by Rye Hart
“Hunter! We love Katie! And somethin’s wrong. We gotta figure out what’s—”
My argument was stopped when Hunter’s fist connected with my jaw. I tasted blood as another swift punch connected with the underside of my chin. I went stumbling backward, bracing myself for another hit before Hunter’s hands planted into my chest. He shoved me out the damn door, my ass hitting the porch as blood trickled from my lip.
“I don’t know what the fuck you guys did to my baby sister, but I’m gonna find out. And if you four fucked her then fucked her over, we’re done. All of us. For good.”
Then he slammed the door and left me lying there on his porch.
My jaw was throbbing with pain as I stumbled to my truck. I slowly made my way back to the resort and came in the back door so I wouldn’t startle the guests. I was making my way to my office as Dylan came around the corner and, once he saw me, it was on like Donkey Kong.
“Caleb. What the fuck happened to you?”
“Don’t ask,” I said.
“Well, I’m gonna. Looks like you got slugged pretty good,” Dylan said.
“Who got slugged?” Andrew asked.
“Caleb got hit?” Wyatt said.
“Were you guys campin’ ‘round the damn corner or somethin’?” I asked.
“What happened?” Dylan asked.
“I went to go talk to Hunter. See if he’d heard from Katie,” I said.
“You fuckin’ didn’t,” Andrew said.
“And y’all call me the stupid one,” Wyatt said.
“Shit. Now Hunter’s gonna come after all of us,” Dylan said. “Why the hell’d you go and do something like that? We’ve got enough going on as it is.”
“Did ya at least leave the relationship part out of it?” Wyatt asked.
“No,” I said.
“Then you’re an even bigger idiot than I thought,” Andrew said.
“Look, we’re not gettin’ anywhere. Dylan doesn’t have headway with Whitney. None of us can get in touch with Katie. Lizzie’s answerin’ her damn door like a pissed off Doberman. Hunter seemed like a fair shot,” I said.
“Think your jaw might tell ya different,” Wyatt said.
“The only thing I can think of is the fact that Lizzie might have somethin’ to do with this,” I said.
“The hell would’ve Lizzie done, though?” Dylan asked. “I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t stand Lizzie. Never could.”
“She was tolerable in high school, but she’s insufferable now,” Wyatt said.
“Caleb’s right. It’s the only theory that makes sense,” Andrew said.
“I have no idea what the fuck she could’ve done, but it’s Lizzie for fuck’s sake. She could’ve done anythin’ to sway Katie’s mind. They’re close,” I said.
“But we can’t prove that or anythin’. For all we know, Katie did think we were a mistake,” Wyatt said.
“I refuse to believe that,” I said. “Not after what we all shared. You saw how she was shakin’. The smile on her face and how happy she looked. That shit can’t be faked.”
“He’s right,” Dylan said. “What we experienced was genuine.”
“Then what do we do now?” Andrew asked.
The four of us stood around, looking at each other with our thumbs up our asses. None of us knew what to do. Katie was right there, and yet she was so far out of reach it made me sick. And if no one was hearing from her—not even Whitney—then it only stood to reason that Lizzie was deflecting everyone.
“The only good thing about you going to Hunter is that now he’ll do whatever he can to get to Katie to talk,” Andrew said. “You know how he gets when he’s angry.”
“Not like he’ll talk to us about how she is,” Wyatt said. “We might have just lost our best friend.”
“Y’all find it weird that not even Whitney’s talkin’ with her?” Dylan asked. “I mean, isn’t that her other best friend?”
“Yeah, I was thinkin’ the same thing,” Wyatt said.
“For now, I think we should all back off,” Dylan said. “Hunter’s on a hotheaded mission and somethin’s goin’ on with Katie. She doesn’t need us constantly knockin’ on her door with Whitney tryin’ to get in touch with her, and Hunter about to bust it down.”
“True,” Wyatt said. “But I wanna know what’s wrong.”
“We all do,” Andrew said. “But we don’t have a choice. All we can do is wait right now.”
“I hate waitin’,” I said. “But I did it for her. And I’m willin’ to do it for her again if she needs it.”
“I don’t think we have a choice in that matter,” Dylan said. “So, until then—Caleb, clean your face up and get some ice on that thing. You’re startin’ to bruise. The rest of us need to get back to work and try to focus on this Charleston build.”
“What’s goin’ on now?” Andrew asked.
“Besides torrential downpours from their wet season? Nothin’,” Dylan said. “Keep your heads down, stop approachin’ everyone, and let’s see what happens after Hunter talks with Katie. ‘Cause we all know he will.”
CHAPTER 37
KATIE
With the help of Lizzie, hiding out was going well. She kept fielding calls from everyone and stopped people from barging into the apartment. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I didn’t want to look Whitney in the eyes and tell her I did exactly what she told me not to do and got played the way she was worried I would. I wasn’t ready to face the brothers yet with the information I’d found out. All I wanted to do was sleep, digest, and allow myself to wallow a bit. I hadn’t given myself time to grieve after ending things with Michael, and my heart hurt more than it could stand.
The sun was overshadowed by the gray clouds hanging low in the sky. A perfect metaphor for how I was feeling. Thunder rolled in the distance, and car horns honked as they rode by the apartment. I knew rain was coming soon, I could smell it. I would enjoy the soothing patter of the rain against the windows.
What I wouldn’t enjoy was the person behind the thunderous knocking raining down against my front door.
“Who the fuck is that now?” Lizzie asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Can you go get it?”
“That’s my job. Be right back,” she said.
I buried myself deeper into my bed and pulled the covers over my head. I closed my eyes as the rain started to fall against the window. The rolling thunder crept closer and closer, silencing the car horns outside as the weather unleashed onto Dallas.
But my brother’s voice could be heard above it all.
“Where the fuck is Katie?” Hunter asked.
“Not in any mood to talk to anyone,” Lizzie said.
“Not your fuckin’ call. Get the hell outta my way,” he said.
“Not a chance. Katie doesn’t wanna talk with anyone, and I’m here to make sure that happens.”
“I’ll pick you up and toss ya outside if it gets me to Katie. Now where the hell’s my sister?”
His voice bellowed through my apartment, already ringing in my ears. Why in the world was my brother so mad? And why was he threatening to lay his hands on my best friend? I threw the covers off my head, slid from bed, and padded out into the room just as Hunter stuck his finger in Lizzie’s face.
“You’ve got two seconds to get the hell outta my way,” he said.
“It’s okay, Lizzie. Hunter can come in,” I said.
Hunter threw Lizzie a disgusted look before shoving right past her. His nostrils were flaring with anger as he headed straight for me. Lizzie slammed the door and ran to my side, stepping in between the two of us. But all it did was make Hunter angrier, and he shoved her out of the way before standing toe-to-toe with me.
“Take a breath, Hunter,” I said.
“You’re gonna talk to me ‘bout what’s goin’ on with you and the Lees right now,” he said.
“Not when you’re like this. Settle down, or get out,” I said.
“I’ll talk to you however I dam
n well please. Have you lost your fuckin’ mind?”
I had no idea how he knew what had happened, but I wasn’t going to talk to him when he was like this. He was an impenetrable wall when he was angry, and I learned a long time ago never to talk to him like that. I also knew that backing down from my brother was also a bad thing because it made him feel as if he had the upper hand. He wasn’t going to bully me into talking nor was he going to treat my friend the way he just had.
“Sit down on the couch and let’s talk,” I said.
“I’ll stand. Thanks.”
“Then calm the hell down, or I don’t say a damn word,” I said.
“Calm down? I’m lookin’ for you to explain why the fuck Caleb showed up at my house preachin’ ‘bout how you quit your jobs because all of you were sleepin’ together.”
“He told you that?” I asked.
“What the fuck’s goin’ on, Katie?”
“What did Caleb tell you exactly?” I asked.
“That they were ‘courtin’’ you, which is Lee brother speak ‘round here for ‘we’re fuckin’ your sister,” Hunter said. “Did you sleep with them, Katie?”
“If I did, why would it be any of your business?”
“Besides the fact that we all grew up together? Because they’re my best friends? And because they can be womanizing assholes?”
I didn’t have an answer for him, so I just held his gaze.
“So, it’s true,” he said. “You were fuckin’ ‘round with them.”
I sighed. “Yes. At first, it was to get over Michael, but it morphed into something more. I care about them, Hunter. I always have.”
I watched my brother clench his fists as his nostrils flared in anger. His face reddened, and he took a step toward me, but this time I backed up. I’d seen my brother in multiple states of anger over the years, but never had I seen him like this. He was livid.
“You’re better than bein’ their little plaything, Katie. There’s a damn reason why I always tried to bat them away from you,” Hunter said.
“Well, you did a shitty job of it, because I’ve loved them all for years.”
“Did you say ‘love’? Katie, the Lee brothers ain’t about love. You got this shit all twisted.”
“Maybe I do, and maybe I don’t. The point is, it isn’t your decision. You don’t get to come in here with your clenched fists and your angry stare and bully me into living my life the way you think I should. I made my choices, and they’ve got nothing to do with you. You don’t get to weigh in.”
“You’re throwin’ your damn life away. Momma would be disappointed in you.”
Before I could catch myself, my hand went flying across Hunter’s face.
“How dare you tell me what Momma would or would not approve of,” I said breathlessly. “Get the hell out, Hunter.”
Hunter clenched his jaw before he turned around and stormed out. I stood there in shock as tears welled in my eyes, my head reeling with the conversation that had just taken place. I hardly had a moment to defend myself, to tell Hunter why I had fallen in love with the brothers and tell him they had all treated me with respect. It was me who had pursued them, not the other way around. But his anger had blinded him so much that he was willing to throw our dead mother in my face to prove his angry point.
And I wasn’t going to stand for it.
“Lizzie, give me my cell phone,” I said.
“Katie, I don’t think—”
“I said now.”
She sighed and closed her eyes but did as I asked. I ignored all the text messages and missed calls, then scrolled through my contacts. My finger hovered over Caleb’s name as I drew a deep breath, then I clicked his number and held the phone to my ear.
“Privacy, please?” I asked.
Lizzie huffed as she walked outside, and the phone didn’t even ring once before Caleb picked up.
“Katie? Are you there? Is that you?”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I asked.
“You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice,” he said.
“Why in the world would you think it was appropriate for you to go tell my brother about all of us?” I asked.
“We’re worried about you, Katie. All of us are. You're holed up in that damn apartment, and we can’t even get to ya.”
“Because I don’t want you to,” I said. “That’s why you can’t get to me. It was not your place to announce that to my brother. Especially when none of us are together anymore.”
“That’s what we can’t understand, Katie. What the fuck’s goin’ on?” he asked.
“You’ve got some serious nerve asking me that question. Did you think I wouldn’t find out what you did to Lizzie? What you did to my best friend? You guys are a piece of work, and I want you to leave me, her, and Hunter alone. For good.”
“Lizzie, what the fuck are you—?”
I hung up on him and tossed my phone onto the couch. My head was throbbing. My heart was aching. And I wanted a drink. Badly. The tears welling in my eyes streamed down my cheeks as I made my way to my room. I didn’t care that Lizzie was outside waiting, and I didn’t care that my phone was already buzzing again. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I didn’t want to see anyone. And I didn’t want to go anywhere.
My dreams had been shattered. My fantasy about the brothers and us living our lives together was gone. I felt like an idiot. A manipulated, selfish little idiot. I poured myself into bed and pulled the covers back over my head, then clutched my chest as I cried.
In the span of a month, I’d had to pick up the pieces of my life twice. And the revelation robbed me of my breath.
CHAPTER 38
WYATT
None of us was getting much sleep. Caleb told us about the brief conversation he had with Katie, and we were all stuck on her comment about Lizzie. Why the fuck would she think we’d done something to Lizzie? None of us had been close to her. Hell, even back in high school when I ran with that crowd, I wasn’t close to her. What we did to Lizzie? None of that shit made sense. But it did set questions running through my mind. If Lizzie was behind all this shit, then she was feeding Katie lies. None of us had done anything to her friend. We hadn’t talked with her much once Katie left. She came around a little bit, looking for some consoling. But she wasn’t none of our types.
Had she told Katie differently?
I was tired of pussyfooting around this issue. It was wreaking havoc on everyone’s life and I smelled Lizzie at the middle of all this shit. We were moping around the damn resort trying to scramble and make up for Katie’s absence when all one of us had to do was get her alone and explain to her the lies Lizzie was feeding her. Dylan was pouting, and Caleb was still angry with a hurt jaw. Andrew was holed up in his office like some grouchy teenager, cussing and angry with everything that went wrong. I was tired of watching my brothers suffer, and I was tired of knowing Katie was suffering from some friend of hers feeding her shit about us that wasn’t true.
I clocked out of work early and headed to Katie’s apartment. I was going get to the bottom of all this shit. I knew Lizzie wasn’t going to let me talk to Katie, but I figured she might talk with me. I drove all the way across town, formulating a plan and making sure my phone would work for something like this. The only way to prove my theory was to test it, and if it went according to plan, I needed to make sure I could record it.
Without Lizzie knowing what I was doing.
The drive to Katie’s apartment was the longest drive of my damn life. Flirting with Lizzie was going to turn my stomach something awful, but I’d loved Katie for too long not to do everything in my power to get her back. I’d waited for her. I’d waited too damn long to have my hands on her, to love her the way she deserved to be loved.
I wasn’t going to let someone who called herself a friend stand in the way of that.
I walked up to the apartment and knocked coolly on the door. And, of course, Lizzie fuckin’ answered. She looked me up and down as she leaned a
gainst the door, then sighed before she shook her head.
“When the hell y’all gonna get the point?” she asked.
“I’m not here to see Katie,” I said.
“Then what the hell ya doin’ here?” she asked.
“I was wondering if we could talk.”
I saw a light in her eyes that made my mind swirl. I was onto something, I knew I was. She was way too happy to let me into the empty apartment that sure as hell wasn’t hers.
I slid my hand into my pocket as I turned toward Lizzie.
“Katie’s going to be gone for a little bit, so we got some time,” she said.
“Where’d she go?” I asked.
“The grocery store. Practically outta everythin’,” she said. “Wanna have a seat?” She sat on the couch and playfully patted the seat next to her.
I pressed the “record” button on my voice recorder, feeling my phone vibrate as it struck up. Then I took my phone out and set it behind the couch cushion on the backside against the wall. Just to make sure I caught her voice.
“Still on call with work,” I said.
“Totally get it. You boys work hard. I admire that,” Lizzie said.
She sat much closer to me than I had anticipated, and her body spray almost choked me stupid.
“All the guys are worried about Katie,” I said.
“Yeah, yeah,” Lizzie said with a sigh.
“But I’m more worried about you. It can’t be easy having to take care of her.”
Her eyes sparkled as her hand drifted over to my thigh.
“That’s real sweet of ya, Wyatt. I hate seein’ her like this. It’s why I offered to stay. I knew her emotional state would get the best of her eventually. She was bottlin’ up all that shit from Michael, and I knew it was bound to explode like this.”
“I’ve known her for a long time, and I am worried ‘bout how she’s feelin’, but I’m also concerned ‘bout how it’s impactin’ you. I mean, what kinda time have ya had to take off work to do this?” I asked.