Page 45 of One Little Mistake
My youngest brother, who is so much better behind a computer screen than face-to-face, cringes. “I just mean, the life she thought she’d have was taken from her. Lexi’s future looks very different than it did a year ago. She needs time to accept it all.”
Something tells me that’s not what he meant at all, but I let it go for now.
“What the hell am I supposed to do?”
“Be her friend, East. I get the feeling she doesn’t have many of those.”
“Her friend?”Do friends imagine each other naked every time they see each other?
“Yeah. Now, about Pacen?”
My fists clench involuntarily.
“I spoke to Lexi. Do you know who the guy is? The one that was with her and … and Dillon?”
“No,” I say regretfully. As much as I fucking hate Dillon, and regardless of how her sister shredded my heart, Pacen was just a kid when everything went down. Lexi is concerned for her safety, and if we can do something about it, we have to. It’s who we are as a family. It’s in our blood, and I would never forgive myself if something happened to her that I could have prevented.
“You’re not going to want to hear this, East.”
“I already thought the same thing. The Dillon I knew would never have allowed a man to hurt a woman. If that’s happening with Pacen, the Dillon I knew would have already stepped in. But, I think we can agree that I never really knew him at all, right? So you do whatever you need to do with him. I want no part in it. He’s still dead to me.”
“Okay. Does Lexi know?” he asks like he’s afraid of my answer.
“Know?”
“About Vanessa?”
Fuck. Sighing, I roll my shoulders, attempting to work out some of the tension that’s settled there. “Yeah, Ash. S-She knows.”
“Good, there’s hope for you yet.”
I don’t even want to know what he means by that.
His phone dings with a text, and I know I’m about to lose him to his work. I like to think that all five of us Westbrook boys have turned out to be good men, but there’s a difference between good and great, and he’s sitting in front of three computer screens. Where the rest of us try to be the good in the world, Ashton just is. He always has been, and it’s why I’m not surprised he works to take down the bad guys with Loki.
“Ash?”
He glances up at me, but I can tell he’s distracted.
“Are you happy?”
His fingers pause on the keyboard. “Yeah, man. I’m happy. Once I get Loki out of this mess he’s in, life will settle down. But yeah, I’m happy.” Holding up his hand, we fist bump.
“Welcome to the chaos, little brother.”
“Welcome to the chaos, beast.” His grin tells me he knows more about our comings and goings than he lets on. “You might want to hit the pool next.”
“Yeah? Why’s that?”
“Colton said Lexi looks sexy in a bikini.” He says it so straight-faced I’m convinced he’s fucking with me. Then he turns his phone around to show me a picture of Lexi’s ass, and my face flames with anger.
“I’m going to fucking kill him.”
Ash doesn’t laugh a lot, but when he does, the world takes notice. Even in my anger, it causes me to laugh right along with him.
“He’s only pushing because he thinks you’re going to fuck things up, you know that, right?”
“I already did, Ash. But you’re right. I can be her friend if that’s what she needs. A fucking bikini, though? Today might end with me in jail if any fleabags try to hit on her.”
