Page 27 of Lethal Truths

My heart is pounding in my chest, so loud that I’m surprised Creed can’t hear it. It hurts and it feels like a burst of life, all at the same time. “Creed, I—“

“And you’re mine, Prudence,“ he cuts in soothingly, confusing the ever loving shit out of me. “I’m not letting you go. Or did you forget that already?”

“I don’t— No, I know. I didn’t forget,” I ramble, brows drawn low as I try to figure out his mood. He doesn’t seem angry with me, in fact, he keeps smiling that soft, knowing smile, and it doesn’t make any sense.

“But,” he whispers, cupping my cheeks and nudging my nose with his. “If those other assholes can work on earning your forgiveness, too, then okay. We’ve always been a close-knit trio, anyway. That doesn’t mean I won’t kill them if they fuck up, though.” I gape at Creed, but then he kisses me, while my head spins and tries to work out what the fuck his cryptic words mean.

It takes a moment, but I give in, leaning into his firm body. Creed deepens the kiss, groaning as he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me flush against his solid chest. Our tongues tease and tangle, our lips meeting like long-lost lovers. I melt into him, butterflies erupting in my stomach as relief sweeps through me. I haven’t lost Creed. I don’t think, anyway. But I also have no fucking clue what just happened.

A few hours later, tucked up safe and sound in Creed’s bed, I’m startled awake by a thud from out in the hall. A tired groan slips from my lips before I can stop myself. I had only just fallen asleep maybe an hour or two ago. Creed never explained himself and I never pushed it. I was still pissed about Asher calling my mom and then having the nerve to kiss me. When I laid down beside Creed and closed my eyes, I was looking forward to a long, deep sleep to forget all about my troubles. So who the fuck is interrupting that right now?

I lie still, holding my breath in the silence so I don’t miss even the smallest noise. Creed is breathing heavily beside me, lying on his stomach with one arm shoved beneath his pillow. His face is turned toward me, eyes closed, so I assume whatever I heard hadn’t bothered him one bit.

After maybe sixty seconds, I chalk it up to random sounds in a full frat house. It’s almost five in the morning now, so surely some of the guys would be rolling out of bed for early morning workouts and such, right? Yawning and turning onto my side, I close my eyes and try to settle back in for another few hours. Or several. I don’t have any morning classes to get to and I really need to catch up on my sleep.

But before I can even pretend to nod off, I hear another thud, almost as if someone has slumped against the wall just outside Creed’s door. I strain my ears, and this time I hear soft, harsh male voices as well.

Probably Asher just doing what he does best; annoying me. Doesn’t even matter if he’s not doing it on purpose, he’s keeping me awake and I hate him for it. And for kissing me. And for slipping his hand down—

“Jesus,” I hiss to myself, shoving those memories way the hell away. Asher had no right, and the more I waste my time going over it, the more angry I become. But really, I don’t know if I’m more upset with him or with myself for being defective. He’s now the second man to put me in a position I didn’t want to be in, and yet my body sang his praise and practically melted for the attention.

What is wrong with me?

The voices in the hall grow louder, almost enough to make out what they’re saying, but not quite. Fed up, tired, and frustrated, I fling the sheets off with a heavy sigh and march to the door. I’m running through everything I want to spew at Asher, all the words I wished I had told him earlier before the situation spiraled out of my control. Swinging the door wide open, a scowl on my face, I suck in a breath and get ready to lay into him. Except my words shrivel up and die in my throat because the scene I just walked into is startling.

A man I’m assuming is Asher’s dad jerks back, putting a few feet between him and Asher. Both men look at me, silent and heaving in uneven breaths. Any other time and I might have studied Asher’s dad, greeted him politely even. They look so similar, it’s unnerving. But ignoring Asher’s split lip and bruising cheek is proving impossible.

Asher’s jade eyes are heavy with something that looks a lot like shame as he quickly swipes his lips dry. All it does is smear blood across his chin, which makes me feel worse somehow. This isn’t a position he’d let anyone find him in. Not Asher, the goddamn king of the frat, the guy who’s always calm and put together and painfully meticulous. He doesn’t let anything get in his way or slow him down. He’s the big bad around here.

But seeing him now, it’s clear that there’s a bigger bad that I had no idea about. Suddenly, Asher’s foul, vicious behavior, his relentless bullying… I mean, not to justify it because he still fucking sucks, but it does make more sense. If this is the man who raised him, it’s fitting that Asher would grow up to be a douchebag.

“Can I help you, or would you like to give my son and I our privacy?” the older man asks me. His tone is nice enough, I suppose, but there’s something haunting behind his eyes that has my fight-or-flight instincts surging up.

I look from him to Asher, swallowing past the uneasy feeling rising in my throat. “Asher, I… was looking for you,” I stammer out, trying to keep my expression casual, and not like I’m panicking at finding these two.

Asher’s jaw ticks, but it’s the only sign that he even heard me. His dad rubs his hands together with a tight smile, saying, “He’ll be around later today. I’m sure you won’t have any trouble finding him.”

I smile back, my expression equally strained. “Or he could help me out right now, and I won’t have to bother him again,” I counter.

“Sorry, Prudence,” Asher starts, and I swivel my eyes toward him, glad to at least hear him speaking. That happy feeling fades a second later, though, when his face screws up into a mask of disgust and he bites out, “You lost your chance to fuck me, so I’m not really sure why you’re here now. I mean, you never actually had a chance, anyway. I was just trying to see how far I could push, but…” He trails off, shrugging as his eyes drag down my body and back up. “Run along back to Creed. And do me a favor? Don’t come looking for me again.” With that, he turns and heads into his bedroom, leaving me confused and speechless.

I take a step back, about to retreat back into Creed’s room and pretend this never happened, but then Asher’s dad looks at me. We have a silent stare off, me feeling entirely uncomfortable about it, and then he cocks his head as a slow smile curls up his thin lips.

“You look so much like her,” he breathes. “Such a shame you showed up in Black Creek. You could have had a long, happy life if you hadn’t.”

“Excuse me?” I ask, my voice almost silent as an ungodly horror unfurls in my stomach.

“I would say it’s been good to meet you, but I don’t believe in false niceties. Besides, we both know our roles in what’s to come.” He holds my gaze for a beat too long, chuckles under his breath, and then follows his son until he’s out of my sight.

My chest is tight, my lungs spasming for a full breath as I stumble back into Creed’s room. He’s still sound asleep in his bed, blissfully unaware of what just happened in the hall. As I close and lock his door and then climb in beside Creed, desperate for the protection he offers, Asher’s dad’s words play on an endless loop in my mind, spinning and morphing and haunting me until I feel sick.

I don’t think I’ll be getting any sleep now.

18

Griffin

Something is wrong.

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