Chapter 24
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Salem - Present
The RV is silent.
Uncomfortably, suffocatingly silent.
We’ve squeezed in wherever we can: Arya's curled up against Christian at the table, Taylor’s perched on the edge of a bunk while Huck stands like the linebacker he is near the door. I’m on the floor, knees to my chest, arms wrapped tight around myself while I glare between Logan and Dev.
They're sitting as far away from each other as possible, each on opposite ends of this tin can.
Neither one looks at the other, which is laughable because we all just caught them fucking kissing.
Ignoring each other won't make us forget what we saw.
It won't make me forget. That image will be branded on my brain for always and eternity.
Taylor's the first to speak, of course. “So… You’re adopted.”
Right. And there's that little tidbit of info that Logan failed to mention until after we all about rinsed our eyes out with bleach.
Logan nods once, gaze on his shoes. “Yeah.”
Tay tilts his head. “Since when?”
“Pretty sure since birth, fool,” Christian pipes up, leaning over to smack his best friend upside the head.
Logan lifts a shoulder half-heartedly. “He’s right. Dev told me last year in Vegas.”
His eyes briefly flicker to mine before dropping again. I stiffen, realizing that it must have happened right after we got married—before he abandoned me.
“And you just didn’t tell anyone?” Arya cuts in with a frown. Pretty sure she's just here for the drama.
“I mean… I told Huck.”
“So then what?” I spit, the words spewing out of me like venom. “You just decided to fuck him? Or was this about getting back at me for fucking him?”
Logan’s head whips toward me as something breaks behind his eyes. “What? No. Jesus, Salem, it wasn’t like that.”
I laugh mirthlessly and uncurl from my spot on the floor. “Then fucking explain it to me because that's sure as shit what it looks like.”
Huckslee clears his throat, shifting awkwardly near the door. “Maybe we should all just—”
“Don’t,” I snap without taking my eyes off Logan. “I deserve to know.”
“Salem, it wasn’t about that.” Logan rubs a hand over his jaw like he’s trying to wipe the guilt off his face. “It wasn’t planned. I didn't—”
“Oh, so you just accidentally tripped and fell onto Devon’s dick?”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen!” he explodes, voice rising for the first time. “I didn’t even know how I felt until…”
“Until what?” I scoff when I train my gaze on Devon. “You've been super quiet over there, Dev. What, nothing to say about boning your nephew?”
Those whiskey eyes flash, but Devon's face remains blank. “He's not my nephew.”
“Oh, right, my bad. Adopted brother.”
The two of them share a brief glance, but nothing more is said. The knot that's been slowly unraveling in my chest ignites into a ball of fury.
“Holy shit,” I whisper, everything snapping into place. The way Logan claimed he couldn't have sex until marriage, the absolute breakdowns he'd have after I'd peg him. “You’re gay. Aren't you? I was your fucking beard.”
Logan blanches as every head in the room rotates toward him, and he shakes his head quickly. “Absolutely not. I'm not gay, Salem, I… I love you.”
“Love isn't crawling into bed with me while you fantasize about someone else.”
He flinches before rubbing his chest like I've stabbed him. “It wasn’t like that—”
“Then tell me what it was like!” I damn-near scream. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks a hell of a lot like you used me to live some kind of fantasy life.”
“I want you,” he says brokenly. “I chose you.”
“Because it was safe.” I step closer and blink away the tears burning in my eyes. “Because I played the part you thought you were supposed to want. Right? Well, that backfired, didn't it? Mommy and Daddy don't even like me, so you lied for fucking nothing.”
Logan shakes his head, eyes glossy when he reaches for me. “I’m not lying. I’ve loved you since high school, Salem. I'm just… I’m so confused.”
At the first crack in his best friend's voice, Huckslee pushes off the door. His large body comes between us. “Alright, we aren't doing this. That's enough.”
With a scowl, I wipe away an angry tear. “This doesn't concern you. You're free to fucking leave.”
“Whoa, Salem. Chill,” Taylor tries to intervene, but Huck cuts him off.
“I'm not leaving. And yes, this does concern me.”
“Why, because Logan’s your buddy?”
“No,” he answers quietly, staring me down. “Because I’ve been where he is. I had my sexuality dragged into the open before I was ready, and it nearly killed me.”
Everyone goes absolutely still. The air stagnates, almost like we each sucked in a collective breath. Memories of a horrible night at prom six years ago assault us all. Taylor looks away, rubbing at a phantom pain in his collarbone from when he snapped it saving his boyfriend’s life.
Huckslee ignores the room and gestures toward Logan instead. “You think he wanted this to blow up in front of everybody? You think he planned to be this messed up over something he can't control?”
Shame heats my face, but I cross my arms with a huff. “So I’m the bad guy now?”
“You’re hurt. I understand that, but we both know that hurt people say and do things they can't take back.”
Tay lowers his head, shoulders curling in like he wants to disappear. I’d feel sorry for him if I didn’t already feel like collateral damage in someone else’s story.
“This isn't just about Logan getting with Devon, Huck. He lied to me. I gave him my trust and my fucking body, and he spit it back in my face.”
Logan makes a garbled sound, probably struggling to breathe, but I don't care. Maybe he deserves to choke. Maybe I want it to hurt. At least then I wouldn’t be the only one suffocating.
No one says a word. Huck and I stand off in silence, both of us too stubborn to back down.
Just when I think we'll be here all night locked in some kind of staring contest, Devon tosses his arms over his head to stretch loudly. Then the bastard fucking yawns. “Well,” he says dryly, reaching for his jacket. “This has been fun.”
I slowly bare my teeth in disgust. “Are you serious right now?”
He slides his arms into the sleeves without looking at me. “This shit ain’t my thing. I’ve got places to be.”
And just like that, he’s gone, the RV door banging shut behind him.
A moment later, his Ducati roars to life through the open window as he tears off into the night like the fucking coward he is.
Christian lets out a deep sigh, the first sound I've heard from him in a while. “That guy is such an asshole.”
“A hot asshole,” Arya adds. She winces when we all give her a look. “Sorry! Just sayin'.”
Huck scrubs a hand down his face before pulling Tay into a tight hug. His dark eyes meet mine once again. “Maybe Logan isn't the one here you should be pissed at.”
My lips part, a small puff of air leaving my lungs. My stomach drops so violently that I feel sick.
He's absolutely right. Logan might’ve burned down what we had, but Devon’s the one that lit the match. He sat on the truth for years, waiting until it was convenient—until it could do the most damage.
He wanted chaos, and he fucking got it.
But I'll be damned if I become another man's victim.
Taylor’s eyes widen when I storm toward him. “Salem, don’t,” he warns, but I’ve already got his keys in my hand.
Logan steps forward, reaching out an arm. “Salem—”
I shoot him a glare so sharp he physically recoils.
Then I'm out the door in a heartbeat, down the rickety stairs and into the parking lot. Taylor’s yellow bike gleams under the street lights. I swing my leg over it with shaking hands as pure fury burns through my bloodstream.
Devon wants to run?
Fine.
Let’s see if he can outrun me.