27. Juliette #2
I purse my lips at him. “I do.”
He nods slowly. “Yeah, okay.”
“You know what I want to talk about?” I lean toward him.
“I want to talk about you . About how you’re never around, how you’ve made a career out of disappearing.
Or why Benjamin Voltaire acted like you were besties the other night.
And let’s not forget the bruised knuckles, or how you suddenly don’t give a damn that Ty has black eyes and is carrying a gun. ”
Lance arches a brow. “Ty has a gun?”
I give him a look. “ Had , when I first got back into town. You didn’t see it?”
He rubs the back of his neck.
My chest cramps. Him not paying attention to Tyler is new. They’ve always been inseparable: him, Tyler, and Art.
But maybe I need to give a little to get a little with him. Clearly, he’s not going to be the one to open up first, and even if he hurt me, I still miss him.
He’s still my person.
I watch him carefully, but his face is a blank mask. Impenetrable.
“Are you hanging out in the HillPoint?” I ask, point blank.
He flinches. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to, Jules.”
I narrow my gaze. “If I didn’t want the answer, I wouldn’t have asked the question, Lance .”
He scoffs and looks away. “Art owns property there now. It’s not like I’m in danger.”
“Right,” I reply. “Because shady real-estate dealings are always super safe.”
He cuts a look at me. “How do you know it was shady?”
I give him a thin smile. “I didn’t. Not until you just confirmed it.”
Lance sighs, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his head hanging. “I love you, Jules, but I can’t tell you everything. Please just respect it.”
My mouth sours. “Fine, then tell me why Benjamin acted like you two were friends the other night. Does it have to do with why Ty says you’re never around anymore?”
“Ty’s an idiot. And so is Benny, for that matter.”
Benny? There’s that nickname again.
My mouth drops. “Oh my God, you are hanging out with them.”
Defiance ghosts over his face. The same look he used to get when Beverly would tell us we couldn’t have dessert, or when Dad laid down an ironclad rule. The rest of us folded like lawn chairs, but not Lance. He’d get this glint in his eye like the rule was a dare; something for him to break.
“It’s nothing,” he says.
“You do realize saying that makes it feel like something .”
His silence is answer enough.
I tilt my head. “Give me a crumb here, dude. Is it a cult? Some underground fight club? A super-secret sex scandal?”
He doesn’t laugh. He doesn’t even blink.
And that makes worry prickle along my spine more than anything else. “Lance, what the fuck ? Dad will kill you if he finds out you’ve been hanging out in Montgomery territory.”
“Rich, coming from you.”
I frown, unease flickering inside me like a light switch. “What does that mean?”
He lifts his chin, his jaw stiffening. “How do you know Roman Montgomery?”
That question takes the wind out of my sails, and I press my lips together, suddenly not wanting to talk anymore. “Quit trying to change the subject.”
“Stay away from him.”
I scoff. “You sound like Dad.”
He stiffens. “I am not our fucking father.”
“No shit. Dad wouldn’t be sneaking around with people like Benjamin Voltaire.”
His face softens. “I didn’t come here to argue. I came here to check in. I’ve missed you, and I worry about you. I don’t trust anyone in this family to look out for you the way you deserve.”
My eyes burn, emotion swelling in my chest. For as mad as I am at Lance, I can’t help the fact that I love him so damn much. “I miss you, too.”
“Where’re Pax and Alex?” he asks, looking around.
I shrug. “I’m sure Paxton is around somewhere doing Dad’s bidding, and Alex is probably at the theater.”
Lance’s phone chimes. He pulls it out, reads whatever is on the screen, and then his brows furrow, tension lining his face.
“Who’s that?” I pry, leaning over his shoulder to try and get a good look.
I don’t see much, mostly because his shoulder is the size of my head. “Jesus, Lance, when did you get so jacked? You’re like a fucking boulder.”
He smirks and flexes without shame. “I’ve always been the superior Calloway. I don’t know why you’re just now noticing.”
I snort and smack him on the arm. “You’re an idiot.”
“And you’re nosy.” He moves his phone away from me, standing up and slipping it into his back pocket.
“I won’t apologize for wanting to know who outranks me on your priority list.”
Lance scoffs. “Don’t be ridiculous. No one outranks you.”
“What?” I look at him innocently. “I’m just saying, your phone goes off and suddenly you have to run. I’m drawing logical conclusions.”
His nostrils flare like he’s trying to rein in whatever he really wants to say.
“Is it Art’s girlfriend?”
“It’s not anyone you know.” A hesitation, and then, “I do have to go, though.”
I hide the annoyance, and I’m not surprised. It’s not even worth fighting about anymore. “All right. See you whenever I see you, I guess.”
“I love you, Jules. It’s good to have you home.”
My eyes burn, and I try to reply, but all I manage is a tight grin.
I unstick my phone from where it’s stuck to the skin of my thigh and pull up my messages instead, getting lost in my own important person instead of thinking about all the ways my family hurts my heart.