Chapter 8 ~ #2
"I-I asked her not to tell you, because I needed to know something. I needed to know where you went that night. The reason I was home alone." I shake my head and my vision blurs with tears.
"You were at a party, J." My voice breaks.
“I…I lied to Mum,” J whispers. “I wasn’t at a party.”
“Then where were you?” I shout.
“I was in the woods!” J closes his eyes and looks away.
At the woods…his and Dec’s spot.
He doesn't take his eyes off me. He stumbles over to the bed. Luc moves over but Jace kneels down beside me.
"Why didn't you answer me?"
He doesn't say anything so I look away.
He closes his eyes again like he can’t bear to look at me. He shakes his head and whispers, "I turned my phone off."
My heart seizes and I lift a shaky hand to my mouth, feeling the need to throw up.
"Ro, I thought you were safe. I never thought he'd find out. My best friend had just died and I-I needed a break," he rambles.
His grey eyes beg me for forgiveness. I can't look away but it hurts to look at him.
"You didn't answer three years ago when I was being beaten to death because you were mourning my brother," I state blankly and he flinches at my harsh words.
He didn't answer because he was grieving. I am so fucking stupid. J lost so much. Not just me. Dec and Jace were the troublesome twins—they did everything together. I lost a brother but so did Jace.
"What did you just say?" Maverick's staring at me in horror. They all are.
"Guys," Jace tries to intercept.
"No! What did she just say, Jace?" Maverick says coldly.
I look between them, unsure of what part has them so shocked.
"Rory…is Declan's sister," Jace says sadly.
Crack! I gasp when Mason's arm disappears from around my shoulders and his fist meets Jace's jaw.
"She's been here the last two days and we never fucking knew she's Declan's sister?!" Maverick yells for his twin.
Jace wipes the blood from his lip but doesn't say anything.
"How do you guys know Declan?" I ask them.
"Dec ran with us at school." Dominic shakes his head, staring at me in disbelief.
"He talked about you," I whisper. I start to put the pieces together. "He said Jace and you guys were the only people I could trust. If anything ever happened to him…he said to stay with Jace. That he'd find you."
"He said he had a sister. He never told us your name." Mason keeps his eyes firmly planted on me. "Just that she was an angel the devil would be scared off."
I laugh and cry at the same time. "That was his favourite saying," I tell Mason.
Mason smiles softly and I see a hint of darkness leave him. It grows silent as we remember my brother.
“How did you guys not realise that? You didn’t know who she was?” Jace looks around the room in shock. “You got her emancipated!”
“Well, we were calling her Laney for a while. You always called her Ro and I never knew Dec’s last name,” Maverick shoots back.
The guys agree with Mav.
“I knew Declan’s sister was called Rory but I didn’t make the connection.” Luc shrugs. Alec agrees.
Jace seems puzzled by the Laney bit but he seems too busy staring at me to question it.
“That’s why your name was familiar,” Alec muses. “Jace had me look into your disappearance years ago.”
“What happened?” Luc questions “None of us know the real reason your father moved you." My eyes flick up to his but they're unreadable.
Silent overtakes the room as I struggle to start.
"When my father came home that night, he was drunk. H—he was furious." I remember the anger in his eyes.
Jace grips my hand, a warmth shoots through me. Like coming home. Tears swell in my eyes and I hold onto his hand tightly.
"I nearly came out of hiding but Dec had told me not to don't come out, no matter what. My father, h-he threw him around a bit but that wasn't uncommon. Dec was always jumping in, taking beatings that were meant for me. Then he pulled out a gun." I sob, tears streaming down my face.
Mase brushes my hair from my face. Dominic puts a hand on my leg. All the guys gather around, comforting me in some way.
"After my father…Marcus, shot Dec," my voice trembles, "he made sure the place looked like a robbery gone wrong.
I snuck out the window and I ran to Jace's house, just up the road.
The cops came looking for me there and I told them everything.
I told them I was there, that I saw him pull the trigger.
They said they believed me," I whisper motionless.
"What happened?" Jace murmurs, a sickened look in his eyes like he knows the answer.
"You left. Your parents went down to the station. I was alone and he came looking for me." Jace pulls away and stands up. He braces himself on the wall, his head dropped and his fists against the wall.
"I heard him coming so I hid in your walk in wardrobe. I rang you over and over again. He reached into the wardrobe and pulled me out," I whisper. "He said he couldn't kill his second unwanted burden because it would put too much heat on him so he had to find a way to keep me from testifying.”
Mason starts breathing heavily. I look over at him concerned. I link our hands and he seems to settle a little. Maverick grabs Mason's other hand.
“I don't remember everything, I managed to block most of it out." I continue. "I-I blacked out after a while. When I woke up, I was here. I couldn't get up and walk around for almost a week."
Jace slams his fist against the wall, making me jump. Mason squeezes my hand.
Jace breathes heavily. "Why didn't you call me?" He says hoarsely. "Why didn't you tell Mum where you were?"
I sigh. "At first, I wanted to, I needed to.
There was a burner phone in one of the cupboards of the kitchen.
I managed to call Helen while he was out.
I didn't know where I was, I hadn't gone outside yet.
When Marcus found it, he broke every one of my fingers.
Made me put them back into place. Once Dec was gone, there was no one to protect me. "
Jace's shoulders shake uncontrollably. His forearms are pressed against the wall, his head dropped low between his shoulders.
I untangle myself from the guys and slowly rise from my position on the bed. I lightly place a hand on his back.
"Turn around, J," I murmur.
He slowly does what I asked. His eyes are red and puffy from the silent tears making their au down his face.
The pain and anger, the resentment I've been feeling for almost three years disappears when I fall into my best friend's arms.
Like he can’t hold himself up anymore, he slides to the ground and I fall with him. I almost don't feel the excruciating pain in my ribs that shoots up when I fall because he breaks down in my arms. His sobs muffled by my shirt as I pull him into me.
"I'm sorry, Ro." Jace sobs. "I'm so fucking sorry."
"I know, I know," I soothe him. He grips my shirt like he's afraid I'm going to leave.
He keeps saying it and I let him get it all out. I lean back against the wall, using it to support us. He lays his head on my chest and my fingers stroke his cheek, making him shudder.
Once he's calm enough, I continue, not letting him go.
"After that…I was too weak to try again," I say just loud enough for the others to hear me.
"I couldn't go to the cops after what happened when Dec died.
There must be dirty cops on my father's payroll if no one came to look for me to give my statement.
I just had to wait it out." I look up from J to the guys.
I give them a watery smile. "I guess Dec had other plans. "
The guys smile and after one look at each other, they get up and walk out. Dominic kneels down to kiss my forehead before he gets up and follows the others out.
Jace exhales and lifts his head. He wipes the tears from his eyes.
I frown at the faint scar that goes through his left eyebrow. "What's this?" I ask softly.
He shakes his head. "Just a little run-in I had."
I sigh, still smiling and shake my head. It feels good.
Jace lifts a hand, trailing it down my cheek. It leaves little sparks as it goes. I push away the feelings that stir from the past.
"I missed you, J." I lean into his hand that cups my face.
"I missed you too, Ro." His grey eyes full of an indecipherable emotion. "So fucking much."
I snuggle into Jace's arms, laying my head in his chest. His arms tighten around me and he exhales loudly, like three years worth of tension leaves his body.
“I’m so sorry, Ro. I wished every day for the last three years that I never left you. God, I knew it was a possibility that he’d come looking for you but I never thought I wouldn’t be there to protect you.” Jace looks at me like he’s afraid this is a dream and I’ll fade away.
“In my head…I knew you weren’t at a party. You didn’t like going out in general but I didn’t have anything else to believe,” I tell him. God, I’m emotionally exhausted.
Jace sighs, kissing my forehead. Emotion washes over me and he hugs me tightly.
“I don’t understand how they didn’t know.” Jace shakes his head. It takes me a moment to realise he was talking about the guys.
“The same reason I didn’t know the mystery sixth group member was you,” I say softly. “Why would I be here? Why would you be here? This whole time they’ve just called you ‘J.’ They never met me. They didn’t know anything about me—Dec was too protective for that.”
“That’s for sure,” Jace chuckles and I smile.
"So," he murmurs. "What's the deal with you and the guys?" I try not to tense.
"There's no deal," I deny quickly. Too quickly.
Jace chuckles, brushing my hair from covering my face. "You're such a shitty liar, Aurora Annabelle Winters."
"Don't full name me, Jason Oliver Hamilton." I grumble.
He laughs richly. "Come on, Ro. You know you can't lie to me."
Sometimes I wish I could. I lift my head but he doesn't let me move. His grey eyes search mine.