Page 106 of Rebel

It’s better than I could have imagined. I haven’t lost them.

I haven’t lost my home.

Chase stands, and it’s clear he’s still unsure, but he nods at me. “Next time, we won’t forgive you, Beck.”

I watch him go, and Trav offers me a soft smile before going after him, leaving me with Kolt.

“How about we listen to some of her tapes?” he suggests. “Maybe I can find something you didn’t.”

Hand in hand, we head to my room and share the headphones as I hit play on a random tape.

They are right, we can do this together, and I’m relieved I’m not alone anymore.

Somewhere deep in my soul, I feel my sister smile, as if I were always supposed to be here.

It’s as if she brought me here for this exact reason.

Not for revenge, but to find my happiness and follow my dreams.

Things are still a little tense with us. Now that the truth is out, we are all relearning how to act now that there are no secrets between us. It makes me sad to see them hesitate, but I understand and make an effort to mend bridges—I bring them with me to meet Ben.

We decide on a nearly empty restaurant. The guys don hats, and we sneak in through the back after tipping the waitress. Ben is already waiting with a steaming mug before him. I sit, but the guys hesitate, so I beg them with my eyes until they give in.

Ben watches them, clearly not trusting them despite the messages I sent him. “Are you sure about this? About them?”

I glance over at them. They are glaring at Ben, obviously still annoyed about the whole trying to dig up dirt and expose you thing. “I am. You have to trust me, Ben. They didn’t hurt her.”

“They didn’t save her either,” Ben mutters.

I feel Chase flinch at my side, and I cover his hand under the table, knowing he is struggling with that.

“We are all to blame,” I tell him, “and we are all trying to make amends and do the right thing. Plus, they knew her better than anyone. They can help. Please, Ben.”

He eyes them with mistrust but sighs. “Fine, if you say so, but if they fuck us over, I’ll spill all their dirty secrets.”

“Don’t threaten us,” Trav warns, his voice hard, and my head jerks around, shocked at the malice in his tone. “Do not threaten my family.”

“Where was that level of protectiveness when it came to her?” Ben hisses, leaning over the table.

Sighing, I put my arm out to stop them. “You don’t have to get along, but we are all here for the same reason—my sister—so let’s stow the masculine dick measuring contest and focus on the important things, like figuring out what happened to her. She would want us to work together?—”

“You don’t know that,” Ben hisses, but he seems to deflate a little.

I pull out the recording on my phone and hit play. I took it off the tape, not wanting to risk bringing it here and losing it.

They are all I have left of my sister, after all.

“We did a gig tonight. It was amazing, sis.” He gasps at hearing her voice. “You would have loved it. I did. It’s the energy you get from performing, from being on the stage with people screaming your songs back at you. There’s nothing like it. I hope you experience it yourself one day. It helps that my band is so amazing. We have our issues. Chase can be an ass, and Kolton can be withdrawn, but they are really nice. We’re becoming really good friends, and I feel like I belong here.” I hit the next one, where her voice is withdrawn and almost numb.

“The guys keep asking me what’s wrong. They want to help, and I love them for that, but they can’t. I wish they could. I know they would fight until the ends of the Earth if I let them, but I just . . . I can’t.”

I hit stop. “I ignored them the first time I listened, so blinded by my own hate.”

I hit the next. “I have a few regrets, mainly the mess I made with the band. They don’t deserve it.”

I watch his eyes turn glassy with tears, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows at her voice. I know Ben feels the same pain. “She didn’t hate them, Ben. She cared for them. She would want us to work together, so don’t do it for them or for me. Do it for her—the woman you loved.”

His eyes close for a moment, and when they open, they are still bright with tears but determined. “If someone was threatening her, then they had to be close. That’s all I keep thinking, which means they were or still are in your vicinity. Maybe if we had a list of who has access, I could try to dig up some information. I have a friend who owes me a favor. She’s a little crazy, but she’s also good at digging up dirt.”

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