Page 111 of Tell Me Why
I’d argue that Lucas will still be showing up at the house for Burning Crown business, but me staying at Rush House means being close to my brother, so I don’t say anything.
“I appreciate you dealing with that,” I say with a tight smile.
He starts the engine, and we peel out onto the Pacific Coast Highway, headed toward campus. “Oh, and, uh…” He glances at me, hat backwards, wrist slung causally over the steering wheel. “I texted Lux, and she made you a doctor’s appointment for tomorrow afternoon.”
I swallow, my gaze skating away. The reminder that I could be pregnant, hitting me square in the chest. I never did find my NuvaRing—gag—and I probably should have replaced it by now. But Christian is right—it’s better to talk to a doctor first. “Thanks. Just…text me the details.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He squeezes my thigh, and I glance over at him. He smiles reassuringly. “I’ll take you.”
My heart skips a beat, and if I’m being honest with myself, having a little version of him might not be so terrible…
* * *
That night, it’s well after nine, and Christian came downstairs about thirty minutes ago to meet with the other Sacred Sons about my brother.
I’m pacing the length of the music room, my footsteps echoing on the hardwood floor. The room is empty except for a beautiful grand piano in the corner and The room is empty except for a beautiful grand piano in the corner and that portrait that drew my attention when I first got here. The girl with dark hair and a faint smile, seated at a piano just like the one in this room. Something about her haunting eyes makes me stop breathing for a second…
I inch closer to the painting, and read the little gold plaque attached to the ornate frame—Elena Vivian Rush.
My birthmother.
I study her face, my throat thick, tight. I don’t even know how to feel—sadness for someone I’ve never met? Honestly, it just makes me miss my adoptive mother more. Adoptive. I reject the word the second it flutters into my brain. My mom was my mom, regardless. Nothing is going to change that.
Still, I can’t help but wonder what my life with Elena would have been like if she hadn’t died so tragically….
The sound of footsteps snaps me back to the present. I suck in a deep breath, both terrified and excited that this is all going to come to an end soon. Still, a wave of guilt swamps me. But there’s no way around it—this is blackmail, and exposing the Burning Crown would mean exposing Christian, too. Just the thought of that makes me feel nauseous…
The footsteps get louder, and I turn around, expecting to see Skye walk through the door.
It’s Christian.
“Oh, hey.” My voice catches before I can mask it. How do I explain why I’m just randomly standing in the music room? “I was just waiting for Skye.”
“She’s not coming.”
My heart skips like a rock across water. “She told you our plan,” I say, somehow shocked by this new betrayal, even after everything. I’m such an idiot.
“Skye didn’t say anything.” He steps deeper into the room. “I suspected you’d try something. I saw it on your face down in the basement when I told you to give me time. Then, when you met with Skye this morning, I knew for sure.”
I shake my head. No. She told him, I know it. “How could you know?”
“Because I know you better than you think,” he says quietly, lifting something up. It’s the blood ledger I sent Skye to steal.
He hands it to me.
“You’re just…giving this to me?” I ask, confused.
Okay, this is suspicious.
He shoves his hands into his pockets and shrugs. “Do what you need to do. I’m not going to stop you this time.”
I pull the heavy book against my chest, half-expecting him to snatch it back. He doesn’t.
“Why are you letting me have this?” I ask. “The information in this book could take down the entire Burning Crown, including you.”
I have no idea why I’m trying to talk him out of this.
Christian’s eyes meet mine. “Because you and I want the same thing—you safe, your brother free. But I need you to trust me.”
