“Yes,” Claire says. We both look at her. “What?” she asks, lifting her brow, her eyes jumping between Austin and me. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Austin puts his smoke between his lips before shoving his hands into his pockets as he leans against the fridge.
Claire continues, “Kat, your guy has money. You don’t think a successful businessman like him doesn’t know people? Bad people?
“He’s got a bodyguard, and I’m sorry, but he’s borderline crazy. I mean, we all saw him beat the shit out of that dude at Red just because he touched your ass. He’s nuts over you.
“Remember him showing up to whatever the name of that club was…” She snaps her fingers, trying to recall the name.
“The Mint,” Austin says, talking past the smoke between his lips.
“Yeah,” she says. “And don’t pretend like we all didn’t stand there and watch him almost take Cain’s life himself. You don’t think he’s capable of hiring someone to take out a man who’s a danger to his girl?”
My eyes stay on my best friend. Every single word she’s saying is nothing but facts. I’ve been asking myself all of these questions, but the cold truth is, I’ve known the answers the whole time.
I swallow, my heart beating erratically.
“But I’m glad,” Claire says. Austin looks over at her. “He took care of Cain. I never have to see that sick fuck again and I’m grateful. I hope that whoever Bryce hired, whoever that guy was, and his buddy Sweep knew what they were doing, and we can all forget about this shit.”
My eyes go to the floor, my heart holding its head down in sadness.
You know when a person has had enough? When all reason and right no longer matter.
Cain took a bullet to the head by some guy who’s what we all assume a hired killer and Claire is glad.
None of us say anything. What the hell can we say?
“We take this to our grave,” Austin says, pushing off the fridge. “This is our secret. Our sick, twisted, fucking secret. I have a lot of questions, and I can’t say I’m not worried that you’re mixed up with a guy like this, Kat, but he did us all a favor.” He looks at Claire. Her face is filled with an emotion I can’t touch. It’s only for Austin.
My heart looks up, feeling as though we’re intruding on a special moment.
Someone knocks on the door, interrupting us all.
I move from the counter, but Austin says, “Wait.”
I turn my head back to him.
“Agree on it. Right now, we all agree on it.”
I look between my two closest friends. “To the grave,” I say.
“Me, too.” Claire nods. “To the grave.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Bryce
The girls are taken back as soon as we arrive at the doctor’s office. I sit in the waiting room while Austin smokes a cigarette outside. The boy has hardly said two words to me. I know they’re thinking what the hell kinda of world did they step into.
None of them asked for this. If we would have just called the cops, then we’d have nothing to hide. But I’m not going to lie and pretend like I’m not glad that motherfucker is dead.
In some way, I feel like retribution was done. I didn’t get to kill Saw, but I did get to wrap my hands around a rapist’s throat, and I did get to watch him die.
I got a text from an unknown number when I woke this morning that read done.
I erased it as soon as it came, got up, and went to hit off some stress. My thoughts shifted like the wind. Going over everything that happened last night. Knowing I’d have to explain myself to my girl. She isn’t going to let any of this go, and I don’t blame her. She’s been through pure hell these past couple of days. Last night, when we were in the elevator, I saw something in the reflection of her eyes.
A fleeting glimpse of her soul she’s been hiding from me. She hasn’t given me everything, like I have her, but that’s changed. Kat may have questions, she may get pissed the fuck off at the answers, but she isn’t going anywhere.
We’re one now.
We’re the same.
She wanted Cain gone, just like I did. Just like every single person in that room last night did.
It’s done now.
It’s over, and after we leave this doctor’s office, we’ll all be able to move on.
Austin comes inside, bringing in a frosty breeze. The room is empty. No one is here but the staff, and I’ve paid this man enough to make sure everyone stays quiet about this whole visit.
He sits across from me, one boot-covered ankle over his knee, smelling like smoke and hard work.
He doesn’t say anything to me. I owe him nothing, but something urges me to let him know. If I were him, I’d want to be sure.
“It’s done,” I say quietly.
Austin looks up at me, not reacting at first. But then, like he’s accepted what is, he lifts his chin and nods.
After that, we don’t speak. We sit together with only the soft hum of the whipping wind outside the door. We shift in our seats and pretend like we’re reading a stupid magazine, and then finally the girls come out from the back. Kat’s wrists have been rebandaged, but both of their faces look the same. Swollen, blue, and dark purple.
Claire darts her tongue out, feeling her busted lip. Austin stands up. She looks at him before looking at me hesitantly. Like she’s not sure she should say what she’s about to with me here.
I rub the back of my neck, about to say that I’ll be in the car. I’m feeling like an outsider among these three friends, but Claire speaks first. “I’m pregnant,” she says, her attention back on Austin.
My head jerks to Kat who looks conflicted.
“What?” Austin says. I can see the wheels spinning inside his head. Claire was just raped by Cain, but there’s no way in hell she could be pregnant by him. These two have been sleeping together.
Kat walks closer to me, and just the rub of her arm against mine calms my nerves.
I don’t think she understands how much I need her.
Want her.
All of the time.
When I got home and she was gone, I was pissed. I almost broke my fucking phone, but then I found her note.
She’d left a heart, which did shit to me.
I’m crazy for the girl.
She looks up at me as Claire and Austin stand, not saying a word.
And like the sun has broken free from the clouds, shining its light on so much darkness, Kat smiles at me. Not all teeth, not soul-shattering, but just enough to assure me that this is all going to be all right.
Proving what I thought to be true. She’s not going anywhere.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kathrine
After my wrists are bandaged and I’ve been checked to make sure my shoulder and face are okay, I stand outside of the room I know Claire’s in, waiting for her to come out. The nurse opens the door, giving me a sympathetic smile.
“She wants you to come in,” she says. I narrow my eyes as she walks past me. I push the door open and find Claire sitting on the bed with something in her hand. My eyes go down to it, and I realize quickly what it is.
My best friend looks up at me, guilt-ridden and half-happy.
“Claire?” I question, my attention jumping back on her.
She licks her bottom lip, and her eyes leave me. “I haven’t been completely honest with you,” she says.
I look back at the test, almost frozen in place. Claire’s not one to sleep around. She also hasn’t told me she’s been sleeping around.
I cross my arms, careful of my bandages.
“Austin and I…” She stops herself. “You know how I feel about him. You know I’ve been in love with him for a while.”
“Yeah,” I say, trying not to smile. Is she about to confirm what I think?
She nods. “Whenever Cain showed back up and I started staying over at Austin’s, things changed between us.” A light shade of pink spreads over the good side of her face. “I tried to fight it
. I didn’t want to complicate our friendship, and I was scared it might ruin it. Also, there’s my family to consider. My brothers and dad.” She rolls her eyes. “We’ve been keeping it really quiet.”
“Really?” I ask sarcastically.
She looks at me, fighting her own grin. “Anyway, none of that matters now. I’m pregnant, and it’s his.”
“Oh, Claire,” I say, my hand covering my mouth, trying to hold back the enormous grin I have.
My two best friends are going to be parents together. They love each other, and I couldn’t be happier. My heart does backflips and dances like no one’s watching.
“Are you mad?” she asks.
“Nope. I’ve been in my own world, Claire. I’m sorry I haven’t paid closer attention. You two are perfect for each other. I’ve thought it since the day you told me you loved him.”
She exhales. “I’m so glad to hear you say that.”
I walk over, and she stands up on sore thighs. We hug tightly. “I love you,” I say. “Life’s going to be good for us. From here on out.”
She sighs. “I love you, too. You’re the sister I never had.”
“You’re the family I’ve never had,” I say, hugging her tighter, and for some reason, I start to cry. I cry because I’m happy. I cry because we’re lucky to be alive. I cry because my best friend has something amazing about to happen to her. Out of all this shit, we get to have a happy ending.
And the biggest reason I’m crying? I’m happy to be me, and I’ve never felt that way before.
I’ve found a love that compares to no other. I’ve found a family that makes me forget about the one I never had.
Life’s full of shit, man. But moments like this…they make it all worth it.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Bryce
After Claire revealed the news to Austin about her being pregnant, we four got back into my car and headed inside the girls’ apartment. Claire and Austin went to her room, and Kat and I went to hers.
The sound of the door clicking shut behind me signals that we are alone. Kat slips her Converse off and lies down on her bed.
I walk over and sit down at the end. Resting my forearms on my spread knees, I clasp my fingers together and look down at the floor.
Tension builds as we say nothing, but man, if we could hear what the other was thinking.
I grow tired of the silence, so I twist my neck and look at her. She’s lying with one arm behind her head. Her other hand rests on her stomach.
“Ask,” I say.
Her eyes move from the ceiling to me. She looks hesitant, like she isn’t sure she wants to know the answers, but doesn’t she already?
No, I haven’t told her anything, but the truth is in my actions. It’s easy to see if you’ve been paying attention.
I’d do anything for her.
Abruptly, she sits up, her hair falling around her face. She makes no move to put it behind her ear.
“You hired that man to kill Cain.” She doesn’t ask. She says it with the hopes that I’ll confirm.
I do. “Yes.”
She nods, which is not what I was expecting, but what I prefer. I don’t want to fight with her. Not when she looks like she’s been through the fight of her life. Not when I feel like I have.
The thought of Cain putting his hands around her throat makes my muscles tense and my blood pump harder.
“How do you know him?”
“Danny?” I ask.
“I never heard his name,” she says.
I nod. “His name is Danny O’Brien. People call him Bones. I don’t know why, but I’m sure there’s a reason. Just like the boy he called Sweep. His name is Johnny. I’m assuming they call him Sweep because he’s the cleanup man. He sweeps up the mess.
“Ben grew up with them in New Jersey. They came through here a while back, and Ben suggested I hire them to take care of Cain. I did, but somehow, he got help and ended up back here.”
“They cut his throat,” she says.
“Yeah.”
She exhales. “What were they doing here?”
“They came back to finish the job,” I reply. “I paid them a lot of money.”
“That’s not what I meant. What were they doing here the first time?”
I sit up, pulling my shirt away from my belt loop, realizing this is it. I can continue to lie and have her believe I’m who she thinks I am, or I can be honest.
I know she’s going to be pissed, and I can’t say I blame her. If she was hiding a secret like the one I am, I’d be pretty mad, too.
This isn’t an I snuck out and had a few beers with the guys kinda shit. This is I’m doing something illegal. I have been and I’m not going to stop.
She could leave me for this.
Am I willing to take that chance?
I look down at the floor, her rug a swirl of dark burgundy and turquoise.
“Bryce,” she says.
Fuck, I’m not sure what to do here. I stand up and lean my head back, my eyes going to the ceiling.
“We said we wouldn’t keep things from each other.” Her voice slices through my thoughts. My struggle with telling her the truth. If she leaves me, I’ll be broken. More so than I already am.
“I know,” I say. I shut my eyes briefly. It’s now or never.
If we get deeper into this without her knowing who I really am, what I really do, then it will all be a lie.
I can’t have us build a life together and keep her in the dark at the same time.
I have to trust that she can handle it.
“I’ve owned Red for many years now,” I say.
“I know this,” she replies.
I hold up my hand, stopping her from interrupting me.
She clamps her mouth shut. Once I’m sure she isn’t going to start talking, I continue.
“Growing up, I used to go to the Kentucky Derby a lot. With Pops owning a horse ranch and all, and you know I have a few racehorses myself.
“I became fascinated with all of it. The rush and excitement. The gambling. People come there from all over and lose pounds of money.
“And some come and win more than they could have dreamed. I learned the ins and outs of all of it, and after Red started getting successful, I got an idea.
“I wanted the fun and excitement to be where I was.”
She narrows her eyes, not fully getting what I’m saying.
“I struck up a deal with the restaurant owner next door.”
“The one I went to on my birthday?” she asks.
I nod, thinking back on the memory of her there with another man. The feeling of wanting to rip his fucking throat out makes my digits twitch in my pockets.
I was jealous.
I took control of the situation pretty quickly, though. Finding out where she’d gone wasn’t that hard. I’d had Ben follow her as soon as she left the restaurant. Once I ditched my date and convinced my brother to do the same, we took off to the abandoned building turned into a rave club.
She was drunk, but so goddamn gorgeous, I could hardly stand it. She gave in to me so easily, because like me, she had it bad, too.
I look at her now. Even bruised and banged up, she still kills me. She clears her throat, possibly thinking back on the memory also. The look on her face when I took her back to Red and all my staff sang “Happy Birthday” to her.
I’ll never forget that look.
Not as long as I live.
She was mine then and didn’t even know it.
“So, you and the restaurant struck up a deal?” she asks, wondering where the hell I’m going with this.
Where was I?
Damn, she distracts me. How will I survive if she decides she doesn’t want to be involved in all of this?
I remove my hands from my pockets and run one over my head. “He would get forty percent. I’d take full blame if anything was to go down.
“Once the agreement was made, I turned his and the basement below Red into a casino. That’s how I
met Bones. He and his crew were playing poker. The guy you saw on the news a while back, the one who got murdered, he was playing with Bones. He was cheating, and they don’t take too kindly to cheaters.”
I’m not sure why I’m telling her all of this. I mean, she doesn’t need to know every detail, but I don’t want it coming up later and give her a reason to call it quits.
“What?” she shakes her head like she’s trying to understand what I just said. “Are you kidding me?”
I slide my hands back into my pockets. “No.”
“You own a casino, and it’s been under my feet this whole time?”
“Yes.”
She stands up from the bed and starts pacing. “Bryce, you’re mixed up with mobsters and illegal gambling.” She pulls her fingers through her hair with wide eyes before she links them on top of her head. “You’ve been keeping this from me. You’ve been lying to me for how long now?”
“I haven’t lied to you.”
“Oh, excuse me. You just haven’t told me.”
I sigh, trying to figure out what to say here. Trying not to fuck this all up.
“You know I should have known. You kept your mom locked up in your house for days, keeping it from Jace. Hell, he didn’t even know you knew where she was. If you’d keep something like that from family, then why wouldn’t you have secrets from me?”
I step toward her. “I didn’t do this to hurt you, K. I did it to protect you. I didn’t know how far this relationship was going to go, and I didn’t want you involved if anything were to go wrong.”
She looks at me for a moment before looking to the floor.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” I tell her. “You were right to question my earnings from Red. I do very, very well from Red, but I make enough money from the basement to outlast generations after me.”
She doesn’t say anything. Her facial expression reads shocked, but I also see distrust swimming back into the picture, and that’s what bothers me.
We’ve come far, I don’t want this to set us back. She’s finally opened up to me. She’s finally given herself to me.
Give Me Perfect Love (Give Me Series Book 2) Page 18