Chapter 35 #2
I want her to hear me say I love her. That I meant every promise I made.
But if she knew all of it, she’d never look at me the same.
And maybe that’s the part that terrifies me most. That I’m not being noble by ending it before Vin destroys it.
Maybe I’m too much of a coward to let her see the real me.
The whiskey glass leaves a ring on the table when I set it down. My hand hovers over the phone, trembling, useless. I can’t do this. If I talk to her, I’ll have to tell her it’s over.
Before I can go back to wallowing, a knock on the door shatters the silence. I frown, checking my watch. I haven’t ordered food yet.
If it’s Vin or one of his asshole goons, I’ll explode.
I walk across the apartment, every step echoing too loud in the silence.
Another knock. Harder this time.
I undo the lock and pull the door open, jaw tight, ready for anything.
Except what I’m not ready for is Hudson, Asher, and Parker filling the hallway like they own it.
Before I can even ask what they’re doing here, a fist flies through the air, connecting with my jaw. I reel back, the taste of copper already spreading across my tongue.
“That’s for sleeping with my sister,” Asher spits, his chest heaving.
I drag my hand across my mouth, stare at the blood smearing my knuckles. I should fight back. God knows part of me wants to. But another part – the part that replays Eden’s voice cracking on the phone – says I deserve this.
The second punch comes faster. My head snaps to the side, pain blooming across my cheekbone.
“And that’s for breaking her heart.”
I steady myself on the back of the couch, jaw throbbing. “You finished?” I rasp.
Asher grabs my shirt, yanks me close, and instead of a third hit, he hauls me into a bruising hug. His voice is rough in my ear. “And this is because I love you, you fucking idiot.”
It’s the last part that breaks me. “You shouldn’t,” I tell him, my voice thick.
Then Hudson’s voice cuts in, hard and sharp. “Enough.” He pushes past Parker, his broad frame filling the space like judgment itself. “We didn’t come here for family therapy. We came here for answers. So sit down, West, and tell me what the hell happened between you and Marchetti.”
“I can’t.” I shake my head. “You all need to turn back around and get the hell out of here. Before you get tainted too.”
“Tainted?” Hudson asks. “What does that mean?”
“It doesn’t matter. None of it does. Just leave, please. Let me sort this out.”
“Does he have something on you?” Hudson probes, knowing where all my weak spots are. “Bennett told us about Leona. It can’t be that.” He lifts a brow. “And at some point we’re gonna have a talk about how you don’t hide shit from your best friends.”
My laugh is sharp and completely lacking in mirth. “I hide things so they don’t hurt you.” And now more specifically, so they don’t hurt Eden.
“And how’s that working out for you?”
I think about that file again. The photos, the documents. The proof that my heart – if I have one – belongs to the devil. “Please just go. Now. There’s stuff out there floating around that could hurt you all. Vin has a dossier. Of everything I’ve done. Some of it is…” I wince. “Really shitty.”
“You think I don’t know that you’re not little Miss Perfect?” Hudson asks, his tone rough, unflinching. “We all have skeletons, West. Every single one of us. You think I’d still be standing here if I didn’t?”
I clench my fists, shaking my head. “This isn’t a few skeletons, Hudson. It’s a mass burial. And if Eden sees it—” My throat burns, the words splintering. “She’ll see exactly what Vin wants her to. That I’m no different than my father.”
“Then give us the file,” Hudson says. “Show us what’s in it. If Vin’s going to use it to bury you, let us see it first. Let us decide if you’re worth fighting for.”
My gut twists, because the truth is I don’t believe that I am. “I don’t have it. Vin does.” It’s a lie, but I’m not ready for him to see it yet.
“And what’s he going to do with it?”
“Nothing.” The word scrapes out of me, sounding hollow.
Hudson’s eyes narrow. “Bullshit. Men like Vin don’t collect evidence for nothing. He’s holding it over you.”
I drag a hand over my face, my jaw still stinging from Asher’s punch.
“He doesn’t want money. He doesn’t even want to take the resort from me anymore.
He wants revenge. Either I walk away from everything I love, or Eden – and the world – finds out every single shitty thing I’ve done.
” I take a breath. “And it won’t just be me that loses everything. It’ll be you, too.”
Asher’s fists curl at his sides. “So you’re planning to save her by doing it for him. By breaking her yourself.”
Hudson exhales slowly, the sound sharp as glass. “You think that’s noble? You think shoving her away makes you a hero? That’s cowardice, West. Pure and simple.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think it is. I’ve never been noble, we all know that.
I choose the easy route, the smooth ride.
I make things happen whatever it takes. If there’s a problem, I clean it.
” I take a deep breath. “But I can’t do that.
The easy route? That would be to let you all carry my sins.
And I can’t do that. Not to any of you.” I look at each one of them in turn. “And definitely not to your sister.”
“God, he really does love her,” Asher murmurs.
I do. But that doesn’t keep her safe in this mess.
“No,” Hudson says. “I’m not accepting this. We’re going to put our heads together and find another way. Any way. If you love her, that means you should be together. Because God knows she loves you.”
My heart cracks. Just slightly. And I try to ignore it, because I’m straight in my head now. “You’re wasting your time.”
“Ash?” Hudson says, pointedly ignoring me.
“Yep, getting the surveillance up and running.” Asher nods.
“Parker?”
“Food and drinks are ordered,” Parker says. “Arriving in half an hour.”
“Great. Take a seat, gentlemen,” Hudson says, sitting down on my leather couch like he owns the place.
“What’s going on?” I frown. “Don’t you have homes and wives to go to?”
Hudson shakes his head. “Remember our all night study sessions in college? This is a little bit like that. We’re going to figure this out together. No matter how long it takes.”
I glance around at the three of them. Asher barking orders down his phone. Parker kicking his sneakers off and making himself at home. And Hudson, immovable and steady as a rock. My heart tightens.
“You’re all insane,” I tell them.
“Yep.” Hudson nods. “That’s why you love us. Now stop moping and let’s get to work.”