Page 8 of Only Everything
Right. As if I could, being with him.
I didn’t even know myself anymore. Not that I ever did. The only happiness I had ever found was with Reid. All I knew now was what Emmett wanted me to know. I behaved how he expected: submissive, quiet… scared?
I tried not to be. That was hard when I was constantly belittled, and everything I said was wrong. Every action I made wasn’t good enough. But soon, I wouldn’t have to worry about that. This was a new upcoming chapter. I could do this. I’d have no rules. I could bask in the chocolate and all its heavenly goodness whenever I wanted. And the man next to me… he would be out of my life soon enough.If only I could figure out a way to get himto let me go.
“Do you want some gummies? I can open the bag for you.”
Emmett’s top lip slightly peeled back in aversion. “No way. If you need to check anything on your phone, you better do so now. In a few more miles when we start heading through the trails and back roads, we’ll lose service.”
“Oh.” My pulse spiked. “But… What if something happens? How will we call for help?”
“Are you kidding? Nothing is going to happen.”
“But what if it does?”
He threw me a look that I wasn’t sure about.
“Phones have emergency assistance. We’ll be fine. Stop worrying so much. This is going to be fun. Lighten up. You’ll see.”
I grabbed my phone from my crossover, immediately bringing it more to face me as I took in the notification for the missed call. I clicked the button feeling my breath catch as I quickly cleared my throat and pretended to press more buttons. I eased the phone to my far ear, turning to face the window as voicemail clicked on.
“I told him to leave you alone. I told Lucus I was fine.”Reid’s shaky voice got quiet, and I didn’t miss the slurring.“I wasn’t going to call but… I fucking miss you, Taur. Don’t you see? God dammit…I fucking need you. Yeah, we fought, but you made me a promise. You fucking promised me. …Taur!”My name was a mix between a roar and a torturous yell. It caused me to jump in my seat and pull the phone back slightly from my ear as my pulse raced.“You’re all I fucking have left!”
Reid was drunk, just as he’d been when he called memonths ago. Drunk. Angry. Begging me for what neither of us could say with words. Emmett had lost it when he’d secretly checked my phone and discovered it. That’s when everything changed. He’d gotten physical. He suspected…maybe he knew.
“What the hell was that?” He was already alert, ready to dive over and grab my phone. Tears blinded me, and I knew better than to lie. To delete the message before he could hear would turn this day into a nightmare. I knew how this game worked.I knew him.
My hands were shaking as I put it on speaker, letting Reid’s voice fill the interior. When the words ended, Emmett’s jaw repeatedly flexed. He was quiet for so long, it had me trembling even worse. Silence wasn’t good. The outbursts and threats I was used to. The silence only meant his anger was building and reaching heights that promised something worse than an insult.
“He’s drunk. He probably won’t even remember this.”
More silence.
Emmett turned onto a back road, increasing his speed faster than I felt comfortable with.
“What did you promise?”
My mind screamed. Guilt almost caused me to sob. Love gnawed at the aching raw edges of my heart, and my throat grew tight.
I ruined him. I destroyed a man who I’d tried so hard to see as my brother.
“I promised that him leaving would save us. …He didn’t want to. My dad had stopped drinking, but we both knew it wouldn’t last. He only joined the military because I convinced him that it was our ticket out. The money. The stability. We could move far away and never worry about my dad again. I lied. I only told him that because I knew if I didn’t, he’d never leave me and his mother.”
Continuing was almost impossible. The truth was hard to admit. What started out as a lie shrouded in hope became real with his mother’s denial.
“As soon as boot camp was over, he called, ready to make arrangements. He was so excited. When I told his mom, Becky, of our plan, she didn’t want to leave my dad. She refused to go. And …I loved her. She’d become my mother in a way. She took care of me. I couldn’t leave her. I wouldn’t. Reid knew I was the punching bag in the house. Becky got hurt on occasion, but I was my dad’s outlet.”
A shuddering breath left me. “Reid came home at the first opportunity and found me with the remnants of a black eye. He went after my dad. They fought. Reid nearly killed him. I thought he was going to. Becky lost it. She was screaming at me. At Reid.” My head lowered through the sickening memories. “I told him to never come back. That I wasn’t his sister anymore. We weren’t his family. I said a lot of mean things to get him to leave. I was afraid the cops would come, and he’d get in trouble. Possibly kicked out of the one thing he’d wanted since the moment I met him. I wouldn’t allow that to happen.”
More silence. It stretched as we went from pavement to trail. Emmett’s jaw continued to tighten through his thoughts. The gravel under the tires only seemed to enhance the unfamiliar territory we were driving into. My past was merging with my present, and panic built like a crescendo through every silent mile.
“There’s nothing else you might want to share about this promise or what led up to it?”
Emmett’s deep tone had nausea fluttering within me as I shook my head. Years of mental abuse only fed the fear now that things were becoming physical.
“N-No. It happened just as I said. You know everything. We’ve gone over all of this before.”
“And yet each time, you tell me something new.” His gaze almost held what I felt was hatred as it cut over to me. “I’m a cop, Tauren. I know when I’m being lied to, or when someone is withholding information. I keep waiting for you to be honest. You’re testing my patience. I’m not sure how much longer I can wait.”
