okay."

  Relief washed over me. I nodded, unable to speak for a moment.

  "Frank went home. His wife is coming in. I was going to have you cover a full section tonight, but I get what's going on. Rosa will fill in for you. When things get crazy busy like this, you can go to the back. We'll figure it out as we go. Sound good?"

  I nodded again. It sounded perfect.

  Her eyes lingered on Mason before she looked back to me. Her concern was evident. "You'll be okay for the night?"

  "Yes. I mean it." I did. Determination spread through me. I wasn't going to disrupt anyone else's life because of my issues. "I can sit if I need to in the back."

  Mason turned around, now more in control. He said in a soft tone, "I'll help her too."

  Heather nodded. "I figured you might want to."

  His jaw clenched. His eyes touched on me for a split second, but he turned back for the window. When his tension didn't leave him, I nodded to Heather's unspoken question if he would be alright. She frowned, but left a second later. As soon as she went down the stairs, I shut the door. "What's going on with you?"

  "Nothing."

  "Mason," I sighed. His answer had been short, too short. "I'm sorry that I freaked out before—"

  He swung around. This time he didn't hold back his anger and I was startled from the fierceness of it. "You're sorry? What the hell happened? I never have any idea when you're going to flip out or sprint off for one of those long-ass runs you do. They're not healthy, Sam. I've been quiet for a long time, but you need to start telling me what going on with you."

  "Mason," I started.

  "I mean it." His jaw was clenched tight, and his eyes glittered with emotion. He'd had enough.

  I saw it then and knew that my hiding was done. I slumped down on the bed and hung my head. This was going to be painful.

  I took a deep breath. I was going to need it. "I've been having flashbacks to that night with my mom."

  "Your mom? What night?"

  "The night she lost the baby—"

  His shoulders loosened a fraction, but he remained by the window. "You said she killed her baby."

  I nodded. A storm of emotions swirled inside of me, but I cou
ldn't deal with them, not now. "Yeah, I know. She did, but I didn't know then and I keep remembering it in bits and pieces."

  "Oh."

  I needed to tell him more. I needed to explain it all to him. So I rasped out, "I saw Mark Decraw in the diner and it sent me into a tailspin. I'm sorry. I really am, just the sight of him reminded me of his mom, who might be married to my dad now and…" I drew in a shuddering breath. The pain ripped through me, stabbing me in the gut. "I have no idea if he married her or not. He hasn't reached out to me at all."

  Mason sat beside me on the bed and picked up one of my hands. He held it in his lap. "David's not married to that woman. The divorce isn't even finalized with your mom."

  "Oh."

  I blinked in surprise. I should've known that.

  "Logan told me about that before, but I didn't realize you bought into it. Decraw has no idea about your parent's divorce. He's a dumbass. Don't listen to anything he says."

  "Oh."

  "Was that it?" He frowned at me.

  I couldn't get over how stupid I'd been.

  "Sam."

  "What?"

  He narrowed his eyes and studied me again. One of his fingers tipped my chin up so I was looking him straight into the eyes. I couldn't look away. While his eyes held mine captive, he asked further, "What else happened before? Your dad being a neglectful asshole didn't push you over the edge. You had a flashback again?"

  I nodded. My throat was full as I remembered it all again. I couldn't explain how the reminder of David took me back to the night he had left me again—no, when he left me the first time. I shook my head as tears leaked out. I didn't want to tell him that I called for an ambulance, all on my own, or how I sat beside my mother. I sat in her blood.

  He should've been there.

  That thought raced through me, along with a bolt of anger. My jaw hardened. He should've been there. I shouldn't have had to do that on my own. I'd only been eleven. A goddamn eleven-year-old and I had to call 911 for my mother.

  "What are you thinking right now?"

  The words slipped from me, "It was the first time he left, Mason." My chest lifted. A dull ache started in my gut. "She tried to kill the baby on her own and I found her. I went and looked for him, but he wasn't there. I think," I drew in a deep breath. "I think they had a fight or something. His suitcase was on the floor and his clothes were everywhere. I don't know what happened, but I remembered hearing them before. They'd been fighting. He was going to leave her…" I couldn't finish. I didn't want to remember anymore.

  "You okay?"

  I couldn't tell him anymore. It was too painful. But then I didn't have to. Mason slid an arm underneath my legs and he lifted me again. He folded me onto his lap, and I curled into him. His hand smoothed up and down my back. It was a comforting motion, one that I needed so much, but after we sat in silence for awhile, I needed to pull away. I had to work soon and he couldn't keep holding my hand every time I felt like I was going to break.

  My eyes shot to his, bleak and exhausted. He mirrored what I was feeling. "What was going on downstairs? That guy thought you were here with Heather?'

  He jerked his head in a nod. His body stiffened underneath me.

  "Mason."

  With gentle hands, he deposited me back onto the bed but didn't move away. I was relieved. Instead, he held my hand and rested his arms on his legs. "Heather brought the food over. She'd been here two seconds before he showed up. He went berserk when he saw her and me together. We weren't even on the same couch or anything. She was in the kitchen and I was in the living room, but he saw me in her home and connected the wrong dots together."

  "She told me that he goes to Roussou. It's because of that, isn't it? I know you guys hate that school."

  "There's more to it than that, but yeah, he's from Roussou. He doesn't run with the same crew as the Broudou brothers, but he knows my history with them. I'm sure that's part of it."

  "The Broudou brothers?"

  Mason nodded. His shoulders had filled again with tension. "Yeah, there are three of them. Two are seniors this year, twins, and they have a third little brother in your grade. But all of them hate me."

  "Why you?" Other than the normal high school football rivalry, I meant. I remembered the first night I saw them and knew I'd be moving in with them. Two cars had pulled up and an instant fight exploded, then they lit their cars on fire.

  "Those three hate me because of their sister."

  Blank.

  Uh, what?

  "Huh?"

  He chuckled at my reaction. "Don't worry. Nothing happened with me and her, but that's not what she's told them."

  "So what do they think?"

  "That I met her at a party, slept with her, and never called her back. They think I treated her like trash."

  I blinked again, startled. Mason wasn't always the nicest to girls, but he wasn't known to sleep around. But I knew he hadn't been a monk. "Did you?"

  "No!"

  I held up my hands in surrender at his glare. "I'm sorry. I had to know for sure."

  His eyes narrowed. Instead of the tension leaving him, it increased. "I would never touch a girl like that. She tried to seduce Nate first, but he threw her aside. Then she tried Logan. Even he didn't want anything to do with her. We all knew who she was."

  "When did this happen?"

  "Two years ago. Logan had broken up with Tate, and because that had just happened, I swore off girls. I didn't have a great view of her gender already and then Broudou started saying that I slept with her and dropped her. Her brothers demanded that I do right and date her, but like hell I was going to do that. I wasn't going to do a goddamn thing anyone told me to do. I was sick and tired of people trying to manipulate me."

  Oh god. My forehead fell against his arm. I already knew how he must've handled that. "You didn't kill anyone, did you?"

  He chuckled. The sound of it sounded foreign from the tension in his body. "No, but I wanted to. I wanted to kill her. I'll be honest. After Tate, then her, I had a piss poor opinion of girls."

  I sighed. "What happened after that?"

  "Nothing. She still claims the same story. Her brothers hate me, have hated me ever since. And you know the rest. Things aren't exactly friendly whenever we have any interaction with someone from Roussou."

  And that was the reason for Channing's reaction downstairs.

  "I'm sorry."

  "For what?" He looked down at me. The anger was still brimming within him, but it had softened. "You had nothing to do with that."

  "Yeah, but I always thought you guys were jerks before. I didn't know the history with Roussou, but I judged you before I even knew you."

  A grin curved up from the corners of his mouth. Then he shifted so he could pull me back into his lap. He smiled at me. "Well, you said it before. I am an asshole."

  "But not that time, not with her."

  He shrugged. "I'm not going to let some shady bitch affect me."

  I could've pointed out that she had, but I held my tongue. Mason didn't think of it that way, and I knew if he did, I would have reason to fear what he would do because that girl, whatever her name was, had changed things for him and Logan. I didn't know all of the ramifications, but I had a feeling they went deeper than even he realized.

  "What's her name?"

  "Why?" He shot me a look.

  I smiled at him, to show that I didn't have an agenda. "No reason, but if I run into her, I'll know to go the other way."