Chapter Twenty-Nine Everest （Kane） #2
Then she screams, her cries coming out ragged and as if something feral just ripped out of her chest. Her entire body jerks, her knees buckling as if the memories are physically dragging her under.
“Ma. I’m sorry. Forget I asked.”
She collapses against me. Before I can make sense of anything, two nurses rush over. I back off as they swoop in, soothing her, checking her pulse, and guiding her away.
“She’s overstimulated,” one of them says. “You’ll need to leave now.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, still standing there, rooted to the grass, my fist curling tight as my nails bite into my palms.
This encounter, her reaction to that picture, only leaves me with more questions and no goddamn answers.
They disappear with my mother through the doors. After a while, I snatch up the photo and I finally head back toward the building.
What the hell happened back then? And why the hell is Sam looking into it?
I inch through the halls, my mind racing to put the pieces of the puzzle together. And as I turn the corner and step into the lobby, my name cuts through the chaos in my head.
“Kane.”
I glance up. Sam stands from the bench in front of the reception desk, her arms wrapped around herself as if she’s bracing for something. My jaw clenches, and I lunge forward. Her eyes widen as I close the distance and grip her arm to pull her through the front door and down the steps.
“You’re hurting me.”
I’m blinded by the rage building in my gut but still loosen my hold. People stare, but I don’t give a shit. I reach into my pocket for my fob to pop the lock on my Audi then yank the passenger door open the moment we reach it.
“Get in,” I demand.
Sam stares for a beat but doesn’t challenge me. She gets in, and I slam the door shut before rounding the front and climbing behind the wheel. I power on the car and peel away from the curb, my foot heavy on the gas.
“Kane. Slow down,” she pleads while fumbling to put on her seat belt.
I ignore her and tighten my grip on the wheel. The engine growls as if it knows I need to outrun these emotions, but I don’t know where I’m going. All I know is that I need to be far away from that place, away from my mother’s screams.
I cut a hard right, tires screeching as we duck down a side street behind a diner, past the train station and the school district offices.
The entrance of an alleyway comes into view beside an abandoned convenience store, and I yank the wheel, barely missing the brick wall.
I slam into park, sending gravel spinning beneath my tires.
Sam breathes hard, her chest heaving as she clutches her seat belt.
“What is wrong with you?”
I don’t answer her; I can’t. My lungs constrict and my knees bounce as I twitch with unspent anger. I stare ahead, my teeth grinding so hard it hurts.
“I didn’t know,” she says.
I hate the sincerity in her voice. Hate that she’s seeing right through me, that she’s showing concern.
“Has she been in there all this time?” she whispers.
“Start talking… now. I showed my mom that picture and she fucking lost it.”
“Oh. I’m sor—”
“Why were you there?”
Sam drops her gaze. “I was hoping to speak to someone about my mom and saw your car out front.”
“What the fuck is going on?” My voice shatters the air between us. “What was that picture? Why are our parents in it? Why did it trigger her?” My last question comes out choked.
“I don’t know.”
“You know something,” I snap.
“Gracie and I were just investigating,” she blurts.
My ears perk up at that. “What?”
Her eyes flick to mine. “I wasn’t looking for it. I just found it.”
“Then what were you looking for?”
“Why I’m here. I had questions about my scholarship, but every person I asked was cagey about it. So I asked Alex—”
“Alex? What’s he know about this?”
“Nothing. I’m just as lost as you. But something wasn’t adding up, so I asked Alex to help me look into it. His father seemed to be hiding something about how I got in this school, and I knew he could help me.”
She had questions and went to him?
“Help you with what?”
“Information. We snuck into the administration building and while I was looking for my records, I learned that my mother was a student here.”
“Well, what did your mother say?”
She stays silent, and a lone tear trails her cheek.
“She can’t say anything from the grave.”
My heart pulses. “Shit. I didn’t know.”
“How could you when you’ve been treating me like the enemy instead of a friend?”
Fuck. She’s right. I’ve spent so much time trying to keep her from knowing the truth about my mom that I didn’t care to inquire about hers.
“Sorry.”
She peers at me, and without thinking, I reach out and wipe her tears away with the pad of my thumb. Sam palms my hand, locking eyes with me.
“Me too,” she mutters.
I want to break the connection, put distance between us again, but I can’t.
Last night should have gotten her out of my system, but it’s only made it worse.
I believe her. She’s just as lost in all of this as I am, and whatever it is has something to do with not just my mom and hers, but all of ours.
“Tell me everything. What have you found?”