“Yes, thanks for the ride,” I said, holding the pizza box.
I knew she was expecting an invitation inside, though I worried about the state of the house after what had happened earlier. Not that I had much choice now. I couldn’t very well leave her in the driveway after she’d bought dinner and gone out of her way to drive me home.
“Come on, let’s go inside and eat. It’s getting late,” I said.
We both got out of the car and walked toward the house in silence. I carried the pizza, the aroma making my mouth water, and was looking for my keys out of habit when Lila pulled the door open.
“Do you always leave the place unlocked when you’re out?” she asked disapprovingly.
“Not usually, but you know how it is. Not much crime around these parts.” I chuckled, but deep down, I shuddered. Not much crime, said the girl who’d been kidnapped.
“Well, you never know. I’d be more careful if I were you, especially with those neighbors of yours,” she said, stepping into the house and not bothering to hold the door for me.
I opened it myself and ran smack dab into Ryder and Wyatt, who looked like they were just standing there waiting for us to walk in. Ryder stood, his face darkened by anger, sneering at Lila.
“Oh? And what’s so wrong with her neighbors?” he asked.
Lila stood tall, her arms crossed in front of her and her chin out defiantly. The guys were taller, of course, and towered over her, but Lila didn’t seem to mind. And I was left standing there, watching as my stepsister came face-to-face with the men she seemed to hate more than anyone else in the world.
Lila turned her face to me, glaring. “What are they doing here?”
“I don’t know,” I said, shooting both Wyatt and Ryder a death glare. “What are you doing here?”
“We were worried about you,” Wyatt growled. “Ryder saw a strange car out front earlier. Then we came over to check on you, and you’re gone and the house is a wreck.”
Lila continued looking at me, as if not hearing Wyatt. “Do they always just come right in whenever they want?”
She seemed to be focusing solely on the brothers being there. In a way, it was a blessing. I didn’t want anyone to question me about the strange car or the reason my house was a mess. I didn’t want to have to think of a clever lie to cover up the truth.
“Yeah, it looked like there’d been a struggle or something in here,” Ryder said, walking over to me. I took a step back and saw the pain in his eyes. “Are you okay?”
Before I could answer his question, Lila snapped. “She’s fine.”
Ryder didn’t stop looking at me for the answer though. I simply repeated what Lila said. I didn’t have it in me to argue with him right then.
“I’m fine,” I told him. “Everything is okay. Nothing to worry about. I went for a run and it got late. As for the mess, an animal probably got in the back door,” I said, staring pointedly at Wyatt.
My knees felt weak, and the weight of everything that had happened fell on my shoulders all at once. I didn’t want to deal with Lila and the guys bickering. I just wanted to eat and get some rest.
“You don’t look fine,” Wyatt said, walking toward me.
This time, I didn’t take a step back. I let him reach out to me and rub my arm. It felt nice to have a gentle touch after everything that had happened.
“I just went for a run into town, like I said, ran into Lila and we got something to eat,” I said, my voice cracking.
I couldn’t look either of the guys in the eye and lie. I knew they’d see right through it, and they did.
“See, everything is fine,” Lila reiterated. “And there’s no reason for you to just let yourselves into our home whenever you want.”
“Your home?” Ryder snickered. “When’s the last time you stopped by to take care of the place, Lila? You live in town, but you never bother to come by, not even when your parents need you to do something to help out around here. They always have to come to us instead.”
“Well maybe I don’t like coming here because of you two living right next door,” Lila said, standing up on her tiptoes and getting right in Ryder’s face. “I never felt safe with the two of you so close to us. I don’t know why my parents trust you.”
“We’ve never done anything for them not to trust us,” Wyatt countered.
My legs started shaking, and I felt sick to my stomach. All the shouting was getting to me, making my headache from earlier come back with a vengeance. Closing my eyes, I tried to block out the fighting, but I couldn’t do it anymore.
“You’re just pissed because we weren’t interested in you no matter how hard you tried,” Ryder raised his voice.
“Stop! All of you, just stop!” I shouted.
Tears ran down my face, and there was nothing I could do to stop them. I hated crying in front of people or showing emotion of any kind. It made me feel weak. But I couldn’t take it anymore. I shoved the pizza in Lila’s arms. “Take it and go, please.”
“You’re not going to take their side, are you? After everything?” she argued, her eyes wide.
“I’m not taking any sides tonight. I’m exhausted and I want you all to leave,” I said, shooting a look toward Ryder and Wyatt. “All of you. I want to be alone.”
“Hazel, do you think that’s a good idea?” Wyatt asked, coming closer to me and touching me again.
His hands were on my shoulders, and I wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms and to let him hold me. I needed that, more than anything, but I knew it would just cause more of a fight.
“I told all of you, I’m fine,” I said. “Now leave. I need to be alone.”
“But…” Lila started.
“No, just please, not tonight, Lila. I have a headache and just want some peace and quiet,” I said, speaking softly.
I couldn’t look at any of them. Obviously, someone was lying, and while I’d normally believe my two best friends over my stepsister, there was a reason I had a hard time doing that. She had proof; she’d showed it to me after everything went down. She showed me proof that the two of them had come on to her shortly after their interactions with me, where we almost hooked up. First it was Ryder, then it was Wyatt. And when she told them no, they didn’t take it so well, showing a side of themselves I never knew existed.
But Ryder’s comment about not them being interested in her gave me pause.
If only she didn’t have the text messages to prove it.
It might be the past, but at the time, I’d thought I meant something to them. I’d thought I was more than just a random hookup. For them to jump from me to Lila so easily really hurt something deep inside of me. That was something I was having a hell of a hard time getting over. Maybe it was petty, but it hurt to feel like I hadn’t mattered to them, like I’d been used. Especially back when I’d thought the world of both of them.
“Just go, okay? I’ll be okay, I promise,” I said.
Ryder and Lila were still bickering, and I could only make out bits and pieces. Wyatt, seeing that their fighting was getting to me, grabbed his brother’s arm.
“Stop. It doesn’t matter,” he said.
“But she’s full of shit. She’s the reason Hazel hates us, don’t you realize that?” Ryder argued.
Lila countered, “Hazel hates you because you’re assholes.”
“Stop, both of you,” Wyatt said, pushing Ryder toward the door. “Leave, now.”
“But—”
“Go home, Ryder. Now isn’t the time for this.”
Ryder glared at Wyatt, and I feared the two men might get into it themselves, but he surprised me by turning on his heel and heading for the door instead. He slammed it shut on the way out, and I could hear him stomping down the steps, making sure we registered his displeasure.
Lila continued. “You too, Wyatt.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Wyatt stood firm. “Not until I know Hazel is okay.”
He stood there, with his arms crossed over his massive ches
t and stared at Lila with a look that would make even the strongest of men quiver in their boots. Lila didn’t budge, though. She looked at me.
“Are you going to let him talk to me like that?”
“Lila, please, just go,” I pled, the tears still wet on my cheeks. “I really just want to be alone right now.”
“Alone with him, you mean?”
“No,” I said, looking at Wyatt. “I want to be alone-alone. Without any of you.”
Wyatt nodded, seeming to understand that I meant it, which was more than I could say for Lila.
“Come on, Lila. I’ll leave if you will,” he said.
In that moment, I was so thankful for Wyatt. I knew it hurt him to leave, to admit defeat like that, but he was doing it for me. I gave him a weak smile and mouthed the words, “Thank you.”
“I just want to spend some time with my sister,” Lila said.
I put my hand on her arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Another time, Lila. I promise. I’m just not up to it tonight.”
She frowned, but after one more look at Wyatt, she finally agreed. “Fine.”
The two of them walked to the door, almost side-by-side. Wyatt glanced back at me, sadness and concern in his eyes. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“Yes,” I said. The man had told me they didn’t want to hurt me. I was merely bait. I knew they’d give it some time before coming back for me. Had they wanted to hurt me, they would have.
It seemed to pain Wyatt to walk out that door, but he did because he knew there was no way Lila would leave if he didn’t go with her. I understood her beef with them, but I suddenly didn’t want it to have anything to do with me anymore. I was too damn tired and I’d missed them too damn much.
I needed to figure some things out, come up with a way to save Boone and get him out of whatever mess he’d gotten himself into. But I was also exhausted and in pain. I needed to rest.
I noticed that during all the arguing, Lila had put the pizza down on the coffee table. I knew I’d eventually pay her back for it, but I was just thankful to have some food that was ready to eat. Sitting down on the couch, I devoured several slices and then passed out. It was a restless sleep filled with many nightmares.
Ryder
“Why did you let her get away with saying those things?” I shoutedas soon as Wyatt walked into the house.
“Because now isn’t the time to hash all that out,” my brother said, walking over to the window and opening the blinds, allowing us a view of Hazel’s house. “Something’s going on with her; something bad happened. I can tell.”
He was right. I’d been foolish to let Lila’s games get to me when we had much more pressing concerns. Like the fact that Boone was missing and Hazel had clearly been taken. She was back and insisting everything was fine, but Wyatt was right. Clearly she wasn’t fine and we had no answers to the plethora of questions we both had— like who took her and how did she get free?
I felt like a complete asshole.
Joining my brother at the window, I asked, “Are you sure it’s okay to leave her alone?”
“No, I’m not sure it’s okay, but what else can I do? She wanted to be left alone,” Wyatt said. “And Lila wouldn’t leave unless I did.”
“We could go back now that the bitch is gone.”
“No,” Wyatt answered firmly. “Give her some space. We can take turns keeping an eye on things from over here.”
“Are you sure that’s enough?”
“It has to be,” he said.
“No, it doesn’t. You can go over there right now. She actually seems to be warming to you.”
Wyatt glanced at me, studying me. I looked away so he couldn’t see my face.
“She’d just kick me out again, and it would stress her out. Trust me on this, Ryder. Hazel is too stubborn for us to force her to do anything,” he said.
I knew he was right, but I didn’t like it. I wanted to protect her, to be there in case someone did come after her again. If Boone was telling the truth, we could be dealing with the fucking mafia. Speaking of Boone, I decided to let him know Hazel was back.
I pulled out my phone and saw several messages from him that I missed during the argument with Lila. He was obviously freaking out about Hazel.
I quickly typed my response.
Hazel is home; she’s safe. But she won’t tell us what happened and refuses to let us stay with her. She needs to know what’s going on.
Wyatt was still watching Hazel’s house, so I could focus on my phone. Boone responded fairly quickly.
No, the less she knows, the safer she will be. Trust me.
Wyatt spoke up, as if he’d read my mind. “We need to tell Hazel what’s going on so she can see how serious this is.”
“Boone said no, the less she knows, the better.”
Wyatt’s jaw clenched tightly, and he shook his head. “Well that’s bullshit. Unless Hazel knows what she’s up against, she’s not going to let us help her.”
My brother had a point, but so did Boone. Without knowing the full details, it was hard to say what the best course of action was with any certainty.
“Sorry, I have to trust Boone on this,” I said. “He knows more than we do about what’s going on.”
Wyatt slammed his fists down on the window pane in a rare display of temper. “Hazel is in danger and Boone is off God knows where. We need to do everything we can to keep her safe.”
“Yeah, I agree,” I said, my voice rising. “And I think the best way to keep her safe is to not tell her anything about the mafia connection.”
Wyatt shook his head and muttered something underneath his breath.
“What did you say?”
“I said, typical,” he sneered. “It’s typical that you’d protect Boone at all costs.”
It was very similar to what Hazel had said earlier, and it pissed me off even more coming from my brother. Grabbing Wyatt by the shoulders, I forced him to look me dead in the face. His eyes glowed with a fire I very rarely saw in my brother. He was the calm one, not the one to lose his temper like I often did. But this time, he looked ready to explode, which rattled me just a little bit.
“This isn’t about protecting Boone. It’s about protecting Hazel,” I growled. “Boone knows what we’re up against. You don’t. You can’t make these calls, only he can.”
“Fuck Boone,” Wyatt said, knocking my hands off him. “He got into this mess, and he wants us to help without even telling us what’s going on. This is a game to him, but Hazel’s life is at stake here, and I’m not going to sit around and wait for him to send another stupid, garbled message.”
Wyatt stormed off, grumbling to himself as he stalked toward the door.
“Where are you going?”
“To protect Hazel,” he growled.
“But you said—”
“Yeah? Well, fuck what I said before,” he said. “The Mob is after her, they probably took her once already, and we’re just standing here arguing whether she deserves to know or not.”
“Don’t do this, Wyatt,” I demanded.
“Don’t do what?” he said, turning around in the doorway and staring daggers through me. “Be honest with her? Maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess if everyone had been honest from the beginning.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I said, my voice low and gravely.
“You know damn well what it means,” he said, his narrowing eyes on me like lasers. “Tell Boone I’m done keeping his secrets. If he wants me to protect his sister, he’s gonna have to be good with me doing it my way.”
Wyatt slammed the door on his way out, leaving me alone. I slammed my fist into the fireplace, cursing as my knuckles hit the hard, brick edges, splitting the skin. Blood splattered the stone from the cuts on my knuckles, but it didn’t hurt. No, what hurt was inside of me, the fire growing that I couldn’t put out. All the anger that was bubbling to the surface after years of suppressing it. Anger that threatened to boil out of control if I wasn’t caref
ul.
Wyatt was right, though. Secrets got us into this mess. Boone’s secrets. He’d lived a secret life for as long as I could remember, and now it was coming back to bite him in the ass and sucked Hazel into the mix.
My phone buzzed.
I didn’t want to read his latest message, but I did anyway. As I expected, it was garbled letters and numbers. The same ones he sent before. Repeatedly.
“Fuck it all,” I growled, throwing my phone across the room in a fit of rage. Luckily, it landed on a patch of carpet, avoiding the wall. “Fuck this nonsense once and for all.”
Wyatt
I stood on Hazel’s front porch. Not much time had passed, and I was worried she might not want to see me so soon. I meant what I’d said earlier about giving her some space. I also meant what I’d said about telling her the truth. She deserved to know who was after Boone, and likely, who was after her too.
Boone had always managed to get himself into trouble, but this time was probably the worst of them all. She deserved better than to be in danger because of him. I knew she loved her brother, but he’d gone too far this time. Whatever trouble he was in, it was his fault, not Hazel’s. If he hadn’t wanted her to know, he shouldn’t have gotten involved with the fucking Mob in the first place.
I remained on her front porch for a while, listening for any sounds inside the house. It was quiet. Not wanting to disturb her, I took a seat on a bench right outside her front door. The night was quiet, only the sound of bullfrogs and cicadas in the distance. It was a lovely sound, one of my favorite things about living in the mountains. The night sky was clear, and the evening was cool, but not cold. If I had to, I’d wait out there all night. Just me and the crickets and frogs and crisp, Colorado air.
Closing my eyes, I tried to relax. It was rare that I lost my temper, but I’d had enough of Boone’s childish bullshit. My brother and he were always involved in some scheme or another, and we were always told to keep it from Hazel. Boone didn’t want his sister thinking less of him. God forbid he stop acting like an asshole instead.
A noise pulled me from my thoughts, and I sat upright, suddenly alert. The front door had creaked open, just a touch. Then it opened fully.
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