Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
JESSICA
“You’re in a good mood for someone who looks like they’ve gone three rounds in a boxing ring and lost.”
I still can’t believe my brother acted like such a psycho. That he would even do something like that.
Kane turns down the song he was drumming his thumbs to and checks his rearview mirror.
“Things are going my way for once.” He smiles, and I practically melt in my seat.
Who knows what brought on his good mood, though I won’t complain, not when Kane is usually the quiet, brooding type.
For once, it doesn’t look like he’s got the world weighing on his shoulders. He seems…lighter.
We cross the bridge to the Heights, where spacious houses loom behind iron gates, their lawns manicured like golf courses, and freshly polished cars parked in the driveways sparkle in the sun as we drive past. It’s a whole other world. One I’ll never belong to.
As I watch the world pass by outside, Kane interlaces his fingers with mine. “How come you never told me about your dad?” he asks, gently stroking his thumb across the back of my hand.
I turn away from the view outside to see Kane focused on the road, a flicker of worry tightening at the corner of his jaw. “What do you want me to say? That my dad is a drunk? That ever since my mom got sick, he’s found solace in a whiskey bottle?”
“I could have helped somehow.”
“I don’t need your help, Kane.”
His lips part as if he’s about to speak, then tighten into a thin line, and I realize I’ve upset him with my comment. God, I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. I just… don’t want to be rescued all the time.
“I’m sorry,” I say softly, as I bring his knuckles to my lips and kiss them. “It’s not a good conversation starter.”
Sighing through his nose, he relaxes visibly and looks at me. “I want to know everything about you, little thief, and I mean everything. The good and the bad. What makes you happy. What makes you sad. What frightens you. What you’re excited about.”
“Okay, well, you already know about my mom. My dad’s an alcoholic, which brings us to my brother, who is a psycho, as you know.”
Kane smiles at that, his dimples deepening, and I sigh happily before continuing. “My sister is probably the only normal one in my family, even if I’m pretty sure she’s sleeping with Malice.” I pretend to shudder, and Kane’s grin widens.
“He’s definitely involved with your sister.”
“Oh god.” I let go of his hand to rub my face. This can’t be happening.
“Want me to kill him?”
I laugh and peek through my fingers. “No? Yes? Maybe?” Lowering my hands, I shake my head. “Definitely not.”
“You don’t sound so sure,” he says with a light chuckle as he turns on the blinkers.
“I’m worried about her. You don’t know Malice. He is…well, he’s Malice, for starters, and she is…”
“A virgin?”
“What?” I laugh, hitting him lightly. “No, that’s not what I meant to say, but yeah, maybe?” I shake my head. What am I thinking? “That wasn’t my point. Summer… she’s sensitive.”
“She can handle herself.”
I study him, wondering what he sees that I don’t. My sister has always been the innocent one, or maybe she’s not as naive as I’ve made her out to be. Maybe she’s stronger than I think.
“What’s on your mind?” Kane asks, taking the turn.
We pass by a church, with cars parked along the curb. Even the building looks upscale, its brickwork spotless, and its hedges trimmed as neatly as the lawns around it.
Unlike our church back in the Falls, which squats between boarded-up shops, weeds pushing through the cracks in the road. Last time I drove past, there were letters missing from the sun-bleached sign, and it read: rust In God.
“Little thief?” Kane says, and I realize he asked me a question.
“I’m thinking maybe I don’t know my sister as well as I thought.”
“Don’t say that. You’re good to her. You shouldn’t think otherwise.”
Good to her doesn’t mean I’m there for her. Those are different things, and I haven’t been as present as I should be.
“I was going to send you home,” I admit, changing the subject, “when my dad came back.” Looking down at his tanned hand resting on my thigh, I trace the outline of his knuckles. “I was embarrassed. Chris and our dad… They always fight.”
“Why didn’t you ask me to leave?”
A lump forms in my throat. Why didn’t I? Why did I invite him to stay for breakfast? My father was a drunk mess.
“I don’t want to hide from you,” I say under my breath. “This is my life.”
Kane slows at a red light, glancing over at me.
“It’s a mess,” I continue. “Everything’s a mess… my dad, my mom, my brother. Even me.”
Kane takes my hand. “I’m not afraid of a little mess.”
Yes, he is. He just doesn’t realize it yet.
Shifting my body to face him, I offer a thin, tired smile. “Let me turn the question around. Why didn’t you leave? Why did you stay? And don’t say because you love me.”
“I stayed because I love you.”
A laugh slips out, and Kane bites his lip to hide his smile.
Then he shifts, kissing the back of my hand.
“I stayed because I fall even more in love with you every time you let me behind the curtain. Okay, so it’s messy, but I like it.
Besides, anyone who pretends to have their stuff together is just better at hiding their mess.
Believe it or not, I enjoy discovering more about you, Jessica.
How can I ever turn down a chance to get to know you better? ”
I swallow and ask, “Why are you so good at this?”
“Good at what?”
“Saying all the right things.”
Kane shrugs as if it’s no big deal. The light turns green, and he accelerates, steering with one hand casually draped over the wheel.
Easing back, I sigh softly and let my mind drift. We’re close to Kane’s mansion, a place I recognize because I’ve been here enough times now. At first, everything looked pretty similar, but now I can clearly see the class differences even here.
Yes, these people are wealthy, but we haven’t yet reached the part of Heights where the founding families live, the elitist area.
I sit up straighter when I notice the silver car in the side mirror. “Kane?”
“Hmm?” Distracted, he lowers his window to let the afternoon air in.
“We’re being followed.” Have they been behind us the whole time?
Kane checks the rearview mirror before relaxing back. “Don’t worry about them.”
I frown. “Excuse me?”
Did I miss anything? For weeks, we’ve avoided his father’s men, careful not to let them see us together. So why not now?
“I’ve got it handled,” Kane replies cryptically, a small smile on his lips.
“What are you talking about? Handled how?”
Kane turns onto the road leading to his father’s mansion, and we pass Noah and Maverick’s gated properties hidden behind tall hedges and cypress trees. At first glance, it’s a really beautiful neighborhood.
“Don’t worry about it,” Kane tells me as we pull up to the gates.
Well, that’s easier said than done, especially when they’ve been following me around for weeks. While I don’t know the complete details of Kane’s world, he’s made it clear that his father is dangerous, but I’m not the one I’m worried about.
It’s Kane.
His father, a ruthless man by all accounts, dims his light, and to this day, Kane hasn’t shared the details with me, but I know he hurts him. Sometimes, I wish he would let me see behind the curtains too, but they’re kept drawn. The mess remains hidden.
“Look, I’ll tell you everything later. Let’s just get what we came here for,” Kane says as the gates creak open.
“What did we come here for anyway?”
He drives forward. “I need to grab some things before we head to the lake.”
The lake. The same one where we first slept together. Also known as Kane’s secret place. Whenever I think about going back there, to the spot where he stole my heart, butterflies flutter inside me.
A little later, we park the car. Before I can open the door, Kane leans in to kiss me. He tastes like peppermint gum.
“I love you,” he whispers as we break apart.
“I love you too.” I cup his cheek, feeling his rough stubble beneath my fingers. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll be better once we’re back on the road and away from this place. Come on,” he says as he opens the door. “Let’s get this over with.”
As we walk down the hallway, we’re greeted by piano music and the hum of conversation. Behind me, Kane turns pale as blood drains from his face, but he quickly pulls himself together and grabs my shoulders.
“On second thought,” he says as he steers me back toward the doors, “let’s just get out of here. We can pick up what we need on the way.”
“There you are,” a deep voice booms. I haven’t heard that voice before, but I immediately recognize who it is. Few men speak with such authority.
Kane stops. He takes a deep breath through his nose and exhales through his mouth, tightening his grip on my shoulders before letting go and turning around.
He assesses the man in front of us for a moment while guiding me slightly behind and to the left.
His protective stance doesn’t go unnoticed by his father, who smirks and watches me from near the double doors.
“It’s nice of you to join us, Miss Holt,” he says.
“Don’t talk to her,” Kane warns as his father walks closer to us.
The older man ignores him, extending his hand for me to shake. “Ignore my son’s poor manners.”
Mr. Ravencourt is a formidable man, handsome for his age, with a strong jaw, greying temples, and a straight nose.
With a polite smile, I step out from behind Kane and shake his father’s hand, undoubtedly looking like a timid rabbit. Even though I stand taller, I can’t quite hide how my skin crawls beneath his cool, assessing gaze. The truth is, Mr. Ravencourt makes me uneasy.
“My son has told me so much about you, Miss Holt.”
“We’re leaving,” Kane says, reaching for my hand.
“Why such a hurry?” his father asks as he looks from me to his son over my shoulder. “Don’t you want to introduce your girlfriend to our guests?”
Some unspoken words pass between them, words I can’t decipher, and whatever it is, Kane is losing.