“I’ll be fine,” I tell her. “I just had to get out of there.”
She nods in understanding then throws her arms around me. “I don’t know what’s going on, Maddox, but you know I’m always around if you need someone to talk to.”
“I’ll be fine, Delaney. I always am.” I lie. I’ve been lied to so much in my life that it’s turned me into a liar myself.
I’m fine?I’m never fucking fine.
But they can’t know that. I definitely can’t let them know that I hear and see things too.
She looks me over, and apparently,my act is pretty good because she gives me a satisfied nod. “I’ll just get back home then,” she tells me as she looks over my shoulder. “Looks like the calvary is coming anyway.”
I look over my shoulder and roll my eyes. “Or the firing squad,” I mutter.
She gives me another hug and walks away. I turn around to face Bastian.
“You come to make sure I didn’t run off?” I snap.
“Something like that,” he says as he looks me over. “Were you about to run off?”
“I wasn’t going to run. I was going to walk off. Got caught by Delaney.”
“I forget you two know each other sometimes,” he grins widely. “Tristan know how well you know her?”
“Doesn’t matter to me if he does,” I shrug.
“I want to ask you something, and I want an honest answer.” He pauses for a moment, waiting for me to respond. I roll my hand through the air, telling him to continue, which causes him to rollhiseyes. “I saw your reaction in there when they talked about Jewel and your grandfather hearing voices. Do you hear them?”
He’s right. I did let a moment of panic slip through my façade, but I’m not letting it happen twice. I’m sure as hell not admitting it after all of that. “No.”
He watches me carefully, looking for a tell that I’m lying. He won’t find one. Bastian is great at spotting a liar, but I’m better at hiding the shit that gets you locked away. Finally, he seems to accept my answer. “You know I’m not letting you leave, right?”
“You can’t fucking stop me, Bastian. I’m done here. I’m just done with it all.”
“What does that even mean, Maddox?”
I shrug and begin to walk off. He grabs me, slamming me against the side of his truck. “Not letting you go, Mads.” He says it casually, but his eyes flare with anger.
“Will you just stop? Stop trying to save me from whatever it is that you are trying to save me from.”
“I’m trying to save you from yourself,stronzo. Your dad was right. You are your own worst fucking enemy, but you’re my brother, and I’m not going to watch you kill yourself.”
It’s still weird to think of him as my brother, but over the years, he really has become a friend. He was someone I could call when I needed help. Or rather my friends. I’ve never asked for any myself. And I’ve seen the change in him since he met Verity. He’s still Bastian. He still loves peeling the skin off of assholes, but he shows his heart more. He isn’t afraid to show he cares anymore.
I know I should appreciate that he does care about me, but he’s been another liar in my life. And that has had my mind turning since last night.
“Let me ask you something, Bastian. You said last night thatyou know. What is it that you think you know?”
“I know everything, Maddox. Everything you’ve done and everything that’s been done to you. Well, except for your grandfather, I guess.”
“So, the night you and Rory decided to do whatever it was to my dad to make sure I left town, did you know what I was going back to? Did you know why I was expelled in the first place?”
“Of course not. You know me, Maddox. Do you think I would’ve let you go back there had I known?”
I lean my head back, looking up at the stars lighting the sky, trying to collect my thoughts, and process the fact that he knows my greatest shame. I fight back the sting in my eyes, refusing to shed a damn tear. I’m not that kid anymore. “When did you figure it out?”
“I didn’t knowuntil just now. I only had suspicions. I’m the one who made sure it couldn’t be linked back to you, then I had Christian do some digging.”
I close my eyes with a heavy exhale, trying to expel the memories and demons. “I didn’t think I was. If they hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve killed him that day in his office.”
