punishments they dished out to anyone who didn’t fall into line behind them.
I’d sacrificed him to keep myself safe.
“What was he like?” I asked to show I was still listening, still willing to listen.
He grinned with genuine affection as I sparked a memory. “Scott was… Well, I guess he was my savior, in many ways. He taught me how to make healthier choices and how to exercise safely, and he never ridiculed me or laughed. His attitude brought me back from that brink where I’d started questioning if anything was even worth it anymore.” He shook his head as we walked.
A car passed us and put its turn signal on before it reached the four-way stop at the end of the street, and I briefly wondered about where they were going or what they were doing. Anything would be easier than staring my face in the past like this.
“But gradually, with Scott’s help and a good therapist…” He broke off again and smiled like suddenly the memories weren’t so bad. “With both those things, I refocused and learned to face my insecurities and trauma so I could move past it and focus on my education and my health. And suddenly there was a future.”
But I’d seen enough ghosts in Leo’s eyes to know that sometimes those dark moments were still there.
“Are you happy?” I could barely choke out the question, and Leo tilted his head like he didn’t get asked often so didn’t have a ready answer.
“Most of the time,” he said finally. “More good days than bad, anyway.”
My chest hollowed and I focused on dragging air in to fill the space, but each inhale crushed me further. Leo had actually questioned what the point in living was. He hadn’t used those words, but he’d left me under no illusions as to his meaning. Everything ached. My head, my stomach, my heart, my soul. And I didn’t know how I could ever make any of this up to him.
My guilt grew stronger, a living, breathing entity of its own, and I couldn’t do anything but focus on each inhale, each exhale to ensure I didn’t accidentally stop under the heaviness of my thoughts.
Leo turned toward me and he stared at me for a long time, the look in his eyes drawing a delicate thread of fear through me.
I knew what was coming. Oh, fuck, I knew what was coming, and I was powerless to stop it.
It took all of my strength not to spin round and sprint back to Kane’s house so I could hide out in his yard again and pretend I’d never have to face what I’d done. But maybe everyone got a reckoning day.
If they did, this was mine, and I drew a long breath and set my shoulders, tensing every muscle in my body as I braced for the question Leo had never asked me.
The inevitable one.
“Why did you treat me the way you did?”
9
Leo
I watched him. And I watched him.
And Shayne watched me, his eyes growing wider, his pupils dilating until it seemed like he’d lost the power of speech.
A slight sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. He parted his lips then closed them again. Opened and closed. Like there were no words, no answer to the most important question I’d ever asked him.
Maybe it just wasn’t important to him. Or maybe he didn’t respect me at all, despite what he said to me.
The proof was in actions, not words.
Silence hung between us, thick and heavy, and irritation prickled along every one of my nerves. I huffed a sigh, ready to tell him to just fucking forget it. I didn’t want his answer. It clearly wasn’t important to him.
But my curiosity was too great. I didn’t just want his answer—I needed it.
So I waited him out.
He cleared his throat, the sound harsh and grating. “So, uh, do you remember much about my parents?”
I nodded. “Sure. They were rich assholes. According to Adrian’s stories about them, they still are.”
He winced but didn’t defend them. Instead, he nodded. “Believe it or not, they’ve mellowed these days. They were worse when I was in high school.” He sucked in a breath through his nose. “They were pretty controlling. Nothing like your family.” He gestured back toward Kane’s house then almost chuckled. “They still aren’t like your family. They used to use their money and their…” He floundered for a moment. “Their…I don’t know what to call it. Authority, maybe? They held it over my head to get