Chapter 26 #2
“Time to eat,” Briggs states, rummaging through the bags of food he certainly didn’t pay for.
The scent of perfectly charred meat fills the air, making my hunger more obvious.
A burger is placed in front of me, along with a side of fries.
Seeing as Raiden doesn’t have a table big enough to fit everyone, we spread out across the living room, pulling over a couple of barstools to supplement his lack of seating.
It’s quiet for the first few minutes, just the occasional sound of someone clinking their fork or popping the top on a bottle of beer.
The silence is edging towards uncomfortable when Raiden finally sets his plate aside and clears his throat.
“I have a contact I reached out to who works with social services,” he starts, heaving a sigh as his dark brown eyes find mine.
“Hudson’s been placed with a family that resides in his hometown, seeing as his case falls within their jurisdiction.
She assured me they’re good people. No complaints or marks against their record.
I know it’s not much comfort, but I wanted you to know that he’s okay.
” My heart sinks to the soles of my feet, anxiety twisting my stomach and causing my appetite to disappear.
“I can’t stop thinking about what he’s doing.
If he’s okay or having a meltdown. I keep picturing that first night Seth called us to his house and finding Hudson inconsolable.
” I swipe beneath my eyes, knowing my tears can’t be hidden.
“How did this happen?” I question again, my choked whisper directed at Raiden, begging him to give me an explanation that makes sense.
“He had every tool at his disposal, Andi. He’s been trained to execute a target in a matter of seconds,” he states, then cringes at the unintentional crassness of his response.
“I’m sorry, that came out wrong.” Raiden stands, dragging his fingers through his hair in frustration as he begins to pace.
“Looking back at the last few text messages we exchanged, I think he was being purposely vague in his responses. He didn’t lie about what he was doing, just skirted past the details.
He never said he wouldn’t be at the hearing today.
Instead, he told me what else he had going on at the same time and let me make my own assumptions. ”
“Same with me,” I agree, thinking back to our last text thread, searching for any hint of what he was planning that I might have missed initially.
“He didn’t want to implicate you,” Briggs mumbles, speaking his thoughts aloud.
“He was truthful to a certain degree, but didn’t want you to be aware of anything that could ultimately fall back on either of you.
If you didn’t know he was going to be at the courthouse, and there’s physical proof of that, then there’s no way to accuse you of conspiring with him to plot Tobias’ murder. ”
“That makes sense, but he didn’t account for Ada being there,” I sigh, remnants of her knowing grin flashing through my mind and making my skin pebble with goosebumps.
“Wait, Tobias’ mother was there?” Rita asks, her disbelief a mirror image of my own when faced with such an unexpected deviation from how our morning was meant to go. If only I had known then that Ada’s presence was the least of my worries compared to what the day held in store for us.
“Unfortunately,” I grumble, rubbing at my temples to ease the pressure building behind my eyelids. “Apparently, it’s a part of Ada’s treatment. If it’s meant to actually help, or simply get a better idea of her intentions, has yet to be determined.”
“That’s…unfortunate.” Rita winces, likely thinking about the implications of her choosing to be in attendance today of all days. Regardless of how much I loathe the woman, she still watched her son die. Horrifically.
“Angel,” Briggs speaks quietly, the tone of his voice dousing me in dread. “They need to know.”
“Know what?” Raiden questions, turning his attention to me.
“What’s he talking about, minha luz?” I’m not the least bit fluent in Portuguese, but that word he’s used in reference to me on several occasions now causes Rita to straighten, a smirk lifting the corner of her mouth.
I glare at Briggs, hurt that he would put me on the spot and force this conversation before I’m ready.
I know it needs to be had, but I’m terrified of how they’re going to respond to such a heavy revelation.
Pressing my lips together, I debate what to say, how to begin.
My hands shake as I rub my sweaty palms down my thighs.
“Seriously, what the hell is going on?” Dayton snaps, his patience wearing thin.
“I’m pregnant,” I blurt out, spilling my closely held secret as if it were a Band-Aid that needed ripping off. It’s eerily quiet as my confession sinks in, a myriad of emotions flitting across their faces.
“You piece of shit!” Dayton roars, surging to his feet. In the blink of an eye, he pins Briggs to the wall, his fist cocked back in preparation for doing maximum damage. My shock renders me motionless, but thankfully, Royce has enough sense to intervene before things escalate into an all-out brawl.
“Calm the hell down, boy,” Roy demands, forcibly separating them.
“Calm? You expect me to be calm when this asshole couldn’t be bothered to keep his dick in his pants long enough to give Andi a chance to fucking breathe before making his move?” Dayton’s chest heaves with indignation, his wild gaze bouncing between the two of us.
“Whoa.” I stand, effectively silencing his misguided tangent. “Briggs is not the father.” I ignore the clenching of said man’s jaw, too flustered to try and interpret his poorly concealed anger. Lifting my sweatshirt, I expose my stomach for everyone to see. “I’m thirty-one weeks.”
“Seven and a half months?” Rita gasps, her eyes filling with tears as realization sets in.
“I’m sorry,” I croak, my deceit searing a painful mark on my heart.
“It wasn’t my intention to keep this from you.
Any of you. I found out the day the compound was raided.
My bloodwork showed elevated levels of HCG, so they ordered an ultrasound for confirmation.
I was scared and, at the time, I needed to pretend it wasn’t real.
It’s not exactly a cause for celebration when you find out you’re carrying the baby of a man who’s abused you for years. ”
“Fucking hell,” Colsen swears, gripping the back of his neck as he tilts his face toward the ceiling.
“You’ve known that long? And you chose to tell him first?” Raiden whispers, the hurt tinging his words breaking the last of my resolve, tears flooding my face when I realize the betrayal they’re feeling is more painful than I imagined it would be.
“She didn’t tell me anything,” Briggs growls. “I found out by accident, so don’t make this something it isn’t.”
“Let’s take a breather,” Rita interjects, crossing the room to take a seat beside me.
Her hand slides into mine, offering me a modicum of comfort in the midst of so much hostility.
“It’s perfectly acceptable that you would need some time to come to terms with such heavy news.
And no one is going to make you feel guilty for how you chose to navigate something so personal.
” Her pointed glare connects with each of the guys’ faces, causing them to shift uncomfortably under her scrutiny.
As much as I appreciate Rita’s support, their hurt and anger are a product of my own making.
Briggs warned this would happen, and I knew the longer I put off telling them, the worse it would be.
Raiden, especially, has every right to feel blindsided by my secrecy.
I didn’t think the fallout would be this dramatic, though.
I didn’t think our relationships would start to evolve into something more, despite my refusal to acknowledge my feelings for all four of them.
But seeing how torn Raiden is—the need to console me pitted against the betrayal he feels—is akin to a blunt blade piercing my skin, hacking away at the tentative bonds we’ve formed.
And I’ll have no one to blame but myself if my lie breeds distrust between us.