He shakes his head, looking away from me. “She’s lying. How the hell am I supposed to believe one word that she says? For all we know, she’s dropped out of school and is knocked up with his baby.”
Oh, sweet Jesus.
“Take a look at my transcripts, idiot,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Why do you have to jump to the worst conclusions?”
“Is he your boyfriend, Char?” Forde asks me.
I press my lips together, inwardly groaning. I don’t think I could get away with lying a second time. “Yes,” I confess. “But it’s really new—and I didn’t come here for that reason. It just kind of happened.”
“How do you know him?” Wyatt asks.
“I met Max a few years ago when I came here on spring break.” I omit the part about how I found him. Probably not the best time to bring that up.
Lucas looks at me pointedly. “I thought you said he wasn’t your rebound?”
“He’s not,” I snap, feeling the blood rise to my face. “And as far as I’m concerned, I don’t owe any of you an explanation. The three of you hardly ever talk about your relationships. Why are you so interested in mine?”
“Because you disappeared,” Forde says, his voice deepening. “You’ve been lying to everyone. That’s not like you, Charlotte. You’ve always had a good head on your shoulders. You’ve never acted so irresponsibly before.”
For the first time since they arrived, I see the concern in their faces—even Wyatt’s for a brief second. It makes me feel like crap.
I let out a small sigh. “To be honest, I wanted out of Gainesville. I needed a fresh start.”
“But why?” Forde asks. “You had everything going for you there. When we visited last summer, I remember being so proud of you.”
Wyatt nods. “You made college your bitch. What’s so depressing about having tons of friends and working toward a huge accomplishment?”
“For the last time, Wy, I’m still graduating at the end of the semester. I left because I wasn’t happy anymore.” I shrug because there’s no other way to explain it. “My time was coming to an end anyway. I wanted out sooner.”
“And are you happy here?” Forde asks.
“Yes.”
When I say the word, I feel warm all over. I am happy here. Imagine that.
“Prove it.”
“Excuse me?” I ask Wyatt, wondering if I heard him correctly.
“I want proof. Since our flight doesn’t leave until Sunday, Forde and I need a place to crash.” He looks around, taking in the surroundings of the beach and the house. “This will do fine.”
“No,” I squeak out, horrified by the idea. “Get a hotel. You can’t expect Max to accommodate you just because you want proof of my happiness.”
He starts to say something, then changes his mind. Instead, he walks back inside the house. My pulse quickens, and I grip the doorframe for support. He’s looking for Max.
Oh, God.
I look to Forde for help. “You have to stop him.”
“Actually, I like the idea.”
“But this isn’t my house. It’s not okay—”
“There you are!” I hear Wyatt say from inside.
I run back into the house just in time to catch my brother approaching Max. “My sister thinks you’d have a problem with us staying here for the weekend. Would you? Have a problem, that is?”
Max’s eyes dart to mine. He’s been caught off guard, and it’s clear he doesn’t know what to say.
This is awful. Worse than awful. If I could melt into a little puddle and evaporate into thin air, that would be better than living through this moment.
Max clears his throat. “Is that what you want, Charlotte?”
Wyatt faces me, waiting for my response. They’re all looking at me now, except for Lucas, who is shaking his head, muttering, “What a disaster.”
“Um…” I have no freaking clue what to say. If I say no, my brothers are going to hate me forever. If I say yes, Max might end up hating me forever.
“If you want them to stay, that’s okay with me,” Max says in a low voice.
He’s being nice about it, which makes me feel even worse. How can I, in good conscience, submit him to a whole weekend with my brothers? They’re going to terrorize him.
Forde pats my arm. “It’ll be okay, Char. We just want to spend some time with you, that’s all.”
My shoulders sink. “Yes,” I tell Max. “It would be nice if they could stay here.”
Wyatt claps his hands together excitedly. “Excellent. Hey—didn’t you say you were late for work?”
I glance at the clock on the wall. “Yes, I need to go now.”
“I’ll call Briggs and tell him you’re needed here,” Max says. “You don’t have to go in today.”
I shake my head. “I’m really trying to prove myself there, Max. I can’t let you start making excuses for me.”
“How would he be able to do that?” Forde asks curiously.
“He’s the owner of the company,” I quickly explain. “By the way, this is my oldest brother, Forde. Forde, this is Max.”
“Nice to meet you.” Forde shakes Max’s hand.
“Go on, Char,” Wyatt calls out as he makes his way across the living room. “We’ll see you when you get back. Hey—they have a pool table, Forde!”
I grab Max by the arm and lead him away from my brothers. I need to leave now, but I have to make sure he’s okay first. “Is this going to be too weird…you know…being with them by yourself?”
“About that,” he says. “Do they know about us?”
I nod, wincing. “I tried to lie, but they knew.”
“You do realize that I only decided to try out this boyfriend thing last night?”
“By the end of this weekend, you may end up regretting that decision.”
He grimaces. “I think I already regret it.”
“I’m sorry, Max. I’m feeding you to the wolves, and I haven’t even given you time to decide whether or not this relationship is worth it.”
“This is why one night stands are so much better than girlfriends.”
“You don’t mean that.”
He grins. “No, I don’t. But you owe me. Big time.”
“Well…” I bat my eyelashes seductively. “One good thing about having a girlfriend is that you get to have sex every night.”
“You sure you don’t want me to call Briggs?” Max asks again. “We could take off and leave your brothers here by themselves.”
I smile. “No. They’d end up killing Trevor.”
He sighs despondently. “Fine, go. I’ll be all right.”
I quickly kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you, Max.”
The rest of the day passes by in a blur. I try to focus on my tasks, but all I can think about is what is going on back at the house. I don’t run into Briggs; I think he’s avoiding me after last night, which is fine. I don’t want to face him. Taylor, on the other hand, swings by my desk every chance she gets to ask questions. I don’t tell her anything. When she asks why I disappeared, I blame Stephanie. “She was drunk,” I say, shrugging. “I needed to make sure she got home safely.”
Taylor narrows her eyes on me. “I thought I saw Max leave with the two of you.”
She knows there’s more to the story, but I can’t tell her. I can’t risk anyone who works here finding out when it’s still so new.
I shuffle my feet beneath my desk. “He did. We we’re all drinking. Better safe than sorry, you know?”
On my way back from work, I speed home. I have a horrible feeling in my gut that I’ll return to chaos. Knots twist inside my stomach, and I chew at my lower lip as I press down on the gas pedal. I’ve been texting my brothers and Max all day, but no one has replied. Not knowing what’s going on is killing me.
When I walk inside the house, I hear the whir of racecars. Everyone is seated around the TV…playing video games.
I don’t know what to make of it.
Even Stephanie is here. She
’s curled up next to Trevor on the recliner, remote control in hand. It looks like their break-up is over.
I’m not sure how everything managed to diffuse on its own, but it has. They’re talking, laughing, cursing at the game, and it completely blows my mind.
I’m not going to question this. However it happened, I’m just glad it did.
***
The rest of the weekend is filled with nonstop activities. My brothers drag me around Miami, insisting on hitting up all the touristy spots. Although Lucas has lived here for several years now, no one except me has had the chance to visit him. Both Forde and Lucas take advantage of the time now, and they force Max to come along to everything too. They use the excuse that they’re still scoping him out, trying to determine if he’s good enough for their little sister, but secretly I think they’re doing it for fun. They seem to like Max.
“What was it like growing up with three brothers?” Max asks me one day while we’re walking around South Beach.
“Noisy. Smelly. Eventful,” I say, trying to be sensitive about the way I describe it to him. In the back of my mind, I’m always thinking about how Max’s childhood was robbed from him. Talking about how great mine was could open up old wounds.
“Don’t let her fool you,” Wyatt says, overhearing our conversation. “She was our mom’s little princess. She had it good.”
“Oh please,” I scoff. “That’s not how it was. Mom loved us all equally.”
Forde chuckles. “Char, you used to tattle on us for everything. Mom and Dad would always take your side.”
“I did not!”
“Luke, tell her.”
Lucas smiles sheepishly. “You were definitely the favorite, Char.”
“Remember the marker incident?” Wyatt asks.
I pretend to have no idea what he’s talking about.
“How convenient. Let’s refresh your memory.”
“Max doesn’t want to hear about this.” I purse my lips together, not happy about the picture they’re painting.
“Yes, I do,” Max says, amused. I can’t believe he’s enjoying this, but it’s obvious he is.
“She was about six or seven years old,” Wyatt says to him. “At that time, she thought she was the next Picasso. She drew puppies and butterflies all along the walls in our hallway, and then wrote Wyatt did this.”
“Your parents believed it?” Max asks, laughing.
“Not only did they believe it, but I wasn’t allowed to play outside for a week! I wanted to kill her.”
“He’s forgetting to mention that he was always the one who got in trouble,” I explain to Max. “That’s why they believed it.”
“But it doesn’t mean I deserved it then,” Wyatt says.
“Yes, you did! The day before you stuck Rocky in the dryer. Why do you think I put your name instead of Forde’s or Luke’s?”
“Who’s Rocky?” Max asks, confused.
“My hamster,” I explain.
“And the little beast kept biting everyone. You’re lucky I didn’t turn the dryer on.”
The endless teasing and tormenting stories continues throughout the day. I keep worrying if it will bother Max, but he genuinely seems to enjoy it. He tells us similar stories about Trevor. I’m beginning to realize Max didn’t miss out on as much as I thought he did. In a lot of ways, Trevor is like a brother to him.
On Saturday, Max has his appointment with Piper. I spend time on the beach with my brothers while he’s gone. The water is still cold, but winter in South Florida is remarkably different than in Savannah. Everyone swims and we grill hamburgers on the patio. I enjoy every second of the time I get to spend with them.
That night Stephanie comes over, and she and I decide to cook a big meal since it’s Forde and Wyatt’s last night. We decide on Cuban food. She and I get to work, which let’s face it, is basically Stephanie telling me what to do the whole time since my cooking experience is limited. The end result is delicious though, and I’m proud of myself.
“We’re gonna miss you, Char,” Forde says to me over dinner.
“I’ll miss you too.”
“You’re going to have to tell Mom and Dad, you know.”
I stifle a groan. “I’m planning to call them this week. They already know I left. I just haven’t spoke to them since then. That conversation didn’t go down so well.”
He places his hand over mine. “They love you, Char. They’re your parents. And whether or not they agree with your decisions, they’ll learn to accept them.” He nods toward Lucas. “Prime example over there. Dad hated having a gay son, but he got over it. It didn’t make him love Luke any less.”
I smile softly. “You’re right.”
After dinner, I take Batman outside to pee. Trevor’s outside smoking a cigarette. As soon as I step outside, he signals for me to stay quiet. When I hear Max’s muffled voice around the corner, I realize why. Trevor is eavesdropping.
I’m not surprised. Over dinner, Max kept checking his phone. It gave me a weird vibe, like he was trying to hide something.
“Tomorrow night? The party runs till midnight? Okay…yeah…I’ll be there…bye.”
Trevor gestures for me to get back inside. He practically shoves me through the door when I don’t move as quickly as he wants. “Batman hasn’t gone yet,” I hiss.
“If Max sees us, he’ll know we overheard.”
Once we’re back inside, Trevor leads me across the house. “Follow me,” he says, heading toward the side entrance. “Batman can do his business out here.”
Once the door is shut behind us, I don’t hold back. “This is one of those times when he sneaks off and no one knows where he goes, isn’t it?”
Trevor nods slowly. He eyes me very carefully. “What do you know about that?”
“Just that he disappears a lot in the middle of the night…and that he’s putting himself in danger.”
“All of that is true,” he says, watching my reaction. “I don’t like it, but I can’t stop him.”
“I don’t like it either.”
“What do you think about following him tomorrow?”
“Me and you?”
“Yeah. By then, your brothers will be gone. You can tell Max you’re exhausted from their visit, pretend to go to sleep early, and I’ll keep watch for his truck. As soon as leaves, I’ll call you, and we’ll follow him.”
The idea is tempting.
I’d really like to know where he goes and what he’s up to, but at the same time it feels wrong. If I go, I’d be crossing another line. A big line.
“So?” Trevor asks again. “Are you in?”
Tell him no.
Tell him it’s wrong, and you want to respect Max’s boundaries.
“I…what about Steph?” I certainly don’t want to enlist Stephanie for this, but I’m curious as to why she’s not his first choice.
He shakes his head. “She has plans. It’s her friend’s birthday tomorrow. Charlotte, I’m going with or without you, but I’d rather not go alone.”
I let out a shaky breath. “Okay…I’m in.”
TWENTY-NINE
Char
It’s a good thing Trevor and I are dressed in black. We find ourselves camped outside of a mansion on the intercoastal, a loud party raging inside. We hide in the bushes looking over the terrace, planning our next move.
“Part of me feels like this is wrong,” I whisper to Trevor. “I mean, he’s not obligated to tell us everything he does. I feel like we’re spying on him.”
“Newsflash. We are spying on him.”
A branch pokes me in the arm. “Exactly,” I say, pushing away the scratchy shrubbery. “And we’re not doing a very good job of it either. What are we going to do from out here?”
“Well for one thing, we know where he is. And for another, I just looked up the owner of this address.” Trevor holds up his phone, flashing me a picture of a middle-aged Hispanic man in a business suit. “River Diaz owns the place. He’s a known associate of David Garcia.�
�
I remember the name David Garcia from the anniversary letter. Max is looking for revenge, just I suspected. Knowing that’s what he’s after fills me with dread. Trevor and Stephanie are right. He’s going to get himself killed.
“What do you think he’s going to do?” I ask Trevor. “It’s not like Max can walk up to Garcia and off him in a huge crowd of people.”
He looks at me suspiciously. “So then you know who Garcia is to him?”
Crap. “I um…read about him.”
He nods. “Well, you’re not going to like this part then. The crowd won’t stop him. Max can and would off him regardless of how many people are watching. It wouldn’t matter if it happened on national television. If he has an opportunity, he’ll take it…even if it gets him killed in the end.”
I swallow, feeling dizzy. This can’t be happening. “Maybe we should try to go inside,” I suggest.
“Just a moment ago, you said we shouldn’t even be here.”
“I changed my mind.”
Trevor stares at me. “You love him, don’t you?”
I don’t answer the question, but it still scares me. I already know what the answer is. Yes. I’m in love with a guy who cares more about revenge than his own life.
Trevor and I are distracted by a commotion going on outside. “Get down.”
We both kneel down as low as possible, peeking through the bushes.
“It’s Max,” Trevor mouths to me.
Several men dressed in suits lead Max directly toward us. I catch a glimpse of his face, seeing the anger in the hard lines of his jaw. Something is wrong. Once they’re far enough away from the house, one of the men slams his fist into his stomach, and Max doubles over. I yelp in response, ready to scream out for help, but Trevor’s hand around my mouth cuts me off.
“Stay quiet,” he warns me.
Two of the men walk right by us. Trevor doesn’t move his rigid hand from my mouth. His attention is on the scene unfolding in front of us. The two men stop only a few feet away, speaking in low voices, but still loud enough for us to hear.
“Let’s get rid of him. He’s been a nuisance. I say we load him up in the cargo van now while we have him.”
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