Page 14 of Broken Secrets

No, no no no. This can’t be happening, but Vale has no reason to lie to me. Neither of them do. "In the end, Mom didn’t even fight for custody because she was scared of him. Don’t get me wrong, we had a pretty good dad, but it was difficult living without mom, especially since dad was the reason they split. Well, your mom too, I guess. He’s a good man, but he made some fucked-up decisions. He let his dick think for him in the end, and that’s what ruined our family. It’s been years, and he’s still single too.”

I’m just listening to Vale continue, but there’s this whooshing sound in my ears, and it kind of sounds like he’s underwater. I’m either having an anxiety attack or I’m about to pass out. "Water, please; I need some water.”

Vale jumps up to grab me a bottle. Bringing it back, he holds it to my lips. “Are you okay, Dahlia? Take small sips. I know I just threw a lot at you. We were not one hundred percent sure if you knew anything or not. There was a time when we were suspicious that you knew something and decided not to tell us. We were so fucking mad at you for years. With the way everything went down, we figured that you knew something and didn’t say a word.” Tears stream down my face at his confession. Never in a million years did I expect to hear these words leave his beautiful lips. My life has been irrevocably changed, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.

“What the fuck is going on out here, Vale, and why is Dahlia crying?” They share a look, and then Crew explodes. His hands are clenched into fists at his side, his face is red, and there’s a vein bulging in his forehead.

“Son of a bitch! What the fuck did you do, Vale?” But Crew doesn’t even give Vale a chance to explain before he stalks up and throws a punch directly at Vale’s face. He hits him square in the nose. There’s a nasty crunch and blood spurts everywhere.

"Crew, please calm down,” I cry, grabbing onto his arm to pull him away from his brother.

“He was just trying to help. It’s okay.” But he’s in his head and pissed the fuck off at his brother. Crew jerks his arm away and stalks to the front door. He opens it quickly, walks out, and slams it so damn hard behind him that it feels like the door is going to fall off its hinges. Damn, this day just keeps getting worse.

I don’t know how much more we can all take before we implode. Secrets break people. I break people. It’s all I’ve ever been good at, and sooner or later, all of the broken secrets that I have been harboring are going to be out in the open. But I’m tired of being this broken puppet on a string. I am so fucking tired of keeping secrets I shouldn’t have to keep. It’s about time to let the world fucking burn. I’m ready to set it aflame. I’ll make sure I’m holding the matches.

Chapter 17

Unknown

These idiots still don’t know that I've followed them. It’s been almost a week at this point, too. My cameras are constantly running, and there has been no movement outside my place. This cabin and my underground hideout have come in handy. I never thought that when I got this place, it would be put to use like this. Many man-hours were spent adding all of the details that I needed and making it my own. My secret soundproof space is something that a techy person like me lives for. It took some fine-tuning to get it exactly right, but it’s working like a fucking dream. If only you could see it.

Ahhh fuck… The footage that I’ve obtained, the pictures, and the private conversations—I hit fucking gold. Money well spent, if you ask me.

Little do they know what I have in store for them. I’m coming, and it won’t be long. I have them right where I want them, and they are just too foolish to see it. They’ve played right into the palm of my hands. To be honest, they have made my job and, fuck, my life so much easier. I won’t have to put much work in at this point. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb have already done all of that for me.

I did have to go back into the city earlier in the week. I had to make sure our special place was all set up and ready to go for my princess. I didn’t feel right about leaving her behind, but it had to be done. Besides, certain people would have started to ask questions, and I just can’t have that right now. After all, people know who I am, and as much as I hate to say it, I’m a relatively important person, if you know what I mean.

Dahlia didn’t even know about my secret place; hell, no one did. That happened for a reason. I didn’t need people in my business asking questions. If people dug too deep, I’d just have to take them out, just like the others that I have taken care of.

Dahlia doesn’t know how deep my feelings for her go. She doesn’t know the lengths that I’ve gone to. I’m in deep, and there is no coming back now. I couldn't, even if I wanted to. Just last year, I had to kill a dumb fuck for thinking he could take what’s mine. She met Bishop in high school. They all hung out with the same crew. Her friend, Olivia, was friends with him too. But I saw the constant flirting and playful banter between Dahlia and Bishop, and it made me see red. She’d still keep people at arm’s length, but this particular guy tried just a little too hard. It pissed me the fuck off. At first, I just thought that he was a flirt. It seemed like all the girls flocked to his dumbass. But then he had to go and ask my princess out on a date. I couldn’t have that now, could I?

I sat back and observed from afar, but once I got wind of that date, I shut that shit down quickly as fuck. They were set to go out on a date on Friday night, but me being me, I did what I had to do. I knew the path that he’d take to get to her house. It was filled with long, windy roads, which made things so much easier for me. All I had to do was put my plans into motion, sit back, and watch. His house wasn’t guarded, and he didn’t live in a fancy ass neighborhood, which made it easier for me to do what I had to do. While he was inside getting ready, I cut his break line. It was a piece of cake. Let’s just say those roads and his small, sporty car did the job, almost. I followed behind; of course, I fucking did. I had to see my masterpiece take shape. I’m so damn glad I followed too. He was going so damn fast that when he finally realized that he couldn't control his car, I bet he was crying like a little bitch, hitting the brakes. He knew then that he was truly and utterly fucked. He hit a big ass tree head-on going roughly eighty-five mph.

I waited just a bit to see how things would play out as smoke plumes filled the air. I remember the feeling of the glass crunching beneath my feet as I walked up to his driver's side window. The fucking tool was still alive. There was blood pouring out of his nose and mouth. Some of his teeth were broken from hitting the steering wheel, and a big gash spread across his forehead too. Seeing him in this situation didn’t bother me one bit.

I was one step closer to my goal, and that was getting him away from my girl. Seeing that the driver's side window was completely bashed in, I did what any rational person in love or obsession, whatever you want to call it, would do. I grabbed my gloves out of my back pocket, then reached in and broke the little bitch's neck. The feeling was exhilarating. In the absolute stillness, surrounded by the trees, the snapping of his neck echoed like whispers in the night.

So you see, there is nothing, and I mean nothing, that will keep me from claiming what is mine.

Chapter 18

Dahlia

About twenty minutes later, Crew walks back into the cabin. He seems to have calmed down just a bit, which is a great thing for both Vale and me. Vale went into the room right after he got punched. When he came back out, he acted like nothing ever happened. There’s no doubt in my mind that he knew what was coming long before Crew punched the shit out of him. What Crew doesn’t grasp is that his brother was just trying to make things a little easier for him by telling me some of their story. I get it; I really do. I probably understand better than they think I do.

When things get hard, I’ve always been good at pushing away the people who know me the best. My circle is small. I don’t like to get attached or for people to see the real me because I risk losing it all. One glimpse behind the wall that I’ve so carefully cultivated, and it would all come tumbling down. And fuck, what a sight that would be! So I keep my cards close to my chest. People don’t know the real me, and when they do find out bits and pieces, I push them as far away as possible.

The only one who really knows anything is Olivia, and she doesn’t even know the real me. She has her blinders on and sees only what she wants to see. If she took the time to take her glasses off, then she’d see just how fucked up I am. The boys have only seen a bit, and I’m ready to run for the hills. Once they know the real me, they won’t want my tainted ass. They don’t even know the worst of it. If they knew who raped me, I’d risk losing them forever. But I’m tired of making my own bed and being the person that I am. I want someone to stand beside me through it all. There’s no doubt that I’ve always subconsciously played the victim. I am a victim, but I’m stronger than that. I know that I can overcome this shit and one day that will become a reality.

For years, my life has been so out of control. And I don’t necessarily mean externally. My mind has been one big, fucked up jumbled mess. I can’t get over all of the admissions that I’ve heard. They’ll never see this one coming, though, and there’s no way I’ll be able to protect them, especially when they start asking the really hard questions. Questions that I know they will need the answers to. Why god? Why would you do this to me? I’ve been through hell and back, manipulated and abused. When someone hurts you so badly that it irrevocably changes the path of your life, it doesn't just change your life; it changes your DNA and who you are as a person.

“What’s going on in that pretty little head, Dahlia?” Crew says as he comes to sit down on the stool next to me. But I can’t tell him my huge secret, not yet. I want to enjoy this, them for just a little while longer.

“Nothing much. I was just thinking about how sorry I am that you got so upset. You know, Vale was just trying to help. He loves you, Crew.” He shakes his head with a sad smile.

“I know that my brother loves me, but he can’t always be there to protect me. What he told you is our story to tell. I deserved to be included in that discussion.” And he’s right, but I know Vale was coming from a place of love. These two have only had each other for years, and I’m willing to bet that Vale has always done this for Crew. That protector mentality never shuts off. It didn’t when we were kids.

Vale comes to stand on the opposite side of the counter. Looking at Crew, he says, "Brother, I should have waited. Your feelings should have been at the forefront of my mind, but I was just trying to save you some of the pain that our memories bring.” He means what he says. I can see the love he has for his brother shining in his eyes.

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