Page 52 of All Our Ghosts

“Shared?” My gaze flickers down to her again, confusion washing over me until it hit me like a fucking freight train. “Kadence, is this your ex?”

She tears her eyes away from the wood. Glistening jade green stares back at me tears well in her eyes as the white knuckle grip she has on the table only grows harder. She’s going to hurt herself if she digs her nails into the wood anymore.

You and Miss Andrews shared this townhome we see on the screen?

That’s right. Kadence and I have been together for almost four years. It was only until the last year that she started behaving strangely, and that was until she became pregnant with our first child.

You have a child with Miss Andrews?

The son of a bitches face scrunches like he’s in pain, but even I can tell it’s an act.

“Turn it off,” she rasps, “Please.”

Dex sits himself down in the chair on the opposite side of the table. His gaze never breaking from her. Cole’s pacing back and forth in front of the TV.

I stare at her, watching her eyes slide close and tears trickle to the table, splashing against the wood. She has a kid?

As if she could feel the weight of all the questions running through my mind, she looks over at me. Those green eyes I’m unexpectedly falling for staring at me with grief and fear lacing through the flecks of gold. I can see her working out the lies in her head, working out whatever bullshit she’s about to spew to me to spin it around into a sob story of her own.

I can’t do this. I’m not going to sit here after so openly telling her every dark thing about myself, not when she took it in her stride and had every chance to tell me the same. I know she stillholds a wall up around herself but she’s broadcasted all over the goddamn country now.

Cole slams the remote onto the table, knocking over his chair and forcing her back a step. “Goddamnit Kadence! This is the last fucking thing the club needs. Iasked you–”

“I know what you asked me, Cole!” Her voice raises whatever courage still left in her she’s forcing out.

My fists flex at my side. She lied. Not to just me, but to Cole. I knew she was hiding something, but a fucking kid? Before I know what I’m doing, my feet are carrying me out of the room, shoving past Trey, who tries to grab me, and out the front door.

Us against the world.

The words run through my mind with a scoff as I climb onto my bike.

You’re a fucking idiot.

KADENCE

No, no, no, no. This isn’t happening.

Images of my old home, me and Jeremy flicker across the screen in front of me. Everything that I’ve been worrying of unfolding is right in front of my eyes. Lies. It’s all lies. But the looks on the three men’s faces tell me they don’t care. I’m cornered.

I look at Holden. His eyes have gone cold, iced over and the warmth I found in them this morning completely snubbed out by everything that I’ve been running from. He shoves past Trey, leaving me in the lion’s den.

“Holden!” I move towards the door but Trey has already filled the frame, “Move!”

Trey shakes his head, “he’s gone. Took off on his bike.”

I stumble back again, feeling everything crash down around me. I was going to tell him but the cocoon we made this morning, the promises… it just wasn’t the right time. I should have told him. Goddamnit, I should have said something.

“I want answers.” Cole suddenly fills my space, too close for my comfort, “is that true?”

“O’Neil,” Dex’s voice booms in the small room, “back off for a goddamn second!” I hear the chair he’s in roll backward as he stands, rounding the table. “She’s terrified, look at her.”

Raging blue eyes rake over me before letting out a huff of air. I can feel the anger radiating off of him as he turns from me. “Start talking Kade.” He bites and pushes for answers I’m not ready to give but because of his public display…Jeremy doesn’t give me a choice. Dex is right, I’m plastered over the entire country right now as Jeremy spins up a web of disgusting lies and feeds them to the media on a silver fucking spoon.

“Sit,” Dex urges, pulling out a chair for me, “Trey get her some water.”

“But–” Trey protests until Dex shoots him a look, “Jesus Christ. Back for one fucking night and hell breaks loose.” He mutters, turning from the doorway and disappearing down the hallway.

I sit down in the chair, doing everything I can to keep myself together though the tears stinging my eyes aren’t from sadness. It’s now anger rolling through me in waves. He left me. Left me here to deal with the aftermath of everything.

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