“Doubt it,” she grumbles. “You got your acceptance letter ages ago.”
“Yeah, but that was for a scholarship program. That’s different.”
I roll my eyes as I consider her. “Why don’t you give it until halfway through the summer and then if they haven’t gotten back to you, then talk to the community college.”
“Fine,” she groans, drawing out the sounds.
“What else is going on?”
Tully’s eyes cut away from mine and I narrow my gaze on her, suspicion instantly falling all over me. “What?” I demand as a grin plays on my lips. “You have something juicy, don’t you?”
She rolls her eyes and I’m quick to turn back to Ari. “Juicy isn’t the right word,” she tells me, “but ever since we saw Lacey at Rivers’ place…well, I’ve kind of been thinking about doing something?”
“What do you mean?”
“I was…shit. No. Don’t worry about it. It’s stupid.”
“No way. You’re not stopping there. What’s going on, Tully?”
She lets out a deep sigh and it’s clear that she’s conflicted about something, but for the life of me I can’t seem to work it out. Usually, when it comes to Tully Cage, I can read her like a map, but right now, she’s completely closed off and it’s confusing the crap out of me.
Tully leans back on her hands and considers something for a short moment before finally giving in and easing my racing mind. “I was thinking about maybe asking Lacey if she wanted to help me fix up Rivers’ place.”
My brows dip down. “How do you mean ‘fix it up?’ Like give it a good scrub or like put that hunk of shit back together?”
"I, uh…don’t really know. Maybe somewhere in the middle. I was thinking more along the lines of giving it a fresh paint, replacing the cracked glass, and shampooing the old carpets to try and get that damp smell out of it. I might put up a few curtains so you can’t see in from the street and maybe Noah would be happy to help fix the leaks in the roof so the water would stop getting in.”
“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”
“Well…yeah. I know he’s not here at the moment, but one day he will be and I don’t like the thought of him living like that. It’s so…broken. Surely that place wouldn’t feel like home to him. I just want to make it feel nice, like somewhere he doesn’t need to feel ashamed of.”
I put my arm around her and draw her into my side. “He has no freaking idea how lucky he is to have a girl like you.”
“Don’t get any ideas,” she warns. “Me and Rivers are through romantically. I’m just a friend doing something nice.”
“Uh huh.”
“Serious. He made it clear that nothing could happen between us. He even joined the military in hopes that I would be able to move on.”
“True, but don’t forget that he had other reasons to join. He needed to get away from the memory of Gina and Anton breathing down his throat. It’s not like you were the only reason he left, so you can’t keep putting that weight on your shoulders. Besides, you saw how he was when he came home from boot camp. That wasn’t exactly the image of a guy who wanted you to forget about him. He couldn’t get enough of you.”
“No, that was a man realizing it could be a very long time before he sees a naked woman again and he took complete advantage. If he didn’t want to be together then he never should have let me get into bed with him.”
“You’re saying that after all this time you regret it now?”
Tully scoffs. “No. it was fucking incredible. I mean, Rivers knows how to move his body in ways that other guys his age simply couldn’t even begin to understand. With him, it’s mind blowing. I just-”
“Come on,” I groan, cutting her off. “Can you at least try to remember that this is my brother you’re talking about?”
Tully continues as though I hadn’t even spoken. “I just hate the way I was left feeling after he got in that taxi, you know? I can’t help wondering that if it never happened, maybe it would have been easier to watch him leave.”
“Whether you slept with him or not, I have a feeling it wouldn’t have changed a thing.”
“How do you mean?”
I struggle with myself, trying to find the right words to get my point across. “With you and Rivers, it’s more than just physical. You connect on a deeper level. I mean, you’re in love with each other for fuck's sake. When he leaves, he takes a part of you with him just as he’s leaving a piece of himself behind with you. So, whether or not you were together, it wouldn’t make a difference because it's not your body that’s missing him, it’s your heart.”
Tully’s bottom lip pouts out and I cringe, realizing I took it too far for her fragile heart to cope with. “Really? You had to go and say that?”
“Sorry,” I grumble. “I was just being honest.”
“Can we get back to the matter at hand?”
“Ummm…what was that again?”
She rolls her eyes and I swear, if we were standing up right now, I’m almost certain that she’d stomp her foot on the ground. “Fixing up the house.”
“Oh, yeah. I kind of think it’s a great idea but I guess my concern would be that Gina is attached to it. I mean, you wouldn’t want to go to the effort of fixing it up for Rivers to have a nice place to come home to only for Gina to sell it out from under you and reap all the rewards of your hard work.”
Tully’s face falls and a frown pulls at her lips. “I didn’t think about that,” she mutters. “Though, it makes me wonder why she hasn’t sold it already.”
“Do you really think someone like Gina would go to all the effort to sell her home while she’s in there. That’s way too much paperwork and meetings with agents for her to bother with. Besides, if she sells then she’ll have nowhere to live when she gets out.”
Tully looks across at me. “When is she getting out?”
My brows dip down as I try to remember the details of her sentencing but for some reason, absolutely nothing is coming to me. Am I really that self-absorbed that I haven’t even taken a moment to learn how long she’ll be behind bars for? “I actually have no idea,” I tell Tully. “But considering what she’s in for, I’d say it’s a really long time.”
“Yeah, I guess I’m just trying to work out if she’s going to walk in and surprise us all one day or if we’re safe from that trainwreck.”
“I’d dare say we're safe,” I tell her. “So, what’s it going to be? Are we fixing up his place or not?”
“You know, even if he never gets to see it or if it’s years before he’s home. The idea of him having somewhere nice to come home to makes me feel a litter better about his situation. So yeah, I’m doing it.”
“Cool, count me and Ari in. Something tells me Ari is going to be a fan of painting.”
“Fine but you better warn her that I’m not painting the walls bright pink.”
“Yeah…nah. You can tell her that. I won’t be in charge of breaking her heart after the shit she’s just been through. That’s all on you.”
“Crap,” she sighs. “Rivers is going to end up with pink walls, isn’t he?”
“Damn straight he will and if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll absolutely love it.” I look across to her before motioning down at her phone. “What are you waiting for? Give Lacey a call and we’ll get it finished over the summer.”
Chapter 9
I tap my fingers against the cold table, hating the way these visits always manage to make my skin crawl.
Gina walks through the door in her usual jumpsuit and cuffs with that face that looks so much like mine that I’m left wondering for the millionth time why the hell I do this to myself.
She’s bad news and with everything I’ve learned over the past few months all I’ve come to realize is that Gina likes to play mind games. She let me believe that dad was my real father– he’s not. She made me think that she had nothing to do with Anton– they were married. She let me think that Rivers was my half-brother–
he’s so much more.
Thinking about Rivers has the guilt pouring through me. The last time I saw him I made a promise that I wouldn’t come to visit Gina unless it was an absolute must, and by ‘absolute must’ I think Rivers was referring to something along the lines of desperately needing a kidney, not something like confronting her about her mind games and allowing her another chance to get at me.
Rivers certainly wouldn’t approve of this visit, but then, it’s not like he’s here to stop me. All that matters is that Noah knows where I am and that he’s cool with it. Dad’s still away and would probably have another heart attack if he knew I was here right now, but again, it’s not like he’s here to stop me.
Noah promised to take Aria for the day after I convinced him that he didn’t need to come with me which was a mission in itself. I mean, that man doesn’t like being told no. The only thing that changed his mind was when Ari came and stood beside him and slipped her little hand into his and asked if he could take her to get ice cream. He melted like a little bitch and I did my best to smother a laugh as Ari looked up at me and winked. By ‘wink’ I mean that her whole face scrunched up and she gave me an over the top blink, but she tried and it was the best thing I’ve ever seen.
Don’t get me wrong, Noah has been blowing up my phone since the second I left. He’s been checking in every twenty minutes, whether it’s a call or a text. He even called with an excuse saying he was checking what Ari’s favorite ice cream flavor was, but it was clear that he was making sure I was still alive.
Noah can be a little much sometimes but for the most part, I love his protectiveness. He’s my man, my alpha, my everything, and I’m his girl. He has every right to be protective of me just as long as he remembers that I’m capable of a major ass kicking, then we’ll be fine.
Gina’s head turns and she takes me in a second later. A soft sigh pulls from her lips and it’s clear that it must be a bother to see me like this, but I mean, what else is she doing with her time? It’s not like she had to move a few appointments around to squeeze me in.
She’s released from her cuffs and slowly makes her way towards me. I can’t help but replay our last visit when she flew into meltdown mode when the name ‘Anton’ was murmured. She’d told me never to come back, yet here I am. I’m either way too curious for my own good or just plain stupid.
Probably just stupid.
“I thought I told you not to come around here anymore,” Gina says, slowly taking her seat before me.
“You see, to me…that came off as more of a subtle suggestion.”
Gina’s jaw sets and it’s clear that she doesn’t exactly appreciate my challenging tone. “Why are you here, Henley?”
“Because it turns out that the woman sitting right here in front of me isn’t exactly the saint that she likes to believe she is. You lied to me, Gina.”
She arches a brow and a soft smile plays on her lips as though she’s been playing me all along. “What in particular did I lie to you about?”
“Why don’t you tell me all the times you’ve lied, and I’ll let you know which ones I’ve managed to work out.”
Gina scoffs. “You can’t play me, kid. Either get to the point or get lost.”
I smirk across at her before taking the marriage certificate off the bench beside me and placing it on the table. “Anton’s your husband.”
Gina’s eyes go wide before horror comes over her and all I can do is grin. Checkmate, bitch. “Something tells me he had a lot to do with putting you behind bars. It couldn’t have all been Rivers; he was just a kid. Even your husband couldn’t stand you. He sent you away.”
Gina’s hand slams down over the marriage certificate and she glares across the table at me. “Shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, really? But I think I do.” I place mine and Rivers’ birth certificates down on the table, one on either side of the marriage certificate. “You lied about this too. Did you not think I’d find your home or the little hidden drawer in your bedside table? You let me believe that Harrison Bronx was my biological father,” I pull out the DNA results and place them on top of the pile. “You lied.”
Gina rocks back on her seat, clutching onto the edge of the table as though the weight of what I’ve just said is enough to send her falling back. “What have you done? You stupid girl. I was trying to protect you.”
“Oh, come on! I’ve heard that one before. It’s funny. That’s exactly the line that Anton fed me. Let me guess. You sent me away to keep me safe from all the bullshit of your world, to mask me from the dangers and the people who would want to hurt me to get to you or Anton.”
“That’s exactly what I did,” she growls.
“You let my dad…Harrison believe that he was my father.”
“It was for the best. If Anton knew you were his he would have kept you close.”
“That’s bullshit. Anton knew all along. He said so himself. He’s been watching me this whole time.”
“If you believe that for even one second, you’re a bigger fool than I could have ever imagined. If that man knew you were his or even had an inkling, he never would have let you go. Anton is possessive to the extreme. He would have had you locked in his ivory tower just as he did to your brother. You would have been his asset. Just like Samuel was.”
I narrow my eyes on her. Could she be telling the truth? I was so quick to believe Anton when he’s done absolutely nothing to earn that kind of trust. My head spins with the possibility as I recall the state of Gina’s bedroom. Someone was trying to find those birth certificates and DNA results. Could it be possible that Anton was trying to confirm something he didn’t already know and all I did was confirm it for him? Could Gina finally be telling the truth? Has she been trying to protect me from him all along? Or is Gina just lying to me again? Anton didn't flinch when I mentioned I was his daughter and it seemed as though I was telling him old news.
I guess when it comes down to it, it doesn't really matter which one of them is lying because in the end, when all this bullshit is over, I don't plan on having much to do with either of them.
Gina lets out a heavy sigh. “After I gave birth to Samuel, I saw how possessive Anton became. He was so proud. He would constantly talk about how Samuel was going to have it all one day, that he was going to rule in his footsteps. He was going to teach him everything he knew about his world and it was going to kill him. I had no way of protecting my son, it was just me against Anton. I couldn’t have that same outcome for a second child, so when I discovered that I was pregnant, I went and cheated. I told Anton I’d slept with another man and that the baby was his. It damn near killed me.”
“Anton didn’t want a thing to do with you. Your blood was tainted and the second you were born, he had you shipped off which was honestly the best thing for you. You were able to live a proper life, have friends, and not have to know parents like me and Anton. I was protecting you the only way I knew how.”
“So, if you knew for certain that I was his child, why bother doing a DNA test?”
“I didn’t…he did. I was there when the DNA results returned. I intercepted them and kept them hidden away.” I try to ignore the fact that if this were true, Anton could have easily gotten a copy of the results and it’s very possible that he did, meaning they could both be telling their own truths. “I left him that very day, took Samuel with me, and got our own place with cash that I’d stolen from Anton.”
“What?” I gasp, horrified. “Didn’t he come after you for the money?”
Gina scoffs. “Please, Anton has no idea how much money he has. It would have been years before he realized anything was missing and by then he wouldn’t remember how. He would have just assumed it was one of his staff and then dealt with it.”
My mouth drops open. If this is true then I’m in trouble.
“You told him that you’re his daughter, didn’t you?” I press my lips into a tight line and slowly nod my head. “You’re screwed.”
/> “What do I do?”
Gina shakes her head. “If I had an answer for that, I would have been able to save Samuel from the same fate, but it looks as though he’s found his own answer. As for you, I don’t know. You could run but there’s nowhere he won’t find you and it won’t be pleasant for you if you do.”
“You ran.”
“Yeah,” she says, gesturing around her. “And look what that got me. I had nothing to do with that prostitution ring. I never wanted to be a part of it, but the second I left and took his son with him, he was already planning how to take me down. He used my son against me and forced me into that role and when the time was right for him, he got in my son’s ear and told him exactly what to do. I couldn’t fight it because then I’d risk losing Samuel and you know…some things are just worth it.”
I lean back in my chair and watch her closely. “You didn’t do it?”
“I didn’t do it…well, technically, I did it by force. If I had a say in the matter, I would have taken my son and ran as far as I could, but-”
“He’d find you,” I finish for her.
Gina nods and watching her now with her heart on her sleeve, I see that for the first time since meeting her, she’s being completely honest with me. “I really screwed up, didn’t I?”
She nods again and I see how truly broken she is for me. Gone is the attitude and the walls, leaving behind the woman who birthed me. “You did and I’m sorry to see this happening because it’s likely that if you put one foot wrong, you could very much end up like me.”
My eyes drop to the table. “I asked a favor of him and in return, I’m to move into his home and one day take over his business.”
“The family business,” Gina scoffs. “I’m sorry, Henley. I can’t fix this for you, but I can make it a little more bearable.”
“How so?”
“On the third level in the west wing, there’s a panic room. I had it converted into my own personal space. A TV, a private phone line, a bar…a lock. I had food in there which will probably need to be replaced, but it was my own space that as far as I’m aware, Anton didn’t know about. Consider it yours.”
Unbreakable: Haven Falls (Book 6) Page 8