“There’s no misunderstanding here.” Fallon dropped one of her bags and wrapped Karla in a one-arm hug. “I love you, and I’m sorry if I caused any problems.”
Karla pulled back. “Fallon, don’t leave,” she begged.
I watched as Fallon grabbed her bag and turned those blue eyes my way. “I’m sorry I ever met you. And I’m really sorry people like you exist in a world where cynicism outshines compassion,” she said evenly.
I stepped to her because I was very aware this disaster was entirely my fault. “Look-”
“Fuck you,” she spat again, cutting me off and heading towards the front door.
We all kind of stood stuck as she dropped her bag, opened the door, grabbed her bag again, and then walked out of the house. The second it was obvious she wasn’t going to shut the door behind her, Karla, Trevor, and I snapped out of our shock and raced towards the door. As soon as I cleared the doorway, I saw Jacob’s cab idling by the curb. I watched as he jumped out of his cab when he noticed Fallon was carrying all her bags.
I knew I wasn’t doing myself any favors, but I also knew if I left things like this, the guilt would eat me alive and I’d never be able to face Karla again without that guilt reflecting in my eyes. I raced down the walkway as Fallon and Jacob were placing her bags in the trunk of the cab.
“Fallon, wait a second,” I said as I approached her.
She whirled around to face me, and I knew there was no way out of this. I couldn’t undo the way she saw me. “Stay away from me, Mr. Raynes,” she hissed, and I irrationally got irritated.
“Quit calling me that!”
Fallon ignored me. “Get away from me!” she snapped.
I stepped to her to-I don’t know what-but that’s when Jacob got involved. He pulled her behind him, and his face was the most serious I had ever seen in all the years I’ve known Jacob. “Mr. Xander, Miss Fallon asked you to leave her alone,” he repeated.
I felt Karla before I heard her. “Fallon, don’t leave like this,” she begged again.
Fallon’s gaze shot towards Karla. “I still love you and I still trust you, Karla. But…I’m not going to stay, making your husband uncomfortable. And I sure as hell am not going to stay to be subjected to…whatever this is.”
Before Karla could say anything more, Jacob had his arm wrapped around Fallon’s shoulders and was shielding her as he opened the cab’s rear door and ushered her inside. Jacob shut the door, finished placing Fallon’s bags in the trunk, and made his way to the driver’s side door. He gave me and Karla a terse nod of acknowledgment before getting in the cab and turning the ignition.
I stared down into the window and Fallon’s face remained facing forward, her expression completely stilled. I watched as they drove off and the rock in the pit of my stomach felt like it was never going to go away.
“What the hell just happened?” Karla mumbled quietly.
I looked down at her. “I’m sorry, Karla,” I said, and I meant every fucking word. “I…I’m not sure what got into me.” Other than my fucked-up day that I took out on someone who hadn’t deserved it.
She looked up at me. “I just don’t understand, Xander,” she replied. “You’re not…you’re not that person.” She was right. I wasn’t usually a cruel person. Even if I didn’t believe Fallon, I shouldn’t have been so cold about it.
“I’ll find her and make it right,” I said, promising the impossible.
Karla shook her head. “Just don’t, Xander,” she whispered. “She’s been through enough.”
Well, fuck.
Chapter 9
Fallon~
What a disaster.
I had envisioned a lot of scenarios when Karla set up that meeting, but I had never expected it to turn out this way. I never expected someone who Karla called one of her best friends to turn out to be so awful.
Even without Karla’s suggestion to entrust all my finances to…that man, the plan had been that I’d live in Brant. And now, I needed to find a new place to try to live. I also knew I couldn’t just stay in the back of Jacob’s cab all day.
I didn’t have a car or a place to stay, so no matter what I decided, I was going to have to show my I.D. for a motel room or a car I could sleep in. If I was going to show my hand, it made more