Fallen Crest Family
Page 27
James went with them. He glanced back at me once and asked me a question, but I couldn't make sense of it. I saw his mouth moving, but I couldn't hear him. There was a buzzing sound in my head, it drowned out everything else. When I only looked at him, he gave me a small frown, but grabbed a set of keys from a drawer. He left after that.
I was like that when I heard pounding on the door.
I couldn't move. I knew I should get up to see who that was, but I couldn't. But then—no. I had to get up. She'd been faking it. Why was I in shock about that? So, slowly, I pushed myself up and then went to the door.
I turned the lock the whole way and the door was shoved open. My hands braced against it, and I was thrown against the wall. Before I could fall or steady myself, Mason grabbed me. He hauled me close.
I gasped, everything came flooding back.
God, the buzzing sound was still there. It felt like someone was stomping their foot on my head.
"Where'd they go?"
Logan rushed past Mason into the kitchen. He came back a second later and lifted his hands. "They're gone." He looked at me. "Did they go to the hospital already?"
I shook my head. "She was faking it." She had to have been.
Mason clutched me tighter against him before he pressed a rough kiss against my forehead. "Are you okay?"
Logan stepped closer, concerned as well.
What were they so scared about? She was faking.
"Sam." Mason cupped both sides of my face. "Your mom collapsed. Dad called us. He said you were in shock. Are you okay?"
"She didn't," my voice cracked. I shook my head. Why did everyone believe her? "She's faking." I knew it, she had to have been. The convenient timing, how dramatic it had been. All of this was nuts. It was over the top, how Analise liked to live. I shook my head clear of the shock and my voice became clearer. "I told your dad what she was going to do, that she was going to press charges against you and then pretend she hadn't been thinking straight. She saw it, she saw his face." I hadn't. His back had been turned to me, but how he'd grown quiet, how he had left the room. I'd been so sure that it was done, that they were done. How could he have stayed with her after knowing that?
"Huh?" Logan scratched his head.
Mason cursed under his breath. "Nothing."
"Wait, that's not nothing." Logan stepped closer. "What aren't you telling me?"
Mason stiffened, but when I knew he was going to feed him another lie, I spilled the beans. "My mom was going to press charges of statutory rape against Mason. It's illegal to have sex with a minor. He's 18. It would've stuck."
Logan's eyes went wide. He sucked in his breath and gaped at us. Curses spewed from him as he shook his head. "And you weren't going to tell me? What the hell, Mason?! What the f**king hell?" He stopped abruptly, but then his gaze shot back to us. "Nate knew, didn't he? When did you know about this?"
Mason cursed under his breath.
My hand found his and I held tight to it. "She told me the same day you guys left. I was coming to see Mason and she was waiting for me. She knew I would." I swallowed over a knot. "That was the ace up her sleeve. It would've ruined his life."
"Fuck."
Mason let out a soft breath behind me. His hand wrapped around my waist, and he tugged me back against him. As he held me, I watched Logan from his shelter. I waited for his response, whatever it was going to be. It wouldn't be good. I knew that much. He'd been lied to.
"Fuck you!"
I closed my eyes. There it was.
"Fuck you! Seriously." He scooted away from us, all the way to the back wall.
I started for him, but Mason went instead. He stood close to him as he lifted his hands up, as if to his shoulder. Then he dropped them. "What would you have done?"
Logan glanced up, his gaze stormy. "I would've done something."
"Exactly." Mason sighed. His hands found his waist and his head hung down. His voice came out soft, "You would've come over here and threatened her, or you would've done something worse. You've been asking every day to tie her up and scare the crap out of her."
Logan gave a weak laugh. "I wouldn't have really done that."
"I don't care. This needed to be handled the right way and I had no idea what to do, not until last night…" He lifted his gaze to me.
I realized that he wanted me to confront her. He knew that I was the only one that could've. Shame flared through me. I should've done this sooner. Now it was all a mess.
I sighed, "She kicked me out."
"What?" The surprise was clear with both of them. Then Mason turned back to me. He asked again, "Does she really want you gone?"
I shrugged. "It seemed like it."
"Are we sure she was faking?" Logan frowned. "Are we completely sure that there wasn't something wrong with her?"
Mason started to reach for his phone, but I stopped him. I put my hand on his arm. "She's done this before."
"What?"
Logan poked his head around Mason. "What?"
"She lost a baby…before…" But as I said it I realized the truth, I realized why I had spoken up in the first place. "No, she killed her baby."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"Dad!" I ran down the hallway and shoved open their bedroom door, but there wasn't anyone inside. The television was on so I circled around the bed and threw open the bathroom door. Still no one. "Dad?"
"Sam!"
I jerked and my bag went flying across the room. I cursed.
Logan laughed from the doorway, a bag slung over his own shoulder. "You ready?"
Was I ready? I looked around my room, it'd been my home for the last five months and now I would move into another one. No, I wasn't ready, but I was at the same time. A sigh left me. "Yeah…"
"Oh, come on." He sauntered in the room and threw an arm around my shoulder. As he pulled me tight against his side, his hand spanned the rest of the room. "Think of it this way, your next room's going to be orgasm-friendly. That's good feng shui, right? Heh? Heh?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me, chuckling. "That's all about natural bliss and stuff like that, isn't it?"
I shrugged off his arm and grabbed my two bags. "Come on, let's get out of here." I went to the door. He didn't. I looked back. "What?"
I was like that when I heard pounding on the door.
I couldn't move. I knew I should get up to see who that was, but I couldn't. But then—no. I had to get up. She'd been faking it. Why was I in shock about that? So, slowly, I pushed myself up and then went to the door.
I turned the lock the whole way and the door was shoved open. My hands braced against it, and I was thrown against the wall. Before I could fall or steady myself, Mason grabbed me. He hauled me close.
I gasped, everything came flooding back.
God, the buzzing sound was still there. It felt like someone was stomping their foot on my head.
"Where'd they go?"
Logan rushed past Mason into the kitchen. He came back a second later and lifted his hands. "They're gone." He looked at me. "Did they go to the hospital already?"
I shook my head. "She was faking it." She had to have been.
Mason clutched me tighter against him before he pressed a rough kiss against my forehead. "Are you okay?"
Logan stepped closer, concerned as well.
What were they so scared about? She was faking.
"Sam." Mason cupped both sides of my face. "Your mom collapsed. Dad called us. He said you were in shock. Are you okay?"
"She didn't," my voice cracked. I shook my head. Why did everyone believe her? "She's faking." I knew it, she had to have been. The convenient timing, how dramatic it had been. All of this was nuts. It was over the top, how Analise liked to live. I shook my head clear of the shock and my voice became clearer. "I told your dad what she was going to do, that she was going to press charges against you and then pretend she hadn't been thinking straight. She saw it, she saw his face." I hadn't. His back had been turned to me, but how he'd grown quiet, how he had left the room. I'd been so sure that it was done, that they were done. How could he have stayed with her after knowing that?
"Huh?" Logan scratched his head.
Mason cursed under his breath. "Nothing."
"Wait, that's not nothing." Logan stepped closer. "What aren't you telling me?"
Mason stiffened, but when I knew he was going to feed him another lie, I spilled the beans. "My mom was going to press charges of statutory rape against Mason. It's illegal to have sex with a minor. He's 18. It would've stuck."
Logan's eyes went wide. He sucked in his breath and gaped at us. Curses spewed from him as he shook his head. "And you weren't going to tell me? What the hell, Mason?! What the f**king hell?" He stopped abruptly, but then his gaze shot back to us. "Nate knew, didn't he? When did you know about this?"
Mason cursed under his breath.
My hand found his and I held tight to it. "She told me the same day you guys left. I was coming to see Mason and she was waiting for me. She knew I would." I swallowed over a knot. "That was the ace up her sleeve. It would've ruined his life."
"Fuck."
Mason let out a soft breath behind me. His hand wrapped around my waist, and he tugged me back against him. As he held me, I watched Logan from his shelter. I waited for his response, whatever it was going to be. It wouldn't be good. I knew that much. He'd been lied to.
"Fuck you!"
I closed my eyes. There it was.
"Fuck you! Seriously." He scooted away from us, all the way to the back wall.
I started for him, but Mason went instead. He stood close to him as he lifted his hands up, as if to his shoulder. Then he dropped them. "What would you have done?"
Logan glanced up, his gaze stormy. "I would've done something."
"Exactly." Mason sighed. His hands found his waist and his head hung down. His voice came out soft, "You would've come over here and threatened her, or you would've done something worse. You've been asking every day to tie her up and scare the crap out of her."
Logan gave a weak laugh. "I wouldn't have really done that."
"I don't care. This needed to be handled the right way and I had no idea what to do, not until last night…" He lifted his gaze to me.
I realized that he wanted me to confront her. He knew that I was the only one that could've. Shame flared through me. I should've done this sooner. Now it was all a mess.
I sighed, "She kicked me out."
"What?" The surprise was clear with both of them. Then Mason turned back to me. He asked again, "Does she really want you gone?"
I shrugged. "It seemed like it."
"Are we sure she was faking?" Logan frowned. "Are we completely sure that there wasn't something wrong with her?"
Mason started to reach for his phone, but I stopped him. I put my hand on his arm. "She's done this before."
"What?"
Logan poked his head around Mason. "What?"
"She lost a baby…before…" But as I said it I realized the truth, I realized why I had spoken up in the first place. "No, she killed her baby."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"Dad!" I ran down the hallway and shoved open their bedroom door, but there wasn't anyone inside. The television was on so I circled around the bed and threw open the bathroom door. Still no one. "Dad?"
"Sam!"
I jerked and my bag went flying across the room. I cursed.
Logan laughed from the doorway, a bag slung over his own shoulder. "You ready?"
Was I ready? I looked around my room, it'd been my home for the last five months and now I would move into another one. No, I wasn't ready, but I was at the same time. A sigh left me. "Yeah…"
"Oh, come on." He sauntered in the room and threw an arm around my shoulder. As he pulled me tight against his side, his hand spanned the rest of the room. "Think of it this way, your next room's going to be orgasm-friendly. That's good feng shui, right? Heh? Heh?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me, chuckling. "That's all about natural bliss and stuff like that, isn't it?"
I shrugged off his arm and grabbed my two bags. "Come on, let's get out of here." I went to the door. He didn't. I looked back. "What?"
