Page 26 of The Betrayal You Serve
Maybe that was always my destiny and this was just a pipedream. Something I'd almost be able to have but just not quite. A little like Letty. I'd get a taste before my fucked-up life gets in the way and ruins it all.
Needing to get out of the house and away from this place, I shower, dress, and jump in my car.
I don't have a destination in mind but when I pass the sign to Rosewood, I can't say I'm surprised. After moving here to give Kyle a fresh start after he got out of juvie it became something of a sanctuary for me. Somewhere away from the bullshit life I was being forced to live in the Creek and away from the Hawks.
Here, no one knew who I was. They had no idea about the things I'd done, the people I'd hurt, the lives I'd ruined. I was just a man looking after his younger brother, giving him the second chance he deserved after being screwed over by Victor Harris's devil child.
I think about Gray and what might have happened to him after he tried to take Harley away from my brother as a way to teach him a lesson for screwing him over. Victor doesn’t seem to care that his youngest is MIA. I never even got the chance to see mine on a screen and I already know that I'd have given my life for him in a heartbeat. I can't comprehend how you can so easily turn your back on your own flesh and blood.
The more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that there's got to be more to the story than meets the eye.
I blow out a breath as I pull up to the beachfront parking lot and kill the engine. I sit back, watching the waves crash onto the shore and the families that are making the most of the late summer sun.
What would life have been like now if Letty did have our baby? Would we have found a way to be a family? Could that have been us down there teaching our little boy how to build sandcastles and dipping his toes into the warm ocean?
Pulling my cell from my pocket, I search for her number and hit call. I don't know what I'm expecting after what happened last night but I can't help disappointment flooding me when it finally goes to voice mail.
The second I lower my cell, the disappointment gives way to my anger. The image of her with the Dunns coming back full force and making my fists clench with the memory of my knuckles connecting with Luca's face.
That hit was a long time coming but fuck if it was nowhere near enough.
I sit there staring out at the ocean as the sun descends under the horizon.
6
Letty
Ipull up at Mom's only to find Harley's car sitting in the driveway. Killing the engine, I rest my head back and look at the house. It feels like a safe haven right now. It's away from him, away from everyone who knows what happened last night.
I'm dreading tomorrow, walking into class knowing that the majority of the students will know how badly I fucked up.
"Argh," I scream into the silence of my car, wishing like hell that I could turn the clock back and handle that bitch's revelations differently.
With my regrets pressing down on my shoulders, I get out of the car and head for the house. I find Harley immediately in the kitchen making herself something to eat.
"Hey, Sis. How's it going?" I take one look at her and burst into tears, unable to contain it.
"Oh, crap. Shit." She comes rushing over and pulls me into a hug.
My little sister is almost eighteen now, we're exactly the same height and build. Gone is the annoying little girl who used to follow me around like a shadow and in her place is a beautiful young woman.
My stomach rumbles as she holds me, making us both laugh.
"I was going to make a sandwich," she says. "But I've got a better idea. Come on."
She takes my hand and leads me back to the front door.
"I-I can't go out, I look like a mess," I argue.
"You don't have to leave the car. But I think you need more than a sandwich right now." She lifts a brow as she stares at me. "Then you can tell me everything."
"Okay," I whisper, knowing that I don't really want to talk about it but feeling the burning need to be honest with my sister. Hell knows I've kept enough back from my family in the past eighteen months to last a lifetime.
She immediately turns toward the ocean and I can't help but feel lighter. The beach makes everything seem that little bit better.
"Aces?" I ask, assuming where we're going.
"Bill's milkshakes fixes everything."
