“And I think he wasn’t alone.”
“You didn’t drive that car for two whole weeks and in that time, it was at home, underground,” Liam starts, eyes narrowed. “How could he have accessed your car.”
That night was the second time I had driven the Camaro since John and Mom’s divorce and then my brother’s death then finally, egging Mia’s car. Other than that, the car was parked in our underground parking lot the whole time. No one has access to it, beside Liam and John.
“Maybe he did it right there at the tracks, when everyone else was concentrating on something else,” I look away. “Say something like a drama queen slapping the shit out of a playboy, for example.”
“Don’t remind me about that. Cupcake has one hell of a swing in that arm.”
“Cupcake?”
“Oh yeah, she hates it when I call her that.” He chuckles, that mischievous glint back in his eyes. “She’s a feisty one, but also savage.”
I stare at him, turning into the private back road that leads up to the house.
“You talk like you’re best friends or something,” I grit out, my chest tight again.
“Bro, she is my girlfriend, besides that, she did visit me very single day at the hospital. She even brought chocolate chip cookies twice.”
He could have bitch slapped me with a banana and I still wouldn’t be as surprised as I am now.
“She did what?” I demand with urgency. I press the button for the underground garage and we start going down.
“Oh shit, I didn’t think you’d go ballistic like this.” Liam suddenly looks weary.
Shit. I look away and try to calm my breathing. After counting from a hundred down to one, I start feeling calm again. We’re parked but neither of us move.
“J, it’s okay to care about her.”
“You never mentioned that this entire week,” I start, my voice low. “Are you now keeping secrets from me with a potential suspect?”
“Listen J,” Liam starts. “The truth is, I didn’t think it was a big deal because I promise you, something happened between her and I that night.”
“What do you mean?” I frown.
“We…shit.” He looks away then runs a hand through his slightly longer hair. “We connected, okay.”
“Explain.”
“It’s pretty hard to explain a connection that’s born in dissing each other.” Liam shakes his head. “But she came to the hospital on Monday, ditching school because she wanted to talk to me about what’s happening. Why would a girl like that do that?”
“Because she doesn’t have friends or maybe she wanted to finish you off.”
“You don’t even believe that and no, she trusts me.”
“Don’t tell me you bought into her fairytale too and trust her right back.”
“You know what, I actually do trust her!” Liam puffs out his chest, then groans in pain. “You should do it too.”
“I’d be shooting myself in the damn foot by trusting her,” I say. Since I’ve net the girl, she’s done nothing but make me distrust everything she does and says.
“Dude, we’ve already established that the recipient of that charming, cleverly placed bomb, was you, not me.” Liam shrugs then moans in pain.
“Take it easy will you.” I grab a bottle of water and pass it to him. “Did they give you a prescription?”
“I refused.” Liam shakes his head, accepting the bottle. “No way am I getting hooked on that shit.”
“Good call.” That eases my mind some, but I know why he did it.
“I know.” Liam says as his phone vibrates with texts, but he ignores them. “So, what’s the plan?”
“Well, it looks like we need to get with Cole and strategize.”
“And Mia.”
“No,” I deny, watching him.
“J, think about it. There’s obviously something there that we’re missing. We need to get to the bottom of whatever connection that asshole has with her.”
I know what he’s saying is right, but—
“Nope, I don’t want to hear your stubbornness right now.” He looks like he wants to knock some sense into me, like I’m the one whose lost my damn mind. “I don’t give a damn whether you agree or not, she matters and she’s central to this shit. Don’t even get me started on the way you look when her name is mentioned.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, sure. Let’s see how long you’ll keep fighting it.”
And with that, he opens the door, getting out of the car like he’s about to step into a rap music video.
“Grab your own shit, will you. You’re still a high-functioning asshole with a smart mouth, I think you’re capable of carrying your own weight,” I call after him.
“Shit, I’m in so much pain. My back, my neck, damn J, take me back to the hospital quick.”
“Fuck you.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll get a good, welcome home fuck from my—”
“If you finish that sentence, I’ll knock your teeth out and send you back to the ER, this time with brain damage that you’ll never recover from.”
The shithead has the audacity to throw his head back and start laughing but only for a little bit before he groans in pain. “Shit, I forgot I’m still so fucking tender.”
“Serves you right. Are you dying yet?”
“Not yet, fool.”
“Well damn,” I grumble, as I grab his bags from the back, then get out of the car.
“But fucking yes!”
“Yes what?”
“To you finally showing some damn passion!” he exclaims. “I was starting to think you’re a freaking metal can with holes everywhere.”
Blinking like a fool, I stare after him as he limps into the house. The fuck.
“Oh, and by the way, we’re going to my welcome home, get well fucking soon bash tomorrow! All of us!”
“Where’s this party?”
“At Jared’s. Can’t wait to see the look on his face when he sees my new girlfriend.”
I swear to God, if he keeps saying that…
“By the way, I heard what Casey did to Mia. Control your girl.”
Huh?
“Heard from who?” I question, following after him.
“This is Palos Verdes, J, drama spreads just as fast as STIs down here.” He shrugs. “Thought you weren’t with Casey.”
“She’s not my girl.”
“Well, you’re shit out of luck with that one, because she’s telling anyone who’ll listen that she’s going to be the next Mrs. Julian Martin Mason Fitzgerald,” Liam taunts, with a chuckle and a look on his face I haven’t heard in a while.
He really is in a good mood.
“Stop full naming me, and second, I don’t give a damn what she tells people. She’s not mine.”
I never claimed her. Never told her useless words of affection that Liam and Cole use to soothe the hurt on the girls they break. I’m straightforward and don’t have any illusions about myself or what I want.
But a certain dark haired, Little Minx on the other hand has me vexed, wound up so tight and angry as fuck.
“You’re a heartless bastard.” Liam laughs behind me as we go.
“Got it from the very best in that particular league.”
“Please, your cold, black heart is in its own fucking league.”
“A league that you’re familiar with, huh, Little Liam? I mean, you’ve been in that dark space before, maybe three years ago?” I mock and he growls. “Old wounds never heal, do they?”
“Shut up!” He throws something at the back of my head, then groans in pain a few seconds later.
“Don’t hurt yourself, lover boy.” I chuckle, relief blooming in my chest.
He’s alive, that’s all that matters. He’s still here with me.
“I’ll hurt you as soon as I’m healed,” he growls, making me laugh all the way down the hall, grumbling curses about my dick all the way to the kitchen. When we get there, we stop s
hort.
John stands there with an almost hysterical looking Nicky behind him. They’re both staring daggers at…
“Mom?” Liam starts with a frown.
Mom turns around to look at us with a cutting smile on her face. She looks too relaxed as she stands there but I can see the gears shifting as she traces our entrance. Dread soaks my bones as soon as I meet her cold, calculated eyes.
Shit.
“Mom?” Liam starts, then glances at me as if to blame me for not telling him that she’s still here. I narrow my eyes at him. This is news for me too.
“Oh, my baby,” she gushes, walking over to where we stand frozen, a glint in her eyes as she moves. Taking in the carnage in the room, I notice Dad’s breathing hard and fast, his jaw locked, and his soon-to-be-wife, Nicky standing right behind him, a terrified look on her face. And Mom, well, she’s smiling.
“I’m so glad that you’re out of that damn hospital,” she starts, going in to hug Liam who stands there like a deer in headlights.
“What are you doing here?” he says, with a frown. “I thought you went back to New York?”
“Oh, I realized that I was needed here far more than I was back home,” she says, patting my cheek with faux fondness that unsettles me for some reason. My mother’s turned into a hard woman in the last three years. It happened over-time of course but the woman standing before me makes alarms blare up in my system. Something’s up.
“What happened to your trip?” I murmur and she smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“You know, I decided to postpone it.” She claps her hands like she’s still the lady of the manor. “I needed time.”
“Time to do what?” Liam chimes in.
“Liam,” Dad starts, walking over to us. “You must be exhausted. I think we should all let you get some rest.”
“No, John, you’re not going to block me from seeing my sons.”
“Yeah, because that’s why you came?” he scoffs.
“Well of course,” she counters. “I have no other choice but to butt in and be proactive in my own children’s lives.”
“Courtney—” Dad starts but Mom cuts him off.
“You don’t have a right to shut me up,” she seethes. “You didn’t tell me about Liam’s accident. And if I’m to guess, that faulty car was your fault for not checking the safety of the vehicles they use!”
“Now you’re just being plain ridiculous, accidents happen,” Dad seethes. “But that doesn’t mean you can come in here and—”
“See, this is my house!” Mom steps closer to him. “My Grandfather bought me this land. Every square inch of this property is mine, not yours. So, you and your skank don’t have the right to throw me out like I’m yesterday’s garbage.”
“Well, the way you act and speak, it’s like you’re yesterday’s—,”
“Stop!”
At the sound of my voice, they all stop and turn to look at me. I’m so angry I can hardly breathe. I glance at Liam, the one who I’ve worked for years trying to shield from their shouting matches, heated arguments and insults. And now, they’re doing it right in front of him.
“Oh, my goodness, babies, I’m so sorry,” Mom starts with a gasp, then grabs her diamond necklace, her face looking forlorn. “I didn’t mean to shout. It’s just your father makes me so mad. Sorry.”
Liam scoffs beside me. “No, you’re not.”
His voice is so flat and dead, like the life that was in him is gone. He has a dead look on his face that makes my blood run cold when he glances at me.
“I know you’re trying to protect me from them, but I’ve known since I was nine how much they fight.”
Fuck.
It feels like a punch to the gut when he says that. I should have realized that Liam would find out eventually just how toxic our parents were, he’s too smart not to notice.
“Liam,” Mom starts, that bravado I saw in her eyes before now gone. “Baby, I…”
“Why are you here Mom?” He curls his lip at her. “You were bitching and moaning about Palos the moment you got here and couldn’t wait to get out, so, why are you still here?”
There’s a moment of silence, then, “With all due respect, Courtney,” Nicky steps in, a fake serene smile on her face. I see where Mia gets it from.
“No one’s talking to you, sweetie,” Mom drawls, her game face back on.
“Hmm, yeah, everything to do with my fiancé is my business, Courtney, so your point is moot,” Nicky counters.
“Moot, huh?” Mom scoffs. “You’d know a lot about moot points and invalid facts and lies, wouldn’t you Nicky Hazel?”
Her voice is calm. Too calm. Liam glances at me but I can’t look away from my mother. Mom takes a step toward Nicky, then she turns around in a circle, arms stretched wide.
“This must be a nice life after the rough one you’ve had,” she starts, a cutting smile on her face. “I built this house, but I see you’re already decorating, changing shit like you’ll last long.”
“Courtney!” John chides, a thunderous look on his face.
“Come on, John,” Mom tsks. “We both know that a marriage built on lies won’t last.”
Where the hell is Mia? My heart’s beating so hard against my chest and all I want to know is where the hell she is because whatever’s about to happen here, it’s going to hurt her.
“I lived a comfortable life, thank you very much,” Nicky defends. “Not that it’s any of your bitter business but I’ve never lied to John.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right. You met in your whoring, gold-digging, condom interchangeable circles, didn’t you?” Mom shrugs. “Well that means he knows everything about you.”
“Courtney, please,” Dad starts. “Are you bitter that I didn’t tell you I’ve moved on from you? That I’ve found a woman I love to marry after our failed attempt at it?”
Mom laughs but it’s scratchy and so damn cringeworthy. “I’m not bitter.”
“Yes, you are,” Liam chimes, in then walks over to the couch and drops down with a huge smile on his face. “You almost had a heart attack when we told you.”
“Liam,” Mom chides.
“Oops, sorry.” He shrugs. “Continue with this highly entertaining Telemundo soap without the opera.”
“Well, I have to admit, I was offended when you didn’t tell me about her, but then I was fine with it.”
“Really?” I start and all eyes shift to me.
“Yes, Julian.” She shrugs. “I realized that I wanted to be on the right side of progress and I wanted to make sure your father would be happy and that you’d both be safe here with…her.”
“I have a name.” Nicky seethes.
“Child, I don’t give a damn about that,” Mom counters. “As I was saying, I wanted to make sure that everything in this house is good, safe and not…moot.”
I glance at Dad, his face is growing red with anger but he doesn’t say anything.
“Well?” Nicky folds her arms. “What’s your point, Courtney?”
“My point is, sweetie, you are a liar,” Mom accuses stepping closer to Nicky with a smile on her face, evil mirth in her eyes. “You’re a phony, a piece of trash and you’ve been lying to that poor girl that abandoned when she was born. What kind of a woman are you? Throwing away a baby in the trash?”
“Holy shit,” Liam exhales, jaw slack.
“Tell them Nicky,” Mom probes, a sinister look on her face. “Tell them how you gave birth that girl you call your niece, then threw her away. Go on.”
As soon as those words are uttered, everything happens in painfully slow motion.
I sense her presence before the glass shatters to the floor. Before her loud, pain-filled gasp fills the overwhelming silence in the room. Before the look of horror on Nicky’s face. Before Liam gets up so fast with outrage on his face.
Before my mother’s face transforms into one of pure, unadulterated bliss at her handy work.
I. SENSED. HER. PRESENCE.
And I’ve never felt so fucking rotten inside.
27
Shards of broken glass surround me and several pairs of eyes are watching me, but I can’t move. I squeeze my palms even harder as I stand there, like a damn fool.
I can see Julian’s mother smiling at me, her eyes hard and so damn cold, it makes the blood in my veins even colder. John can’t look at me. Liam and Julian are silent as they watch me too, their faces expressionless, but my aunt…
“Oh Mia,” she gasps, fat tears running down her cheeks. “I didn’t know you were…”
I squeeze my palms tighter.
“Mia,” my mother who I just wheeled back into the house from the kitchen door when we heard the shouting, croaks behind me, but I can’t move.
“You must be the sick, dying sister,” Julian’s mother start, a fake smile on her beautiful face. “The one who found Mia in the trash?”
I don’t miss the glee in her voice. I don’t miss the cheery smile on her face like she’s not ripping apart what was left of me. I don’t miss the daggers she’s shooting at me, watching my life shatter for everyone to see.
“Courtney just…shut up,” John seethes. “You’ve done enough.”
“Mia,” my aunt…no she’s not my aunt anymore. She’s…
Excruciating pain filters through my body, halting my thoughts. I can’t even think anymore.
“Oh, my sweet baby,” my mother—no, she’s now my aunt—croaks in her wheelchair. I glance at her and can see despair in her eyes.
“This isn’t the way I wanted to tell you—”
And that right there is my confirmation.
It’s all true.
Everything Courtney just said is true.
My aunt…is my mother who dumped me in the trashcan and I was found by my mother who is actually my aunt.
It’s like a wrecking ball just smashed into me, and the pain…
I look up and meet Julian’s gaze, then I feel myself growing faint. Glancing down, I see trails of blood squeezing through my fingers in my right hand. Uncurling it slowly, fascinated and in a trance, I see the base of the glass, jagged and sharp, now with my blood and bits of my flesh.
Gasps and a little scream fill the air.
Meanwhile, I didn’t even know I did this.
Devious Kisses: A Bully Enemies -To-Lovers Romance (It's Just High School Book 1) Page 33