Chapter 34
thirty-four
Benny
RIKKY WHO?
It was weird to hear Rikky’s full name like that. I’d known what it was, of course. But to me and my family, he’d always just been Rikky.
Harper knew not only his full name, but about his condition.
They’d clearly met before, and going by Harper’s reaction, that wasn’t a good thing.
They glared at each other. Well, Harper glared, Rikky just smiled at him. Then my love dropped my hand to go for his butter knife and I quickly snatched it up again.
Rikky laughed, and I could sense the rage in Harper intensify.
I needed to get them both out of here before the situation escalated.
“We’ll be right back,” I said as I stood, already steering Harper out of the room in front of me.
Matthew started to stand, but I shook my head at him, and he frowned as he sat back down.
I had this. Probably.
I hooked Rikky’s arm on the way out and he let me pull him until I had us all in the bathroom with the door locked.
“Okay, talk.” I snapped my attention to Rikky. “What did you do to him?”
“Already taking his side over mine? Harsh.” Rikky chuckled. “I thought we were brothers.”
“You fucking piece of shit,” Harper snarled. “You don’t fucking deserve a brother after the shit you pulled.”
I needed to take control somehow before Harper snapped and lunged for him again. “Someone has to explain to me what’s goin’ on right now.”
“He’s part of my brother’s gang,” Rikky told me.
“You’re in a gang?” I asked Harper.
“It’s not a gang,” Harper responded.
“It’s a gang,” Rikky corrected.
Harper lunged. It took more effort than I’d expected to hold back his surprising strength.
He grunted and pulled back to run both hands through his hair. “Do you know what he did to Archer?” he asked me, and now he didn’t sound as angry. He sounded hurt.
I took a step toward him and he took one back, not letting me close the distance. He looked at me like I was involved in whatever this was, that I’d somehow hurt or betrayed him just like he believed Rikky had.
Panic clawed at my chest. I needed to fix this.
“No, baby. I swear I don’t know anythin’ about Archer.”
I knew Rikky had a twin. I’d tried to befriend him when I’d befriended Rikky, but Archer had been prickly and unwilling to talk to me. The closer I got to Rikky, the more Archer seemed to dislike me, until I just stopped seeing him around at all.
Harper held my gaze as he pointed at my best friend. “He killed three people.”
I swallowed. I believed him. I knew Rikky’s family weren’t good people. He never gave me the details, and I never asked because I knew I wouldn’t like the answer, but I’d long suspected animals weren’t the only thing the Kovats family hunted.
My eyes flicked to Rikky, who wasn’t smiling anymore. He was staring at Harper in a way that had me wanting to put myself between them. “Did you?”
Rikky stared for a moment longer before turning to look at me, his lips curving upwards, but it wasn’t a smile I recognized on him. “I’ve killed more than three. So what?”
“So you fucking framed Archer for them, you fucker! He had to leave because of you! You ruined his fucking life!” Harper was getting loud again, and I knew his voice would echo off the tiles and make its way back to the dining room. I couldn’t have my family knowing anything about this.
“Yes. What are you going to do about it?” Rikky sneered.
Harper tried to lunge for him again, and I only barely managed to catch him this time. I pulled him tight to me, keeping him as safe as I could, because I knew he wouldn’t stand a chance if Rikky decided to fight back.
Rikky swallowed. If I didn’t know him so well, I might not have noticed it, but he wasn’t as calm as he was pretending to be. He wasn’t unaffected or as amused as he wanted to seem. He was upset and trying not to show it.
“Talk to me, Rikky. Please.” I begged. “Give me somethin’ here.”
We shared a long stare, communicating without words before he sighed. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“Of course you fucking did. You didn’t have to do what your dad ordered you to do,” Harper seethed and Rikky’s walls pulled up again.
“I didn’t.” He smiled. Rikky wanted to seem cold and cruel, and I didn’t know why. I didn’t know this side of him or how to handle it. “My father has no idea Archer didn’t do it. It was my idea.”
My arms strained from trying to stop Harper breaking free and going for Rikky again, but I managed to keep hold of him. I kissed the top of his head in an attempt to calm him down.
“Rikky, please. Look… Harper is it for me. He’s the one I’m meant to be with. I love and trust him with my whole heart. He isn’t goin’ anywhere. Whatever happened, whatever you did, you can tell me, tell us. I know who you are. You wouldn’t do somethin’ like that for no reason.”
There was a struggle in Rikky’s eyes, a war.
The winning side changed depending on whether he was looking at Harper or me.
He didn’t trust Harper, that much was clear, and Harper didn’t trust him.
But I trusted both of them, and I’d do whatever I needed to, to be the bridge that helped them reach each other.
“Please,” I asked again softly. “Brother, please.”
Rikky’s eyes stayed on me, and he swallowed before nodding. “Okay,” he sighed. His posture softened, and I could see my best friend returning to me.
Harper was still guarded in my arms, but he stopped trying to break free. I eased the hold I had on him and rubbed his back slowly.
Rikky sighed. “That wasn’t what my father ordered me to do.”
Rikky’s explanation on why he’d done what he done had soothed Harper enough not to lunge for him or try to attack anymore, but I knew getting them to ever like each other was going to be a near impossible task. But we had time, and I was determined not to let either of them go.
The rest of dinner was tense. Rikky and Harper were both quiet. Ma had given me a look as we came to sit back down, silently asking me if everything was okay, and after I’d nodded, she’d carried on like my boyfriend hadn’t been about to stab my best friend with a butter knife at the dinner table.
Harper didn’t eat much. I’d been tempted to reach for his fork and feed him like I usually did, but considering he wouldn’t even hold my hand under the table, I didn’t think he’d react well to it.
We finished up and Matthew started to carry the dishes to the kitchen before Ma could get to them. “He cleans too,” she whispered to Rachel with a wink, and I shuddered.
I wasn’t against her being interested in someone, she’d had casual dates with men and women over the past few years, but this was basically Harper’s dad. It was weird.
Rikky left as soon as he cleared his plate to the kitchen, and the moment he was out of the house, Harper seemed more tired and less guarded.
“Want to come stay with me tonight?” I whispered as I reached under the table for his hand again. This time, he let me.
He nodded and leaned until his head rested on my shoulder. Relief eased the knots still in my chest and the worry that he’d try to put distance between us again.
He didn’t eat dessert either, but now that I knew he was coming home with me, I’d just feed him once we were alone.
“Coming with me, or staying?” Matthew asked once everything was clean again.
“Staying with Benny,” Harper answered.
Matthew nodded. “I’ll pick you up in the morning, unless of course you aren’t feeling well. Just let me know.”
Harper nodded.
Ma walked Matthew to his car, and they were outside for a long time before she returned looking absolutely giddy. I tried not to think about it too much.
Then we said our goodbyes. I promised the boys I’d play with them next time instead, and I took my man home.
I fed him. I showered him. Then I tucked him into bed, and kept his body warm and safe with mine as we slept.