Chapter 13
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
Weston
My phone rings, breaking the loud silence of the fall night around me. Even the crickets that have been steadily growing louder as the sky has darkened, grow quiet. The peacefulness had to end eventually. The same way this perfect day had to.
There was no other option but to bring Berlyn home, to say goodbye to her, even if it was with a promise to come back with my brothers to carve the pumpkins closer to Halloween.
I wanted to stay and do it tonight, anything to spend more time with her, but she only laughed and said they would rot before the trick-or-treaters ever had a chance to see them.
Not that I care about the kids knocking on doors for candy, but if she does, I can wait. I can’t be selfish.
Yet, I couldn’t walk away.
Going home alone, back to an empty and cold house and watching her through a screen wouldn’t be enough, not after spending more time with Berlyn than I ever could have dreamed of.
The phone cuts off, but immediately starts ringing once more.
Ezra never has been patient. The phone continues to vibrate and light up in my hand and dread and annoyance flicker in my gut.
I stare longingly at the house where Berlyn flits from one room to the next.
She’s lighter than she was. A smile on her face as she sings and dances to the music playing on her headphones as she sketches in her art pad. No more getting lost in the silence.
Ezra will only keep calling if I don’t answer, but I already know what he’s going to say.
The call ends again but once more immediately begins ringing again. I huff but answer before it can go to voicemail for a third time.
“Why are you at Berlyn’s house?” he asks without a greeting.
I really hate phone calls. I shouldn’t have even answered him. Maybe I should have texted him back, but I know my brother well enough to know that would only piss him off more. He’s not the type to settle for less than what he asked for.
“She can’t see me,” I say instead of explaining why. How could I?
Ezra’s sigh almost makes me laugh. Almost. “That wasn’t what I asked, Weston.”
I shrug before remembering he can’t see me and hum instead. He doesn’t like that answer much more either, his frustration clear as he curses. He should have known better than to call me.
My phone starts ringing again and when I look I find him requesting to FaceTime. I don’t really want to do this either. I couldn’t wait to tell my brothers about the way we spent our day while they were stuck working, but I wanted to tell them when the day was over.
The day isn’t over yet. I’m still with her, even if she doesn’t know that. It’s still our time together. I’ve only been waiting for her to fall asleep before I break back in. Though is it really breaking and entering when you have the security system code and a key to the front door?
“Answer the FaceTime, West,” Ezra demands and I huff my irritation as I hit accept. Ezra’s annoyed face fills my screen and I catch sight of an amused Jude standing behind him.
“Why are you there?” Ezra asks again, his tone sharper with frustration.
I shrug, my eyes drifting away from the screen and back to Berlyn. She’s walking through the small house and turning off lights. She must be going to bed soon. “I’m not leaving,” I say before he can demand I do.
Ezra takes a deep breath and studies me while Jude snickers in the back. “West,” Ezra says my name like a plea, all edge and irritation from his tone gone. “Can you give me anything?”
“I didn’t want to say bye to her,” I explain, looking away from the screen and back to the house.
There’s an ache in my chest that has been steadily growing ever since I left her on her doorstep.
An ache that has been with me my whole life but I never realized until the pain began to dull in her presence.
Now that I know the relief she can bring, how can I ever walk away?
“Bye to her?” Jude asks, pushing Ezra out of the way and grabbing the phone from him. “Were you with her?”
I nod, a smirk twisting my lips in a playful and conceited way.
“Doing what?” he asks, shock making his voice more high pitched. “How?” The emotions that flit across his face make me chuckle before my face falls and I remember exactly how this whole day started.
“We have a job when you guys get back,” I tell them, the amusement gone from my tone.
Ezra swipes the phone from Jude. “What happened? Are you both okay?” he adjusts his glasses and Jude is already grabbing E’s laptop and handing it to him as they prop me up against the desk in their hotel room.
At least The Bleeding Roses are putting them up in nice accommodations.
We don’t always get that when we travel for jobs.
I nod, reassuring him we’re both okay. “Her professor,” I explain. “Richards.”
Ezra is already typing on his laptop, no doubt pulling up everything he can get his hands on about the guy. I don’t need to know anything more than what I do right now though. His financial history and relationship status does nothing to help nor hinder me from getting his blood on my hands.
Jude eyes me curiously. “What kind of job? Professionally ruin him because he was too hard on our girl in their meeting?” He’s amused, thinking I’m being overprotective, but there’s no judgement or censure.
He’d delight in exacting revenge over any small injustice or harm for Berlyn. But this is so much more than that.
They would never assume what truly happened though.
All of us missed the signs. He never seemed any more interested in Berlyn than any other student.
She’s captivating so it’s not a surprise, but we’ve become skilled in recognizing the men who are drawn to her in ways that would bring her harm.
Never once had I thought her professor would be one of those men.
“Killing him,” I answer deadpan, making both my brothers sit up straighter and pay attention.
“What happened?” Ezra asks, his voice glacier cold.
I hate having to be the one who needs to explain it, but how else will they know?
The pressure grows in my chest, not to mess this up, to use the right words and let them know about what he asked for.
What he tried to do to our girl. The ache grows tighter, more prominent and it feels hard to breathe.
“Take a breath, West,” Ezra says softly.
“We’re here,” Jude echoes. “We can take it slow.”
Their soothing voices reach me, but do little to calm me.
Shame and guilt well up, making everything feel worse.
Words have always been hard for me. Trying to string together everything that is happening in my head and say them aloud to make sense to another person has always felt like trying to force a raging wildfire into a single flicker of a flame.
My thoughts consume me, drown out time and reason and the world around me, so how does one put that neatly into a few words?
I’ve never been able to. And now? My brothers need this information and I’m the only one who has it and I don’t know how to give it to them. How to voice the things I heard, how it felt, how Berlyn became a ghost that nearly vanished in front of my eyes.
“Berlyn had her meeting today,” Ezra gently prods, not a question. I nod anyway, focusing on him.
He smiles. “Good,” he praises, and air becomes a little easier to inhale. “It didn’t go well?” he continues.
I shake my head. Yes/no questions are easier. I know the answers and I don’t have to find the words to give them. I already have them. Yes. No. That’s it.
Jude and Ezra trade looks, clearly attempting to figure out what questions to ask.
“Was he rude?” Jude asks and I hesitate.
It’s rude to put your hands on someone when they don’t want that.
It was rude to trap her with his body. It was rude to offer her the prize, but only if she was willing to offer him her body in return.
But I don’t think that’s what Jude means.
“Nevermind,” he rushes to say when he sees me struggling. “Was he mean about her paper?”
I shake my head. He was nice, too nice. Too familiar.
Ezra nods, keeping his expression soft. “He was nice then.” At my nod he continues, “But there was a problem.” I nod again. “Did the problem have to do with her paper?”
My head tilts from side to side as I debate with myself.
Not really, but kind of. I shake my head, still trying to find the words that encapsulate everything.
It would be easier if they were here. Their presence gives me strength, makes some of the noise a little less overwhelming.
It makes it easier to pick out the words that matter.
“She was scared,” I finally say, focusing on the most important part.
Jude and Ezra trade looks again and I can see the questions still lingering between them, but Jude only shrugs. “Good enough for me.”
Ezra nods his agreement and I exhale a sigh of relief. “She’s okay now?”
I nod, the last of the panic disappearing as I look back at the now dark house. As soon as we get off the phone I’m going to pull up the cameras to see if she’s still awake, but I’m hoping she called it an early night tonight.
It’s beginning to get cold as rustling of the leaves all around me grows louder with the cool breeze growing into a more forceful wind.
Being inside with her sounds much better.
The air has an almost earthy smell to it, or maybe that’s only because I’m in the bushes on the side of Berlyn’s house.
But her sweet, almost candy-like scent was much nicer. Warmer.
“We went to the pumpkin patch,” I tell them, not able to hide my smug smile.
Both of my brothers freeze while they attempt to process what I said. Ezra’s slow blink as he pushes his glasses off his face to the top of his head is my favorite and my smile grows wider. All panic and anxiety forgotten.
“You did what?” E asks with disbelief and I chuckle.