Betrayal - Chapter 7
Sunday
The car came to a stop on the circular driveway.
I looked out the window. The first time I’d been to Matt’s mansion, everything had seemed sinister.
The gargoyles didn’t look quite as menacing during the day.
Besides, he was here with me. I looked at the front seat.
And Miller. My stomach twisted in knots.
“Ready to meet my parents?” Matt asked.
Not really. I felt like I was going to be sick.
How could I meet his parents when I had been in Miller’s bed just a couple days ago?
And I was wearing my mom’s squirrel pajamas.
I’d added a jean jacket to it that had been in the room with all my mom’s things.
But none of it could be classified as ready to meet the parents attire.
I wanted to ask for a moment alone with Miller. But then Donnelley would be suspicious. And I couldn’t ask for Matt to go for a walk so I could tell him about Miller. I could barely even stand on my stupid feet.
“I’m going to go check out the security system,” Miller said and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Donnelley will stay with you.”
I swallowed hard.
“You have nothing to be nervous about,” Matt said as Miller climbed out of the car. “My parents are going to love you.”
Are they? Matt hated the Pruitts. He said his father used to be in business with my dad but they’d had a falling out. Did his parents think the Pruitts were as toxic as their son did?
Matt opened up the back door and held out his hand for me. I grabbed his hand and immediately felt a little calmer. Before I could step down, he lifted me up in his arms and I laughed as he spun me in a circle.
He carried me up to the front door, past the bushes trimmed to look like gargoyles.
The inside of his house was just as spooky as I remembered.
It really seemed like whoever had decorated my dad’s apartment had also done the decorating for this one.
Dark marble floors. Dark red wallpaper. Black and white pictures on the walls in what were probably pure gold frames.
I trained my eyes on Matt instead of the chandelier above us. And I swore he winced when he walked beneath it. What a cruel daily reminder of losing his aunt. How could his family stay here after that? How could they keep the chandelier?
But my thoughts trailed away as Matt pushed through a door down the dark hallway.
The light was suddenly blinding. A complete contrast to the horrifying foyer, ballroom, and bedrooms of this place.
We were standing in a light and airy kitchen.
Everything was still ornate, but the colors were more white and gray instead of blood red.
There were skylights in the ceiling, letting in the final rays of the setting sun.
And there was music filtering through a sound system.
Mrs. Caldwell was humming to the music as she watched something on the stove.
“Hey, Mom,” Matt said.
She spun around with a huge smile on her face. “You must be Brooklyn,” Mrs. Caldwell said as Matt set me down on my feet. “I’m Matthew’s mom.”
“It’s so nice to meet you.” I put out my hand.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She wrapped me up in a hug. A real one. Like the kind Mrs. Alcaraz gave. I closed my eyes for a moment. Like the kind my mom used to give me.
“Matthew mentioned that you love hot chocolate,” she said as she pulled away.
I smiled at him. He’d remembered my story of my mom always making it for me on snowy days. A cup right now sounded like the most comforting thing in the world. “I love hot chocolate.”
“Give me one second. The milk is almost done heating. Sit down, sit down.”
Matt grabbed my hand and pulled me over to their kitchen table. This room was not at all what I was expecting. It seemed a lot more like the staff’s kitchen at my dad’s place. It just felt…light.
Mrs. Caldwell started humming again as she stirred the milk in the saucepan.
It felt like a home. Mrs. Caldwell was in her element at the stove. This room felt like an extension of her. Which meant the rest of the house was an extension of her husband maybe?
“Where’s your dad?” I asked.
“Probably finishing up some work,” Matt said.
On a Sunday?
“And are you Donnelley or Miller?” Mrs. Caldwell asked, suddenly realizing there was another person in the room.
“Donnelley, ma’am,” he said.
“Well, go on and take a seat too.”
“I’m alright,” he said. “I’m just going to stay right here.”
“Nonsense. I’ve made plenty.”
Donnelley looked over at me like he was asking my permission.
So now he wanted to know my opinion? He didn’t seem to care when there was a gun pointed at my head.
But I couldn’t be mad at him. I knew Isabella was blackmailing him.
And he’d gone straight to my father after the fact.
And his face looked absolutely awful. Was the rest of him that beat up?
I patted the seat beside me. I wasn’t Isabella. I wasn’t a monster. And it looked like he was in as much pain as me. The worst part was that I was pretty sure my father had done it to him. Donnelley smiled and made his way over.
Mason wandered into the kitchen. His plaid pajama bottoms made me suddenly feel a lot less out of place. “Something smells good, Mom” he said.
“It’ll just be another minute.” She continued to stir. “Brooklyn is here. Have the two of you already met?”
Mason smiled over at me. “Yeah, we’ve met.” He patted Matt on the back before giving me a side hug. He sat down in the seat across from me. “You decided to come join us after all?”
“Mhm.” I’d forgotten how nice he’d been last night. Standing up for me in front of Isabella. Inviting me to stay with them so that I could avoid her. I should have taken him up on the offer immediately. I could have avoided a half-naked run around the city.
“So…” he said, his voice trailing off. “Are you okay?”
Matt put his arm behind me, giving my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” I said. “Last night was definitely a little scary.”
“Are the rumors true?”
“What rumors?” I asked. Oh God, what were people already saying?
“Mason,” his mom said and put down a tray of hot chocolate. “Don’t antagonize Matthew’s girlfriend.”
I could feel my cheeks blushing. I kind of wanted to know what people were saying. But it probably involved the words whore or prostitute, so maybe it was better if I didn’t know.
“What happened to your face?” Mason asked Donnelley.
“Mason,” his mom scolded again. “Where are your manners?”
“It’s okay, ma’am,” Donnelley said. “I made a mistake last night.” He looked down at me. “I’m really sorry, Brooklyn. It won’t happen again.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” I said.
“Either way. You’re safe under my watch.”
Mrs. Caldwell looked uncomfortable. Matt pulled me closer like he was the one in charge of protecting me. And Mason still looked really curious.
“A mistake?” Mason asked. “How did a mistake lead to your face getting beat in?”
“Well, Mr. Pruitt…” Donnelley’s voice trailed off when someone cleared their throat behind us.
I turned to see a much older version of Matt staring at us. And he didn’t look very pleased.
“Dad,” Matt said. “This is my girlfriend Brooklyn. Brooklyn, this is my dad.”
Even if I wasn’t hurt, I wasn’t sure I would have stood up. Because Matt’s father didn’t exactly look happy to see me. “Hi.” My voice sounded so small.
“You told me her last name was Sanders,” Mr. Caldwell said, not acknowledging me at all.
“Yeah,” Matt said. “Brooklyn Sanders.”
He shook his head. “Then what is one of Richard’s watchdogs doing sitting in my kitchen?” He gestured toward Donnelley.
“Max!” Mrs. Caldwell said.
He held up his hand. “Brooklyn, I’m very sorry, but we are going to have to politely decline our previous offer of you staying here. My very charming wife and son have misled me. Please have your bodyguard show you out.” He stepped to the side, dismissing me.
“Dad, Brooklyn is a Sanders. She…”
“Sanders? Really? You didn’t think I’d find out who she really was? You don’t think I heard the rumors of that asshole having an illegitimate daughter? It doesn’t matter what her last name is, she has Pruitt blood in her veins.” He turned to his wife. “Did you know about this?”
“Yes, but…”
“I won’t have a Pruitt sleeping in our house. Or let his thugs stick their noses in my security system. Do you want to get us all killed?!”
“Maxwell!” Mrs. Caldwell yelled and stood up. “Enough.” She walked over to him and grabbed his arm. “We’ll discuss this in private. Not in front of the kids.”
“I want her out of here,” he said. “By the time I come back.”
Mrs. Caldwell pulled him out of the kitchen back into the sinister portion of the house where he’d come from.
Donnelley cleared his throat. “I’m going to go check in with Miller. I’ll be right back.” He walked away before any of us even had a chance to protest.
“Cheers,” Mason said and held up a cup of hot chocolate. “Welcome to the family, Brooklyn.”
Matt groaned and leaned his head back on his chair. “Why does Dad have to be such a dick?”
“You didn’t tell him I was a Pruitt?” I tried to search his face. I’d thought he was embarrassed of me when I was a nobody. But being a Pruitt somehow seemed worse.
“You’re not a Pruitt,” he said, lifting his head. “You’re a Sanders, baby.”
I wasn’t entirely certain that was true. I was pretty sure my dad had changed my last name without my permission.
“Don’t leave me hanging,” Mason said, his cup still outstretched. “I’ve always thought having a little sister would be fun. You’re already taking the heat off my back.” He laughed and tapped his mug against the one in front of me, even though I hadn’t lifted it up.
“This isn’t funny,” Matt said. “Dad can’t make her leave. You saw what Mr. Pruitt does to people that go against him in some way. Brooklyn can’t live with that nutcase.”
“My dad would never hurt me,” I said. I trusted him as much as I trusted Matt.
“Maybe not. But Isabella tried to freaking kill you last night. You’re not going back to their apartment.”
I didn’t want to cause a mess with Matt and his family.
But even though I wasn’t scared of my dad, I was still scared of Isabella.
He was right, I couldn’t go back. Not until the new security was in place.
And even then, I’d have a lot of questions about it before I’d ever feel safe there again.
Again? I shook my head. I’d never felt safe there.
“Dad’s not going to kick her out,” Mason said. “Not if Mom doesn’t want him to. Let’s circle back to the rumors. Did you really run around homecoming completely naked?”
“What?” Matt and I both said at the same time.
“No,” I added. “That’s not…”
“And did you really dress up like a prostitute and go into James’ hotel room?”
Oh fuck. “No. Well…yes.” God. I could feel Matt’s heated gaze.
“No to the prostitute thing. But I did go to James for help.” I turned to Matt.
“He slipped me his keycard last night. I was never going to use it. Ever. But when Isabella abandoned me in my freaking underwear, the keycard was the only thing I had. I didn’t have any money or my phone or clothes.
It was my only choice. I would have come to you but your house was so far away.
Trust me, I definitely would have preferred your help. You know that.”
Matt reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
He looked so hurt for letting me down. Hadn’t he just heard what I said? It was just a proximity issue. It wasn’t his fault.
Mason laughed. “Wait, so let me get this straight. You showed up to James’ room in your underwear?”
“Well, I kind of made a makeshift dress out of a map.”
He smiled. “So you showed up naked to his room. And then what happened?”
Actually, sharing this part might cheer Matt up. “I walked in on him and Rachel.”
Mason spit out his sip of hot chocolate. “Really? Having sex?”
“No, she was…um…giving him…you know…”
“Head?” He cocked his eyebrow up. “You can say it you know. Oral. Sucking his cock. Blowing…”
“Cut it out, Mason,” Matt said.
My face had to be bright red. “Yeah, that.” I didn’t want to say it out loud.
I’d never even done it before. “Everyone completely freaked out and I ended up running through the lobby. But I was in my underwear. I’m pretty sure only a handful of students saw me. ” How had the rumors spread so quickly?
“This is amazing,” Mason said. “What did James do when he saw you come in his room?”
“He said my name. And Rachel…bit him.”
Even Matt laughed this time.
“Serves him right,” Mason said. “Fucking asshole.”
I didn’t laugh. I didn’t find it funny at all.
James had been kind and sweet. I didn’t feel comfortable telling Mason the rest of the story.
I wanted to tell Matt in private. But I wanted to fix what I’d help break too.
“James helped me,” I said. “I think this crazy misunderstanding about Rachel…you could all clear it up, don’t you think? If you just sat down and talked.”
“What do you think I’ve been trying to do the past week?” Matt asked.
“I know, but…”
“The Hunters are dead to us,” Mason said. “We tried to fight for them. And all they wanted to do was fight us.”
It wasn’t just them being stubborn. They were hurt. I looked at Matt. He had tried to fight for James. He’d tried to look after him. He’d worried and fretted over the blackmail because he cared about his friend. And all James wanted was to punch him in the face.
But James and I were friends now. Maybe I could convince him to try to fix things.
Matt lifted up my hot chocolate. “Aren’t you even going to try it?”
I took the mug from him. It tasted just like my mom’s. I sat in their warm kitchen, listening to the two of them laugh. And I hoped that I could stay. No one ever laughed at the Pruitts’ apartment. I hadn’t felt this at home since I’d lived with Kennedy.
But I had a feeling Mr. Caldwell wouldn’t let me stay.
And I understood why. I was a Pruitt. I was toxic.
I laughed along with the Caldwell brothers, but I kept thinking about the fact that the hot chocolate always felt warm in my hands.
No matter how much time went by. And I wondered if it was because my hands were permanently cold.
Cold to the bone. Just like the Pruitts’. Was Mr. Caldwell right about me?