Page 57 of Burning Truths

He tried to hide the way his lip curls at her name but I see the slight lift of his mouth. A low laugh leaves West and Cole swings his arm out connecting with West’s stomach.

“Fuck, man.” He coughs. “Lighten up.”

“The way you lighten up around a certain hacker? Or would you rather I talk about how she shot you down like a little bitch on the playground?” Cole rasps.

West snaps his mouth shut with a sour expression crossing his face. G slides his phone in his back pocket and storms towards the door. Calling out to him he pauses for a second in the entrance dropping his mask letting his worry be known.

“She called you.” It’s not a question but a realization that she needs someone who isn’t us.

G drops his head back looking up at the ceiling. “She needs to do something before she can face you, Rye. She needs to burn away the images that she thinks betray her.” With those words he rolls his head to face me. The way his stare peers into mine I can see the underlying message he wants me to grasp without saying it.

“She made you promise?” The words leave my mouth in a rushed breath.

He doesn’t answer, instead he walks out, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket on the way outside. Hank did a number on her, fuck he collared her pretty little neck, filling her head with lies.

“Does she know?” I spin to Cole who looks lost.

Shaking his head, “No. Hank told her we sold her to him. Her wires are crossed and tangled leaving her confused on who she can trust. It’s the reason I let her leave. If she can’t trust us she won’t understand why we haven’t slit the throat of who is responsible.”

West punches his thigh in frustration, “Are you sure you’re right?”

His question is directed to Cole, the man who hung himself to cover the truth, a reason we didn’t understand until the day he woke up.

Cole’s nostrils flare, “Why don’t we ask her ourselves?” He remarks.

The sound of heels clacking against tile comes closer.

“Speaking of the devil, here comes one now.” I spit.

We all look to the door when the footsteps come to a stop at the opening.

“Mother.” We all say in unison.

Her short caramel colored hair bounces with her movements. She’s dressed in a long sleeve grey pinstripe dress with black heels. She could be on vacation and she’d still dress like she’s made of money. Fuck, we all are.

Her heels click across the floor as she passes us for the bar at the back of the room that hasn’t been used in years. The maids keep it stocked but there’s no need. Who wants to be in an empty home where their dead father used to live? Opening the top cabinet she grabs a bottle of amber liquid along with acrystal glass. Setting the bottle on the granite counter she curls her finger calling us forward. One by one we stand not giving her a reason to suspect anything going on. Even for a mother her intuition sucks. Leaning down she opens the small freezer and scoops up some ice and sets the glass next to the bottle.

“You missed the meeting.” She mentions it like she’s talking about a football game on T.V.

Without missing a beat West props his elbows on the counter and flashes a wide grin. “We had a little party of our own to attend. I’m sure we didn’t miss anything important that we can be caught up on.”

Tossing back the drink she swallows it down before slamming the glass into the sink shattering it. Lashing out she pinches West’s cheeks in between her polished fingers. “That playboy act doesn’t work on me, boy. Make our family look like fools again and I’ll do more than make a mess of this house.”

Shoving his face away she storms to the door with the Whiskey bottle in her grasp. Hesitating at the exit, her short hair sways when she turns to look at me. “I saw a little mouse today making her way into the school. Looked like she was ready to set it on fire. I wonder if she’ll find herself trapped in the middle of her own mess.'“

The threat hangs in the air long after she’s gone.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

KENNA

Stepping from the dark hallway the bright array of colors shine against the cobblestone path. Lilies line the walkway blooming perfectly under the wide open sky. It burns to breathe in the smell I’ve searched for, for the past two months, suffocating me with flashes of a distant memory. My bottom lip quivers when the path curves revealing the stone bench that held me open for him. Exposed to the monster who drank me up like a cure to all the nightmares come to life. If only I could fix the damage in our wake.

“Hey there, pretty.” A familiar voice says behind me.

Spinning, the sun bounces off dark sunglasses, his tongue flipping the ring through his lip. A smile fights its way onto my face but it slips just as fast. Looking from his mouth, my eyes travel over him, taking in the man before me. He’s either stopped shaving or something’s been keeping him from the task. Biting the inside of my cheek I allow myself to comb over his chest, wide and cut with muscle, he wears a tight Henley grey shirt, forming to the way his lean body curves. My gaze moves down to his tight black skinny jeans with a single chain hooked through the belt loop disappearing into his pocket. Steel toed boots are planted firm on the stone path.

“Eyes up here.” He chuckles.

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