#Heart (Hashtag #6)

by Cambria Hebert

  I felt Romeo’s stare even though my back was to him.

  “I want to hear,” I said. “I’m just cold.”

  It was a lame lie. An excuse for the way I was clinging to him all of the sudden.

  B rubbed his palm up my arm briskly, as if to generate some heat. I felt him lean forward and snag the blanket off the back of the couch, then spread it over me.

  “You want Rome?” he murmured.

  “I want you right now,” I said.

  He seemed a little surprised at that but didn’t say anything, just tucked his arm around me and then reached for Ivy’s hand with his other.

  “I never wanted to talk about this.” He spoke to everyone in the room. “But I guess now I don’t really have a choice.”

  No one said a word. They just waited as if they too were unsure if they wanted to hear.

  “I watched that BMW flip over three times.” His voice turned throaty, like he was battling a bad case of laryngitis. “God, we were both driving so fucking fast. I couldn’t back off. He had Ivy, for Christ’s sake. But me being there seemed to push him to the edge, and the next thing I knew, he was pointing a gun at her.”

  Drew made a sound, but I didn’t look up. I just listened.

  “I’ll never forget what it was like to hear that gunshot, see the car swerve, and then watch it get mangled as it literally bounced and rolled through the field. When I finally made it to the wreckage, I was out of my mind. I called out to Ivy and she didn’t answer…” I felt his throat work as he swallowed. “I thought she was dead.”

  “I wasn’t,” Ivy said.

  Braeden shook his head and continued. “No, you weren’t, but you were in bad shape. I honestly thought pulling her out of the car was going to kill her. And the gas was leaking. I saw it the minute I ran up to the car. I knew the car was going to blow up. After seeing it take such a beating and then smelling the gas, I knew it would light up.”

  “But you pulled her out anyway,” Drew said.

  “Of course I did. I’d have died trying to get her out of that car,” Braeden said. “I carried her pretty far away, closer to the road. I didn’t want her to get hurt when it did blow. She was in and out of consciousness, so yeah, I stayed with her a few minutes, trying to make sure she was still breathing.”

  “And you called 9-1-1,” Ivy added.

  “Yeah, and gave them a location. I thought Zach was dead. But honestly, I didn’t even care. I was too worried about Ivy. A few minutes later, I heard him yelling.”

  Ivy nodded, and B jerked. “You heard him call out?”

  “Yes, I heard him,” she replied.

  “Did you go back to the car?” Trent asked.

  “Yeah, I went back. Zach was trapped by the seat belt or something in the driver’s seat. He was struggling to get free,” Braeden said, his voice taking on a new tone. A rougher sound. “He asked me to help him. Said he didn’t want to die.”

  “You tried to help him?” Drew asked.

  I felt Braeden’s intake of breath. The way he steeled himself for his response. “No, I didn’t. I stood there and hated him. All I saw when I looked at him was all the shit he’d done to us over the past year. The way he tortured Rimmel, how he broke Rome’s arm. He fucking raped Ivy and let her think she’d just made a drunken mistake. I’d just seen him hit her. Pull a gun on her. And now she was lying feet away, barely alive.”

  His words brought a sullen, heavy blanket over the entire room. Zach had been a terrible person. He’d hurt so many people.

  “Zach knew before I did I wasn’t going to pull him out. He told me it was murder.”

  Romeo sucked in a breath behind me.

  “I told him he deserved it. And so help me God, to this day, I still think he did. If I had pulled him out of that car, he’d be somewhere right now plotting revenge, thinking up new ways to hurt us. We’d all be looking over our shoulder, and Ivy… she’d have to look at the man who violated her in the worst possible way.”

  “B,” Romeo said, responding to the despair in his best friend’s voice.

  I looked at Ivy. Her face was pale and her hand was pressed over her stomach. “We wouldn’t have been safe,” she said.

  The way she was holding her middle…

  “The car was on fire already.” Braeden went on. “I knew it was going to blow. So I walked away. I barely made it to Ivy before it exploded.”

  So that was it. That was the entire truth of that night.

  “And now you know,” Braeden said. “I’m a murderer.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Romeo

  My best friend just announced he was a murderer.

  And my girl was cuddled up in his lap. She was upset with me. I failed to see how that made any kind of sense.

  Honestly, though, that was the least of my worries right now. I’d make whatever it was with Rim right. And if she needed comfort from Braeden, then she could have it. Besides, I think he needed it just as badly.

  “You said the car was on fire when you went back for Zach,” Trent said.

  “So?” Braeden replied.

  “So even if you tried to pull him out, it could have blown up and then both of you would be dead,” Ivy surmised.

  Braeden started shaking his head like they were making excuses for him.

  “You’re not a murderer, man,” I said.

  He looked at me sharply. “You were pissed off. You hated Zach. Fuck, we all hated him. So you stood there until it was too late to pull him out.”

  “It was a conscious decision.” Braeden cut in.

  “Who the fuck cares?” I said.

  Rimmel’s body tightened. Ah. That was the problem. She didn’t like this cold, immoral side of mine.

  “Seriously, man,” Drew said. “I’m glad you let him burn. After what he did to my sister?” He shook his head. “I’d have done the same thing.”

  “Me, too,” Trent echoed.

  “I just remember feeling so relieved when I knew he was gone,” Ivy admitted. She wasn’t as bold as us guys with her truth, but I knew she meant it.

  Braeden looked at her. “You knew this whole time?”

  “Knew what?”

  “That I left him there?”

  Her eyes softened. “Yeah, I knew. I was out of it that night, like you said, but I heard Zach screaming, and I saw you walk away from the car.”

  “You never said a word.” His voice held a note of awe.

  “Because I never cared. It’s not like you killed him in cold blood, B. It was basically self-defense. And besides, as Robert was so quick to point out, I’m just as responsible as you.”

  “Don’t you fucking say that.” His voice was vehement.

  “It’s true, though.”

  “He was going to shoot you.”

  “He was going to shoot you, too,” she fired back. Ivy glanced at me. “Zach told me so. And he hated you, Romeo.” Her eyes filled with tears. “He probably would have come for you next.”

  “It was him or us, B. You chose us. Your family,” I said.

  “I’d do it again,” Braeden admitted. “I can’t say I’m proud of that, but it’s the truth.”

  What a fucking nightmare of a position he’d been in. Would I have done the same? Probably, but I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t killed him the night he strung up Rimmel and broke my arm even though I’d been tempted. The truth was—

  Braeden cut off my inner thoughts. “Not everyone can be as controlled as you, Rome. Some of us are human.”

  How the fuck did he know what I was thinking? And where did he get off implying I wasn’t human?

  I bolted up out of my chair, kinda offended. “I never passed judgment on you,” I growled.

  “No. But I know you wouldn’t have done what I did. I’m not made like you. I got a dark side.”

  This wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have in front of everyone. Especially Rimmel. I shook my head and looked up at the ceiling.

  “Robert’s a good lawyer. He knows how to build a
case. He’s gonna try and pin this on you, B.” I glanced at Ivy, and her mouth flattened. She knew Robert would come for her, too. I didn’t say it out loud. I was afraid it would push B over the edge.

  “We gotta make sure it doesn’t stick,” Trent said.

  “None of this goes beyond these walls,” Drew said. “As far as all of us know, there was no time for B to get Zach out.”

  “There wasn’t,” Ivy spoke up. “Braeden would have died trying.”

  Drew nodded. “Exactly. No one else needs to know anything else.”

  Braeden made a sound. “None of you care?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Did you think we would turn our backs on you?”

  “No,” he said decisively. “But this isn’t like the time I broke the coffee pot and pretended it wasn’t me and no one said anything.”

  “That was you!” Rimmel gasped and sat up to glare at him. “I thought I was the one who broke it!”

  “Baby…” I was amused. “We all knew it was B. You didn’t?”

  “No!” she declared. “I felt horrible about that for days!”

  Braeden laughed. “Sorry, tutor girl.”

  “Why would you think you broke it?” I tried to hide my grin. Goddamn, she was so innocent.

  “Because I’m clumsy! And because you gave me money to go buy a new one. I thought you were just trying to make me feel better.”

  Everyone laughed. Rimmel scowled. “I just wanted some coffee,” I said.

  Braeden patted her shoulder. “Sorry, sis. Next time I’ll come clean when I break something.”

  Rimmel growled under her breath, and I wanted to snatch her out of B’s lap and kiss her. I was starting to get irritated she was still sitting there. B had a girl.

  Maybe I’d just give him a taste of his own medicine.

  “Look. Point is. Breaking a coffee pot and not pulling a guy out of a burning car is a lot different,” Braeden said, his voice a lot more normal. Like the weight of that night wasn’t so heavy anymore.

  “We’re with you,” Ivy said and glanced at everyone.

  We all nodded.

  Braeden looked down at Rim. She nodded as well.

  He blew out a shaky breath. “Yeah, okay.” His eyes found mine. “So what do I do?”

  “Robert isn’t going to go away.” Trent spoke up. “I’ll see what else I can find out about him at the frat. Zach’s old buddies still talk about him and the drama. We can use all the upheaval in his life to discredit his accusations.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. That’s good.”

  “But what if he finds some kind of proof?” B wondered.

  “He’s not going to,” Ivy said. “There isn’t any.”

  “I’ll call my dad. He’ll know how to handle Robert,” I added.

  Everyone nodded.

  “Everyone keep your mouth shut. Trent, do some digging on campus,” I ordered. “Meeting adjourned.”

  I went over to the couch and grinned down at Ivy. “I’m suddenly in the mood for a drink. Care to share your juice, princess?”

  “Hit me.” She held up her glass.

  I pulled her off the couch, and she swayed on her feet. “Whoa.” I anchored my arm around her, and she leaned in to me.

  “Okay?”

  She nodded swiftly.

  Braeden’s eyes were narrowed and watching us. I wasn’t sure if it was concern ‘cause she was unsteady or jealousy because I was touching his girl.

  I smiled and decided to find out.

  “Come on, princess. Your chariot awaits.” I bent down and gave her my back.

  She looked at me like I had three heads.

  “Not getting any younger here,” I intoned.

  She leapt on my back, and I straightened, hooking my arms beneath her legs to give her a piggyback ride into the kitchen.

  “What the fuck is this shit?” Braeden growled, setting Rim aside.

  I gave him a smug, toothy grin and started off with Ivy.

  “I know what you’re doing!” he yelled after us.

  “Getting juice?” I called back.

  Ivy giggled. “Pissed you off, did he?”

  I grunted. “Just a little payback.”

  In the kitchen, I turned so my back was against the island, and I lowered Ivy a bit so she could sit on the counter. Once I had the juice, I poured her some and then took a large gulp out of the container.

  “Roman Anderson!” Rimmel said, and I lowered the jug and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

  “Future Mrs. Anderson?”

  She forgot about me drinking out of the carton and smiled. “I’m going to take a shower.”

  “Want some company?” I asked.

  “Dude, you’re an ass,” B said, coming into the kitchen.

  I handed him the OJ carton. “Peace offering?”

  He shrugged and took a drink.

  “I give up,” Rimmel muttered and turned to leave.

  “Now I need a new a new juice,” Ivy complained.

  Braeden lowered the half-gallon and belched. Loudly.

  I high-fived him. “Way to make it quake.”

  Drew and Trent shuffled in the room to the coffee. “That was a ten-point-O on the Richter scale!” Trent called out, then went back to talking about car parts with Drew.

  “I have to go,” Ivy groaned and held out her arms. “I need down.”

  Feeling devious, I stepped forward to help her, and B slapped his hand on my chest. “Don’t push me,” he uttered.

  I chuckled.

  Braeden lifted Ivy off the counter and set her on her feet, tugging on the end of her ponytail. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “I have a doctor appointment.”

  All eyes shifted to her.

  Braeden frowned. “What’s the matter?” I watched him reach for her wrist, and his eyes widened. So he knew about the bruises. I figured she couldn’t hide them forever.

  “Is your wrist bothering you? Hasn’t been that long since you got the cast off. Was it—”

  “No!” Ivy hurried to say before he could finish. “I’m fine. It’s just my last follow-up from all the appointments I had after the accident.”

  “I thought you were done with those,” Drew said, a frown in his voice.

  “After today I will be,” she chirped.

  “I was gonna workout, but I’ll drive you. Workout later,” B said.

  “No, I can drive myself. I have to go to class afterward.”

  “Sure?” he asked.

  “Mm-hmm.” She agreed. “I gotta go get my boots.”

  Braeden watched her go, and I slapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll workout with ya, B.”

  He nodded.

  “You guys wanna hit the gym?” I asked Trent and Drew.

  “Can’t. Gotta get to the day job.” He sounded so un-thrilled I laughed.

  “I have class.” Trent sounded equally as horrified.

  “How’s the driving going?” I asked Drew.

  He shrugged. “It’s a tough crowd. The indie circle is pretty tight. But I’m holding my own.”

  “Never any doubt,” I said.

  Trent shifted, and I thought I sensed a little tension there. I wondered what that was about. I didn’t ask, though. All my focus was on B right now.

  “I’m gonna go change, bug Rim, and then we’ll go.”

  “You drive. My truck’s running like shit.”

  Another byproduct of Zach, I thought.

  Even dead, the guy was causing everyone problems.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Rimmel

  He was standing against the bathroom counter. Hip aligned with the edge of the granite, foot propped up over the other, arms crossed over his chest.

  He still wasn’t wearing a shirt, and at this point, I was convinced he did it on purpose. He knew the effect he had on me, and he was totally using it to his advantage.

  Blue eyes watched me like I was the main attraction at some in-demand show. They watched me with azure fire, like the hot
test part of a flame.

  I opened the glass shower door and stepped out, clutching the white towel around my body and holding it closed at my chest. My hair was wet and dripping. I had to condition it twice just to be sure I could comb it. I’d already towel-dried the ends before I stepped out of the shower, but they still dripped down my back.

  I wasn’t wearing my glasses, so the room was slightly blurry. But I didn’t mind. It gave me an excuse not to focus on the man watching me.

  Instead, I grabbed my wet-to-dry brush and started at the ends of my hair. It was difficult to brush it out and hold the towel around me at the same time. Normally, I’d just drop the fabric, but I couldn’t just then.

  It wasn’t that I was uncomfortable. Romeo had seen me naked so many times it was almost normal by now. He knew my body almost as well as I did. After all, he spent a lot of time exploring it.

  It was the intimacy, the vulnerability.

  I didn’t feel like I could handle that right this second. I was still feeling a little raw and kinda confused.

  Romeo didn’t say a word, and neither did I.

  For long seconds, he watched me awkwardly hold on to the towel and the brush until a grunt forced its way out the back of his throat. He unfolded his arms and pushed off the counter. His body was warm when he moved behind me and gently took the brush from my grasp.

  I gave it to him and clutched at the towel around me with both hands.

  He started at the bottom. Wet, it reached a little farther than halfway down my back. I probably should have gotten it cut—it was way too much to deal with—but I hadn’t wanted to bother.

  And now with the wedding coming up, I thought the length might be nice.

  He was a lot kinder to my hair than I was. Either that or the long, tangled strands were just as affected by the sight of him without a shirt. The brush slid through easily, gliding through the length like it wouldn’t dare give Romeo a hard time.

  Traitor.

  I watched him through the mirror. I studied the way his large, muscular body looked just behind mine. I was so much smaller, so much paler, and so much… less.

  Romeo was everything.

  His blond hair was a shade you couldn’t get out of a bottle, the perfect tone, the perfect amount of gold and light. He’d been running his fingers through it all morning. I knew because of the way it stuck out in odd places, curling out and waving around the tops of his ears. A strand of it fell over his forehead, and it only served to make him look more attractive.