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As much as a two year old’s could be. But I grinned.
He gave Mason and Logan a wave and headed to his Audi.
As he left, Logan clapped his hands together, jumping up on the curb. “And now it’s just the threesome fearsome again.”
Mason’s gaze was hooded. I didn’t look, but I felt him studying me as he said to Logan, “I told you to stop worrying about that. It’s the three of us. Nate’s close, but he’s not you or Sam.”
Logan let out a breath of air, jumping back down. “Yeah, okay. I should go. Taylor talked about going back to see her friends. They called last night; something happened up there.”
Mason focused more fully on his brother. I could feel the tightness in my chest lighten as he did. “Are you going with her?” he asked.
“I might,” Logan admitted. “No offense, but I’ve got a feeling the two of you are going to do the ‘couple’ thing the rest of your time here. Unless you guys want to go back, too?” His eyes lit up. “Yeah! You should. Mase, your internship’s done. Dad’s not opening the hotel while you’re here anymore, and Sam, you don’t have a job. Come on. Let’s all go back.”
The reason he wanted to go was obvious. Taylor was there. And the reason we’d come to Fallen Crest was Mason’s internship. He needed that credit.
“Your dad will fill out all your internship paperwork, right?” I asked.
“He already did. The only thing I need from him is a grade.”
Logan barked out a laugh. “God, our dad sucks. You’re going to have to go in and kiss his ass.”
“I know. I’ll apologize for the speeches, too.”
“Fuck that. He knew what he was doing when he tried to force us to give him nice ones.”
I remembered what Analise had said to me. I hadn’t told either of them about that conversation. They knew about Becky, but I’d kept quiet about the reason Becky had found me at the hotel in the first place. I’d tell them when things quieted down.
“I think he’ll do the right thing and give you an A,” I told him.
Logan gave me an incredulous look, and Mason just pressed his lips together.
Their doubt was obvious.
“Okay. Right, Sam.” Logan shook his head.
I shrugged. “I got a feeling.”
“You okay?”
Mason’s question came out of nowhere. I turned to look at him, momentarily speechless. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because Mason was in jail for almost forty-eight hours,” Logan offered.
Mason frowned at his brother. “We’ve done longer.”
“Hey.” Logan cocked his head to the side. “You said you were going to see your mom. Did you?”
Here it was. This was my opening to tell them she was officially letting me go. I opened my mouth, ready to share the joyous news…and nothing. No words came out.
“I did, but nothing happened,” I said instead.
Mason’s eyes narrowed.
“It doesn’t matter. That flash drive Sullivan gave you and the video Keifer added was all we needed.” He clapped Mason on the shoulder. “You’re out, and I think we’ve learned a valuable lesson.”
Both of us waited.
“We should always have our own camera guy around. You never know what lengths some piece of shit might go to the next time we’re busting heads.”
Mason shook his head. “Or we could try to stop getting into physical fights. If any of that video gets leaked to the NFL, I could be out before I was even in.”
“Nah.” Logan brushed that off. “You’re good. Everything’s all good.” He snapped his fingers, pointing at us. “And on that note, I’ve been thinking about Taylor since I told you guys she wanted to head back. Now I’m hard.” He glanced down. “You guys are my ride, so can we go? I’d like to spend some time with her before we hit the road tonight.”
“We didn’t need to know some of those details.” Mason went to the driver’s door as Logan reached for the back door handle. I went around to the passenger side.
As we all settled inside, Mason asked, “You guys are leaving tonight, then?”
Logan was looking at his phone. “Yeah, and she just texted. Something went down with Jason. He got jumped.”
“Logan.” Mason’s tone held a warning. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Like jump the guys who jumped him?” Logan finished sending a text and slid his phone back in his pocket. “No. You’re right. I’d never defend that little piece of shit, but the problem is that he’s Taylor’s family, and you know we are about family. Totally don’t do shit to help each other out. That’s us. That’s the Kade motto: don’t do shit.”
Mason pulled out of the parking lot. “You can tone down the sarcasm. I’m not saying don’t help. I’m saying don’t physically fight. Get it done a different way.”
“I know. I know, but it’s so damn satisfying when the other guy is on the ground because of you, you know?”
“I know.”
I looked over. Mason’s voice had quieted.
“We got off track this summer,” he continued in a more normal voice. “We tried going right before. We need to get back to it. You have a future, too, you know.”
Logan smirked. “Damn right. I’m going to be a lawyer. It’ll really piss Quinn off if I get there ahead of him, too.”
I turned around in my seat. “You’re really going to follow through with that?”
“Fuck yeah.”
“That’s a lifetime commitment to fucking with Adam Quinn.”
Logan looked at his brother, their eyes meeting in the rearview mirror. “I know, but it’s not about just fucking with him. Maybe it was getting hauled in that night, or you being arrested a second time, or even just Quinn saying he’s going to be a lawyer. I don’t know what it was, but that’s what I want to do. I want to be able to stick it to anyone I fucking please, because I know my way around the law and they don’t.”
That made sense, and the subject was closed.
When we got home, Logan didn’t sequester Taylor in their bedroom for the next hour like he planned. Instead, they made plans to take off.
Mason and I were in the kitchen when Nate appeared. He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “Uh, Logan and Taylor are packing. What’s going on?” He pulled out a chair and sat across from me at the table.
Mason straightened from the fridge where he’d been grabbing a diet soda for me. Letting the door close on its own, he handed me the can and leaned against the counter. “They’re heading back. Something’s up with one of Taylor’s friends.”
“Oh.” Nate’s eyebrows furrowed together. His eyes skated between Mason and me. “What are you guys doing?”
Mason glanced at me. “We don’t know. We haven’t talked about it. You?”
“Technically, you could go,” Nate said.
One of Mason’s eyebrows rose. “Meaning you want to go back?”
“Well…”
So he did.
Nate spread his hands over the table, his palms up. “There’s no real reason to be here anymore. We came for your internship, but that’s over now. And the wedding’s done, too. So…” He smiled, coaxing us. “Matteo’s back there already for football training. There’s no reason to stay.”
“Except my stepbrother is here.” I leaned forward, propping my elbows on the table. “Oh.” I snapped my fingers at him. “So is my best friend, and my stepmother and David.”
“You’ve had all summer to hang out with them, and you have. You’ve seen Heather a ton. Plus, Malinda and David were at the wedding last night, too. I mean, come on, guys. Let’s go back. There are parties back there. We can chill for an entire month before classes start. Your internship ended early. You could start football on time. I don’t understand why we’re not going back.”
“So go.”
Nate looked at Mason. “What?”
He gave Mason and Logan a wave and headed to his Audi.
As he left, Logan clapped his hands together, jumping up on the curb. “And now it’s just the threesome fearsome again.”
Mason’s gaze was hooded. I didn’t look, but I felt him studying me as he said to Logan, “I told you to stop worrying about that. It’s the three of us. Nate’s close, but he’s not you or Sam.”
Logan let out a breath of air, jumping back down. “Yeah, okay. I should go. Taylor talked about going back to see her friends. They called last night; something happened up there.”
Mason focused more fully on his brother. I could feel the tightness in my chest lighten as he did. “Are you going with her?” he asked.
“I might,” Logan admitted. “No offense, but I’ve got a feeling the two of you are going to do the ‘couple’ thing the rest of your time here. Unless you guys want to go back, too?” His eyes lit up. “Yeah! You should. Mase, your internship’s done. Dad’s not opening the hotel while you’re here anymore, and Sam, you don’t have a job. Come on. Let’s all go back.”
The reason he wanted to go was obvious. Taylor was there. And the reason we’d come to Fallen Crest was Mason’s internship. He needed that credit.
“Your dad will fill out all your internship paperwork, right?” I asked.
“He already did. The only thing I need from him is a grade.”
Logan barked out a laugh. “God, our dad sucks. You’re going to have to go in and kiss his ass.”
“I know. I’ll apologize for the speeches, too.”
“Fuck that. He knew what he was doing when he tried to force us to give him nice ones.”
I remembered what Analise had said to me. I hadn’t told either of them about that conversation. They knew about Becky, but I’d kept quiet about the reason Becky had found me at the hotel in the first place. I’d tell them when things quieted down.
“I think he’ll do the right thing and give you an A,” I told him.
Logan gave me an incredulous look, and Mason just pressed his lips together.
Their doubt was obvious.
“Okay. Right, Sam.” Logan shook his head.
I shrugged. “I got a feeling.”
“You okay?”
Mason’s question came out of nowhere. I turned to look at him, momentarily speechless. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because Mason was in jail for almost forty-eight hours,” Logan offered.
Mason frowned at his brother. “We’ve done longer.”
“Hey.” Logan cocked his head to the side. “You said you were going to see your mom. Did you?”
Here it was. This was my opening to tell them she was officially letting me go. I opened my mouth, ready to share the joyous news…and nothing. No words came out.
“I did, but nothing happened,” I said instead.
Mason’s eyes narrowed.
“It doesn’t matter. That flash drive Sullivan gave you and the video Keifer added was all we needed.” He clapped Mason on the shoulder. “You’re out, and I think we’ve learned a valuable lesson.”
Both of us waited.
“We should always have our own camera guy around. You never know what lengths some piece of shit might go to the next time we’re busting heads.”
Mason shook his head. “Or we could try to stop getting into physical fights. If any of that video gets leaked to the NFL, I could be out before I was even in.”
“Nah.” Logan brushed that off. “You’re good. Everything’s all good.” He snapped his fingers, pointing at us. “And on that note, I’ve been thinking about Taylor since I told you guys she wanted to head back. Now I’m hard.” He glanced down. “You guys are my ride, so can we go? I’d like to spend some time with her before we hit the road tonight.”
“We didn’t need to know some of those details.” Mason went to the driver’s door as Logan reached for the back door handle. I went around to the passenger side.
As we all settled inside, Mason asked, “You guys are leaving tonight, then?”
Logan was looking at his phone. “Yeah, and she just texted. Something went down with Jason. He got jumped.”
“Logan.” Mason’s tone held a warning. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Like jump the guys who jumped him?” Logan finished sending a text and slid his phone back in his pocket. “No. You’re right. I’d never defend that little piece of shit, but the problem is that he’s Taylor’s family, and you know we are about family. Totally don’t do shit to help each other out. That’s us. That’s the Kade motto: don’t do shit.”
Mason pulled out of the parking lot. “You can tone down the sarcasm. I’m not saying don’t help. I’m saying don’t physically fight. Get it done a different way.”
“I know. I know, but it’s so damn satisfying when the other guy is on the ground because of you, you know?”
“I know.”
I looked over. Mason’s voice had quieted.
“We got off track this summer,” he continued in a more normal voice. “We tried going right before. We need to get back to it. You have a future, too, you know.”
Logan smirked. “Damn right. I’m going to be a lawyer. It’ll really piss Quinn off if I get there ahead of him, too.”
I turned around in my seat. “You’re really going to follow through with that?”
“Fuck yeah.”
“That’s a lifetime commitment to fucking with Adam Quinn.”
Logan looked at his brother, their eyes meeting in the rearview mirror. “I know, but it’s not about just fucking with him. Maybe it was getting hauled in that night, or you being arrested a second time, or even just Quinn saying he’s going to be a lawyer. I don’t know what it was, but that’s what I want to do. I want to be able to stick it to anyone I fucking please, because I know my way around the law and they don’t.”
That made sense, and the subject was closed.
When we got home, Logan didn’t sequester Taylor in their bedroom for the next hour like he planned. Instead, they made plans to take off.
Mason and I were in the kitchen when Nate appeared. He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “Uh, Logan and Taylor are packing. What’s going on?” He pulled out a chair and sat across from me at the table.
Mason straightened from the fridge where he’d been grabbing a diet soda for me. Letting the door close on its own, he handed me the can and leaned against the counter. “They’re heading back. Something’s up with one of Taylor’s friends.”
“Oh.” Nate’s eyebrows furrowed together. His eyes skated between Mason and me. “What are you guys doing?”
Mason glanced at me. “We don’t know. We haven’t talked about it. You?”
“Technically, you could go,” Nate said.
One of Mason’s eyebrows rose. “Meaning you want to go back?”
“Well…”
So he did.
Nate spread his hands over the table, his palms up. “There’s no real reason to be here anymore. We came for your internship, but that’s over now. And the wedding’s done, too. So…” He smiled, coaxing us. “Matteo’s back there already for football training. There’s no reason to stay.”
“Except my stepbrother is here.” I leaned forward, propping my elbows on the table. “Oh.” I snapped my fingers at him. “So is my best friend, and my stepmother and David.”
“You’ve had all summer to hang out with them, and you have. You’ve seen Heather a ton. Plus, Malinda and David were at the wedding last night, too. I mean, come on, guys. Let’s go back. There are parties back there. We can chill for an entire month before classes start. Your internship ended early. You could start football on time. I don’t understand why we’re not going back.”
“So go.”
Nate looked at Mason. “What?”
