Page 24 of Toxic Obsession

“What the hell was that?” Kane asked me as I trudged off the football field after a long practice. “The defense was on you like a dog in heat. You definitely had your head up your ass. My question is why.” Kane, removed his helmet, glaring at me. “Look, man, I get that life happens, and you can talk to me, but youcannotshow up to play like that on Saturday.”

“Yeah, fuck you too.” I was pissed at myself for allowing Wynter to get in my head and at Kane for acting like an asshole. “If I remember correctly, you had some fucked-up days last year, not to mention your panties were all twisted over Brie. And who helped get you through that shit?” I slapped my chest.

Kane sighed, his stern expression falling. “It’s a girl, then?” His words were nicer this time, which was good because at this rate I wouldn’t mind clocking one of my best friends in the fucking nose.

My jaw clenched, sending pain ricocheting through my face, but it was better than the reminders of what Wynter had done. What she’d stolen from my family. “It’s complicated, but yeah.”

“Wynter has my man rattled, huh? Everyone at the party saw the way you two were dancing on top of the table the other night.” Kane patted me on the shoulder. “Let’s shower, then get the hell out of here. Brie won’t be home until late, so we’re going to drink and figure out how to get your head in the game again.”

“I could use a drink or two.” I massaged the back of my neck as Kane opened the locker room door and we walked into air that smelled like a mixture of soap and sweat.

“Good. Meet me at my place. If we get shitfaced, you can crash there.”

“Cool. See ya in thirty.” It never took me long to shower and dress in clean clothes, and Kane and Brie only lived fifteen minutes off campus. Slipping off my shoulder pads and jersey, I tossed them on the floor in front of my locker. If I was going to tell Kane the shit that was going down, I needed to swing by my house first. I reminded myself to take some of the pages out of the file since I hadn’t read it all yet. How much I would share with him, I wasn’t sure, but maybe enough to get that bitch out of my head.

She was definitely fucking up my mojo, and recruiters would be at the game Saturday. I had to take her down before I ruined a chance at my dream.

* * *

Kane swung open the mahogany front door and waved me in. “Took ya long enough.” He gave me a lopsided grin. He’d changed into faded jeans and a black sweatshirt and looked more comfortable than I felt. Just the idea of showing up and telling him about Wynter made my stomach churn.

“Yeah, I had to stop by my place longer than anticipated. I wanted to see how Brody was doing and let him know where I was in case he needed anything.” I held the file tightly as I toed off my Nikes in the entry way and followed Kane down the hall. His and Brie’s home had a warmer feel than Adam’s did. Maybe it was who someone was that made a house feel inviting and comfortable.

“The wood floors look good. When did you get them refinished?”

We entered the kitchen, and I took a seat at the table. Kane opened the tallest cabinet above the stainless-steel refrigerator and removed a full bottle of Jim Beam. He poured us a few shots, then joined me.

“New counters and cabinets in here, too.” I lifted my glass to my mouth and tossed it back.

“Yeah, we’ve had a lot of remodeling done. I wanted Brie to put her touch on the house, too.” Kane stretched his legs in front of him, then took a sip.

“So, what gives?” He tapped his fingers against the whiskey tumbler and stared a hole through me.

I slapped the file on the table and placed my hand on top of it. “This.” I slid it across the wooden surface to him. “My father gave it to me. I haven’t looked through all of it yet, but I have through those pages.”

Kane’s expression flickered with curiosity. He opened the folder and his eyes nearly popped out of his head as he gawked at the pictures of Wynter with the guys.

A flash of jealousy ripped through me. I didn’t like that Kane was looking at her, friend or not. “I was with her at the society last night.” My dick sprang to life, recalling how it felt inside her. I needed her sweet little pussy again, but it wasn’t just her body that was addictive. When I’d told her I knew who she was, her fear was palatable, and I craved the taste of it again. Rubbing my jaw, I decided hate sex with Wynter was my new hobby. An idea began to form, but it would have to wait until I had time to think it all the way through. For starters, I needed to find her on campus and ask her out.

“I can see why.” Kane flipped through the rest of the images, then to the information about her school, family, and other details.

I remained quiet as he read. The picture of her talking to the cops was next. Kane frowned and glanced up at me, baffled.

“Keep reading.” I folded my arms across my chest, waiting.

Kane returned to the newspaper article, silence filling the room. He turned the page and released a low whistle as he looked at Bell’s obituary. I clutched my T-shirt as a suffocating feeling flipped to full-blown agony.

Kane leaned back, his intense gaze on me as he shoved his fingers through his dark hair. “No fucking way, Q. No fucking way.” Kane shot up from the table and paced the floor. “I had no idea you even had a sister, not to mention a twin. You’ve not said a word. That’s had to fuck you up in the head. I don’t understand why the cops questioned Wynter, but I’m guessing it’s in the file.”

I pursed my lips, my brain foggy with the horrific memories. “We went to the same high school together. I didn’t personally know her, and I don’t have any idea if Bell knew Wynter or not. We ran in different crowds, but I always watched out for my sister. Then, things started to change. Bell pulled away and instead of confiding in me, she shut me out. I tried to get her to talk but ... After we moved out of Washington, I thought it would be over, and I never had to speak about it again, but then Wynter showed up. It’s brought up a lot of shit.”

Kane collected our glasses. “This calls for another drink, and I know I don’t have all the pieces yet, but holy fuck. If I saw someone that reminded me of my twin, I would be fucked up too, bro.”

I shifted in my seat, weighing the pros and cons of telling Kane everything I knew about Wynter but decided against it. “There’s more, but I don’t know how much I can talk about it.”

Kane refilled our drinks, then set mine in front of me.

“I’m trying to wrap my brain around the fact that you and Bell went to the same high school as Wynter. Not that I should ask”—Kane hesitated—“but what happened to Bell?”

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