Page 59 of Cold Hard Truth

Echo laughs before quickly trying to bury it.

“Spill.”

She gnaws her bottom lip looking at me. “It’s nothing.”

I rest my hip against the counter and cross my arms over my chest. “You’re full of shit, aren’t you?”

“Maybe.” She smiles.

Sweet as she is, there’s still a mischievous edge to her. And I like that Echo can dose it out as well as she can take it. She’s a tough girl and reminds me a little of my mom before she disappeared.

“Now you have to tell me the deal because there’s no way there’s not a story behind whatever that expression was.” I hitch an eyebrow, wondering what they do to the poor front desk girls if Echo seems this nervous about it.

“Fine. But you asked, remember that.” She points at me, and I nod. “What is it they say about mixing business with pleasure?”

“Don’t do it?”

Echo nods slowly, watching me with her gum clenched between her teeth. “Exactly.”

“That’s it?” I’m not sure what she’s getting at until I process exactly what she said. “You, Crew, and Jude areall in relationships… so when you say mixing business with pleasure, you mean Sage?”

“Yeah.” She sighs. “It’s not as bad as it sounds though.”

I hitch an eyebrow, and she grits her teeth because she’s obviously lying for my benefit, even if I don’t have any claim on him.

“Fine.” She rolls her eyes. “It’s worse. But it’s not like he cares about them.”

“Not helping.” I laugh because it’s either that or let her comment sink in.

Echo shakes her head. “I’m just saying Sage has his ways of keeping people at a distance, and I think that’s just another way he managed to do it. Because it was clear he never really cared about them. He was using them to process something that was eating him up inside.”

“I get that.” Even if I didn’t use the same methods, I can relate. “And for the record, it doesn’t bother me. I grew up around the Twisted Kings. I’ve seen enough to need my brain bleached.”

“Good point.”

Still, I hope she doesn’t notice that my gut tugs thinking about Sage. I’m under no illusion he stayed celibate after we lost our virginities to each other, but to find out how much he fucks around now, when it’s so far from the man I remember, has guilt blooming inside me. He became exactly what I feared back then, except, I might be the one who caused it.

“You still care about him,” Echo says, and it’s not a question.

She hasn’t asked about my history with Sage, but it’s glaringly obvious anytime we’re in the same room, the past isn’t as buried as we thought it was.

“I do. But things didn’t end on the best terms between us.”

“Because you disappeared?”

“He told you?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “Jude mentioned it, but that’s all. Those guys are pretty lock and key with their secrets.”

“I appreciate that.” My gaze drifts to the butterflies hanging on the wall by the door. “My sister died. That’s the main reason I left. But there were… other things.”

I still can’t put words to them. My mouth dries, and I have to blink the basement out of my memories before my mind tries to relive it.

“I couldn’t stay here after that.” I shake my head.

“I’ve been there.” Echo’s golden eyes meet mine, and I believe her, even if she might not know exactly what I’m talking about. “He’ll understand at some point.”

“I hope so.” Not that I think it will change anything.

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