Page 51 of Deceit
It’s not like they would shoot me.
I glared ahead, tapping my hand impatiently against the wheel and internallyarguing with the voice taunting me.
Finally, the barrier lifted, and my tiresspun on the gravel as I drove up to Kai’s house before abandoning my car, intent on going somewhere I had avoided for the past year.
Chapter 16
Miles
Headstones loomed in the dark, marking the graves of my family who hadpassed over the years.Evenbefore Theo died, I rarely visited the small graveyard situated at the edge of Kai’s land. My father was buried there, but the cunt didn’t deserve anyone to come to pay their respects.
I hadn’t been to the graveyard since the day we buried Theo, and at thereminder of how our supposed friend stood by our sides, watching as the coffin was lowered into the ground with fake tears in his eyes, my fists clenched.
His death had been far too lenient. Kai should have kept the fuckeralive and locked him up in the den so we could torture him for the rest of our lives.Eventhen, it wouldn’t have been enough to repay him for taking Theo from us.
From me.
Out of all the headstones, Theo’s was the only one in pristine condition; thenewest addition to the Wolfe cemetery. Whereas the others had begun to show signs of weathering, the marble of Theo’s glistened under the soft moonlight.
My heart cracked at the sight of it, and a pain so sharp hit me, taking mybreath away, and reminding me of why I’d avoided coming here all thistime. I carried the weight of Theo’s loss around with me wherever I went, but coming here,thatweight intensified.
My legs collapsed from under me, and I fell to my knees on top of his grave.Helplessness coursed through me, and I squeezed my eyes closed as overwhelming grief consumed me.
It was my faultthatTheo was rotting underneath the ground. If I hadn’t been sofucking selfish, too intent on fucking women until the sun came up, I could have stopped him from being murdered.
My best friend.
A choked sob escaped me, and I reached out to place my hand on hisheadstone, the marble cold under my palm.
“I’m sorry, Theo,”I whispered into the darkness.“I’m sofuckingsorry. I’dgive anything to swap places with you, brother. I’d give my life if it meant bringing you back. I…I don’t know who the fuck I am without you. I need you, man.”
Silence.
Ironicreally, he’d been haunting my nightmares for months, yet the one timeI wanted to speak to him, he didn’t appear.
Realizing my buzz from the weed was slowly wearing off, I snatched myhand away and searched my pockets, looking for my stash, and knowing if I smoked some more, Theo would appear. I cursed at my stupidity at discovering my pockets were empty. I’d left my weed on the lounger on the roof terrace.
Sighing, I twisted around to lean back against the headstone and stretchedmy legs out in front of me. Aside from a gentle breeze rustling the leaves of surrounding trees, there wasn’t a single sound. I could have found it peaceful if it weren’t for the unbearable ache in my chest.
I closed my eyes again, allowing myself to imaginethatTheo was out theresomewhere, listening to me.
“Please, Theo. Let me see you. I need to talk to you. I don’t know what thefuck I’m doing without you.”
Andthatwas the truth. Theo had been my guide through so much of ourlives together. He was the one I would confide in when my dad beat me. He was the one who gave me the confidence to stand up to anyone who belittled me because my interests in technology and computers made me a nerd. He was the one who knew what I needed when it came to women.
Without him, I didn’t know what I was doing or who Iwas. He knew my deepest, darkest fears. He knew every single one of my secrets.
Well, except for one.
The secret I held onto for four years about the woman who was now mywife.
The faint crunching of footsteps over grass reached my ears, and my eyesshot open. I stared into the distance with bated breath, waiting for Theo to appear. My heart accelerated as the footsteps grew closer, and hope bloomed in the center of my chest.
From the darkness, the outline of a body materialized.“Theo?”
“Christ, Miles. How fucking high are you? It’s me,”Kai growled, movingout of the shadows of the trees and marching toward me with averyunimpressed look on his face.“What the fuck are you doing here? It’s the middle of the night.”
My body slumped.“Justwanted some fresh air.”
