Chapter 29 #2
A comfortable silence remained between us all the way back to the house, and I didn’t get that creepy sensation even once, which was a relief and a worry at the same time.
We definitely needed to have a conversation, but I wanted all the guys there for it.
“Is everyone else home?” I asked, aware enough of their schedules to know they should be, but I hadn’t checked the group chat while I was studying.
Ethan nodded. “Yep, they’re settling in for a night of gaming and pizza, if that works for you?”
Fuck, that sounded amazing. “Perfect. I wanted to talk to everyone together.”
I could tell he wanted to ask what was on my mind, but he refrained, instead taking my bag now that we were out of the public view and almost home. Home. I kept thinking of the rundown old house as home now, and it was a nice feeling to know we were all under one roof.
When we got inside, I could hear the shouts from the living room, and I shucked off my shoes and neatly placed them on the rack, before I padded in to find Connor and Haze battling it out on some shooter game I hadn’t played before.
Brodie’s face lit up when he saw me, and he opened his arms, inviting me right into his lap.
I took that invitation, and Ethan dropped down beside us, placing his hand on my thigh.
“Eve needs to talk to us,” he said loudly, and just like that, I had everyone’s attention.
Andrew, who’d been ironing what looked like his sheets in the corner, even left his station and wandered over to sit on the side armchair. “What’s wrong?” he asked, expression concerned as he took me in. “Did something happen after I left you in class?”
I shook my head, before kind of shrugging. “Look, I got the feeling I was being watched a few times. It creeped me out.”
All the guys were paying very close attention to me now, and Brodie’s hold on my hips tightened fractionally.
“I don’t have any proof,” I hurried to say, “it was just a feeling. But…I was wondering if we had any new information about my dad or who hired Harold? I’d just like to know if I can expect another assassination attempt or if I can relax my paranoia for a day or two? ”
“Have you learned anything new?” Haze interjected, voice serious. “Did you get a hold of your father or guardians again?”
I’d been prepared for this question, and had even texted Mitchell in the library, but he was still in the dark.
“No, they haven’t heard from him and have no idea what he’s up to.
His number is disconnected. At least the number he used to contact me from years ago. I’m at a dead end on how to find him.”
But I didn’t have the resources that almost every guy in this room had. Even Brodie was well-connected, so it was worth asking.
Andrew shuffled forward in his chair, hands smoothing the material on his slacks.
“Actually, I did manage to do some digging, even around my mother’s orders to leave it alone.
I was going to talk to you all about it soon, after I confirmed a few more details, but I’m fairly sure it’s accurate information. ”
When he paused, Connor shot out with a scowl, “Hurry the fuck up, Drew. We’re all ready to destroy whoever is threatening our girl.”
Our girl. Those two words had my stomach doing flips again, and my breaths were ragged as I tried to get myself under control. To know that these amazing, powerful, sometimes annoying and always sexy men were mine was still hard to believe.
Andrew glared at his best friend. “Learn some patience, you troglodyte. I’m going to fucking tell you.”
Connor’s hand twitched at his side like he was about to reach for his gun again, but Andrew didn’t look concerned. “I think I found a connection between Harold and a possible incident in the past which could explain his motive.”
No one said a word. I wasn’t the only one afraid of interrupting him. This was important information. I was all but holding my breath as I waited for him to continue.
“Harold was Daisy’s neighbor.”
I blinked, unsure if that was supposed to mean anything to me.
It sure as shit meant something to Connor though, as he cursed and surged to his feet, his face wreathed in annoyance.
“Yes, that makes goddamn sense,” he snarled.
“Daisy’s death was cleaned up by Abraham, so no doubt Harold thought he needed to avenge her. ”
Pushing myself off Brodie’s lap, I stumbled closer to Andrew. “Who’s Daisy again?” I asked. The name was familiar, but I was too scattered to remember where I’d heard it. Andrew paled, and when I looked back at Connor he wore a shuttered expression.
Andrew swallowed roughly, drawing my attention back to him as he got to his feet.
He took my hands, and the green in his eyes was piercing as he locked me in his gaze.
“Remember how I told you that your dad cleaned up one of my messes?” I nodded, my mind trying to piece it together.
“She was the girlfriend who died when I wrapped my car around a pole.” His gaze darted to his friends, and I got the sense that not all of them had heard this story in full.
“She… she was killed on impact. Your dad cleaned it up for me.”
My heart clenched at the reminder of why Andrew was such a control freak, and the way he’d been punishing himself for years. “I was in a really bad place,” he said. “I’ve done everything since to never, ever lose control again.”
“She grabbed the wheel out of his hands,” Connor snarled before anyone could say anything else, as if he wanted to ensure that his friend wasn’t judged harshly. No one in this room was without sin, so there was little chance of that happening.
Andrew’s head snapped toward him. “I never told you that,” he breathed, face ashen.
Connor snorted, wiping a hand over his handsome face, which for once looked tired.
“You didn’t have to tell me. I searched for video footage of that night and found just a side glimpse before you crashed.
It was clear what happened, and that you weren’t the only one to blame.
She looked completely off her face too.”
“She was,” Andrew confirmed in a flat voice, “but she didn’t drive. In the end, the fault rests with me.”
“You think Harold figured out what happened and went after Dad as a punishment?” I asked.
Andrew’s hands tightened around mine. “He couldn’t get to me, not with Mom’s protection, so he went for the next closest. It took him four years to figure out what had happened, and maybe he tracked down some video footage too, though I was fairly sure Abraham wiped all of that.
But yeah, it appears to be his personal vendetta, which most likely died with him. ”
That statement should have filled me with relief, and to some extent it did, but a part of me wondered if it could really be as easy as that. Was this all over and finished?
Could I finally start living my life without fear?