Fallen Crest Public
Page 21
“What?”
“Where’d you go just now?”
“Nowhere.” All that crap could be dealt with another day. “What’s the plan? Why are you still waiting? I thought you’d be long gone by now.”
Logan shrugged, shoving his hands into his front pockets as he leaned back against his car again. One of his legs lifted and rested against it. A sudden yawn came over him as he glanced around the emptied lot. “I was. Everyone decided to go for pizza instead of Manny’s tonight. I figured you’d go there before the party. Sam’s working tonight, right?”
“I was going to see what she wanted to do.” And how pissed she was at me.
“You going to eat there?”
“Maybe. You?”
“Thought about it. I’ll probably get with someone tonight but we haven’t had much family time this week.”
“Yeah …” A slight movement from the far end of the parking lot caught my attention. Narrowing my eyes, I moved forward to get a better view. A person was coming around the corner, and that walk … it was Nate.
“What is it?”
I shook my head at Logan. Nate was heading towards us, his hands shoved deep in his sweatshirt’s front pocket. His hood was pulled up, and he was hunched forward. I caught the little movement he made in the front. Nate moved to pull up his zipper.
I gestured to Logan, lowering my voice, “Can you take off? Don’t let him see.”
Logan frowned, but lowered his voice too. “Sure. Why?”
“Nate got laid over there.”
“Say no more.” And then Logan melted into the darkness, going the other way around his car.
I waited until Nate had almost gotten to our cars before I spoke up, much the same as Logan had done to me earlier. “I thought you’d be gone by now.”
Nate’s head whipped up and he stumbled in his footing. “Shit, Mason! You just gave me a heart attack, you f**ker.”
“Relish it.”
“You’re such an ass.” Nate barked out a laugh as he pulled his keys from his pocket. Shaking his head, he asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Coach wanted to talk about the game.”
“What about? We killed ‘em, like we always do.” Unlocking his car, he leaned inside and reached for his bag. Riffling through it, he pulled his phone out and straightened back up as he went through his messages. Then he cursed and took a deep breath. He turned around and I saw it. All the games were done. He handed his phone over. “I just got a text from Kate.”
I got video of you and Parker screwing. Do what she told you to do, and it won’t go on the internet.
“Is there really a video?” I frowned at the phone as I started looking for more texts from her.
He sighed and leaned back against Logan’s vehicle. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to find out. Parker thinks there is, and I have no idea what to do anymore.”
I went cold. “Is this why you’ve been a shady motherfucker lately?”
Nate nodded. “I’ve been scared. You and Logan have both been on my ass about not being a good friend. Then I wanted to say something that one night, but you guys closed ranks on me. I was shoved out so I thought, ‘Fuck it. I’ll fix it myself.’” He gestured to where he came from. “I’ve been keeping things up with Parker because I need her to find the tape. I have no idea where Kate might’ve put it, if she even has one.”
“She says do what she told you to do. What are you supposed to do?”
Nate swore under his breath. “You’re going to be pissed.”
“Already getting there.” And I was.
“They wanted me to drug Sam one night and take pictures of her.” Nate didn’t hold back the truth. He delivered without missing a beat. “They wanted her naked and put in embarrassing positions.”
“Were you supposed to do anything to her?”
Nate hesitated, but answered a second later. “Yes, but you know I wouldn’t have done any of it. I’ve been stalling and trying to fix this on my own.”
Kate’s fate was sealed. I was going to destroy her. “Push Parker to find out when the tape was created. Maybe we can figure out if there even is a tape before we call her bluff.”
Nate flinched. “We’re going to call her bluff?”
“We’ll search her house first.”
“Or you can pretend to be tight with Kate and get the tape from her.”
“No.”
“That’s the only thing she wants—you. Kate’s obsessed with you. She’ll do anything for you, even hand over a video she used to blackmail your best friend.”
“Kate’s obsessed with power. She’ll go through anyone to get it, even my friends.” Nate looked away, and I paused. “Or has she already?”
“What?”
“Don’t f**k with me.”
He nodded, sighing at the same time. “Yeah, she’s come on to me a few times. Parker doesn’t know. I haven’t told her yet.”
If she had with him, she would’ve with the others. A new plan was forming in my head. “Don’t. If Kate does it again, record it on your phone. We can use it against her.”
“Hey.” Logan came around the car. His eyes darted between us. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
Logan shot me a questioning look.
“I’ll fill you in later.” I punched Nate in the shoulder. “Go to your woman. Keep stalling for us.”
“Actually,” Nate glanced from me to Logan, “I told her I’d meet up with her in the morning. She thinks I’m going for pizza and then Ethan’s party.”
Logan narrowed his eyes, his jaw locked in place, but he kept quiet.
I kept a wary eye on my brother. He wasn’t known for keeping his temper in check. This was one of those moments so I said to Nate, “Then go. We’ll see you later.”
As Nate went to his car, I knew my brother was a heartbeat away from exploding. I lowered my voice. “Relax, okay? I’ll tell you the plan in a second.”
“Fine,” Logan growled and waited for Nate to reverse.. As he did, Logan said, “He was with Parker just now, but it sounds like you already know—”
A screech of tires silenced him. We darted around my car and heard a thud, followed by metal crashing into metal.
“Where’d you go just now?”
“Nowhere.” All that crap could be dealt with another day. “What’s the plan? Why are you still waiting? I thought you’d be long gone by now.”
Logan shrugged, shoving his hands into his front pockets as he leaned back against his car again. One of his legs lifted and rested against it. A sudden yawn came over him as he glanced around the emptied lot. “I was. Everyone decided to go for pizza instead of Manny’s tonight. I figured you’d go there before the party. Sam’s working tonight, right?”
“I was going to see what she wanted to do.” And how pissed she was at me.
“You going to eat there?”
“Maybe. You?”
“Thought about it. I’ll probably get with someone tonight but we haven’t had much family time this week.”
“Yeah …” A slight movement from the far end of the parking lot caught my attention. Narrowing my eyes, I moved forward to get a better view. A person was coming around the corner, and that walk … it was Nate.
“What is it?”
I shook my head at Logan. Nate was heading towards us, his hands shoved deep in his sweatshirt’s front pocket. His hood was pulled up, and he was hunched forward. I caught the little movement he made in the front. Nate moved to pull up his zipper.
I gestured to Logan, lowering my voice, “Can you take off? Don’t let him see.”
Logan frowned, but lowered his voice too. “Sure. Why?”
“Nate got laid over there.”
“Say no more.” And then Logan melted into the darkness, going the other way around his car.
I waited until Nate had almost gotten to our cars before I spoke up, much the same as Logan had done to me earlier. “I thought you’d be gone by now.”
Nate’s head whipped up and he stumbled in his footing. “Shit, Mason! You just gave me a heart attack, you f**ker.”
“Relish it.”
“You’re such an ass.” Nate barked out a laugh as he pulled his keys from his pocket. Shaking his head, he asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Coach wanted to talk about the game.”
“What about? We killed ‘em, like we always do.” Unlocking his car, he leaned inside and reached for his bag. Riffling through it, he pulled his phone out and straightened back up as he went through his messages. Then he cursed and took a deep breath. He turned around and I saw it. All the games were done. He handed his phone over. “I just got a text from Kate.”
I got video of you and Parker screwing. Do what she told you to do, and it won’t go on the internet.
“Is there really a video?” I frowned at the phone as I started looking for more texts from her.
He sighed and leaned back against Logan’s vehicle. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to find out. Parker thinks there is, and I have no idea what to do anymore.”
I went cold. “Is this why you’ve been a shady motherfucker lately?”
Nate nodded. “I’ve been scared. You and Logan have both been on my ass about not being a good friend. Then I wanted to say something that one night, but you guys closed ranks on me. I was shoved out so I thought, ‘Fuck it. I’ll fix it myself.’” He gestured to where he came from. “I’ve been keeping things up with Parker because I need her to find the tape. I have no idea where Kate might’ve put it, if she even has one.”
“She says do what she told you to do. What are you supposed to do?”
Nate swore under his breath. “You’re going to be pissed.”
“Already getting there.” And I was.
“They wanted me to drug Sam one night and take pictures of her.” Nate didn’t hold back the truth. He delivered without missing a beat. “They wanted her naked and put in embarrassing positions.”
“Were you supposed to do anything to her?”
Nate hesitated, but answered a second later. “Yes, but you know I wouldn’t have done any of it. I’ve been stalling and trying to fix this on my own.”
Kate’s fate was sealed. I was going to destroy her. “Push Parker to find out when the tape was created. Maybe we can figure out if there even is a tape before we call her bluff.”
Nate flinched. “We’re going to call her bluff?”
“We’ll search her house first.”
“Or you can pretend to be tight with Kate and get the tape from her.”
“No.”
“That’s the only thing she wants—you. Kate’s obsessed with you. She’ll do anything for you, even hand over a video she used to blackmail your best friend.”
“Kate’s obsessed with power. She’ll go through anyone to get it, even my friends.” Nate looked away, and I paused. “Or has she already?”
“What?”
“Don’t f**k with me.”
He nodded, sighing at the same time. “Yeah, she’s come on to me a few times. Parker doesn’t know. I haven’t told her yet.”
If she had with him, she would’ve with the others. A new plan was forming in my head. “Don’t. If Kate does it again, record it on your phone. We can use it against her.”
“Hey.” Logan came around the car. His eyes darted between us. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
Logan shot me a questioning look.
“I’ll fill you in later.” I punched Nate in the shoulder. “Go to your woman. Keep stalling for us.”
“Actually,” Nate glanced from me to Logan, “I told her I’d meet up with her in the morning. She thinks I’m going for pizza and then Ethan’s party.”
Logan narrowed his eyes, his jaw locked in place, but he kept quiet.
I kept a wary eye on my brother. He wasn’t known for keeping his temper in check. This was one of those moments so I said to Nate, “Then go. We’ll see you later.”
As Nate went to his car, I knew my brother was a heartbeat away from exploding. I lowered my voice. “Relax, okay? I’ll tell you the plan in a second.”
“Fine,” Logan growled and waited for Nate to reverse.. As he did, Logan said, “He was with Parker just now, but it sounds like you already know—”
A screech of tires silenced him. We darted around my car and heard a thud, followed by metal crashing into metal.
