Page 47 of Rival Hearts

The streetlights shining through my big living room windows illuminated the cracked ceiling. I’d been staring at it for hours. I couldn’t sleep.You have to commit to the lie.Her words played in a loop. What agreement had she and Trent had? The only thing that made sense meant she’d been involved in Trent’s drug trade after all. Which version of her was the right one? I dragged my hands down my face, frustration eating away at any peace of mind.

When I’d first heard why Trent was arrested and the intricate nature of his operation, I’d been sure Maggie was the mastermind. The anger had been a gift. Hating her had propelled me far away from her in the immediate aftermath. Being with her had been the best and worst thing I’d ever done.

Eventually, once I’d found a way out of Little Falls, I’d let my fury and my guilty conscience drive me. At first, the rage had merely driven me to winCenter Stage, then the guilt drove me out of LA to places I’d never thought about before. My emotions had steered me back here, only to realize fury might not havebeen what I’d felt toward Maggie. Certainly wasn’t how I felt now.

Frustrated. That’s how I felt. Really fucking frustrated. She had given enough information to pique my interest. A giant puzzle, and at the end of it laid my absolution. Flinging back the cover, I rose and stretched. My hand trailed around the back of my neck as I grabbed my keys from the table by the front door. It was two in the morning. This was a terrible idea, but I needed answers. If I waited until daylight, I’d lose my nerve.

I pounded on the door and laid on the doorbell of the ground-floor apartment. A drunk guy had let me in the secure entrance, so now I was making an ass of myself in the dimly lit hallway. People probably worked tomorrow. At some point, Trent would either answer the door or the police would drag me away. As a kid, Trent had been a deep sleeper.

I was half expecting the police at any moment.

“What the actual fuck?” Trent yanked open his door.

I squeezed around him into the apartment, not waiting for an invitation. “What was going on between you and Maggie that year you were together? You know, when you were doing your third try at senior year?”

Trent barked out a laugh and slammed the door. “It wasn’t my third, it was my second, and you’re here at stupid o’clock in the morning asking about Maggie? You’d better not be trying to get into her pants, or I swear to God, I’ll beat you to a bloody pulp.”

Shit.

Subtlety had never been my strongest quality. I couldn’t tell Trent I’d already been in her pants, and I was looking to ease my guilt. In frustration, I scrubbed my face and sighed.

“She told me the two of you had an arrangement in high school. You weren’t dating.”

“So, youaretrying to get in her pants. I heard you were back with Sabrina Kim. Talk about reliving your high school years. Doesn’t she have like ten kids or something?”

“Three, but nothing’s going on there.”

“Doesn’t matter. Maggie’s too good for you. You stay away from her.” Trent pointed an accusing finger. “All the mayor bullshit had to have something to do with her. I knew it. You think I didn’t see the way you used to look at her?”

I ran a hand along my chin and shifted my feet. I wasn’t sureIknew the way I used to look at her. We’d been like magnets at the dinner table, around the house, monopolizing each other’s attention. Had Maggie looked at me the same way I’d looked at her? I was older now, more experienced, and I didn’t simply have a vague sense of the attraction between us anymore. Being around her was like having all my senses on red alert. She wasn’t just a want, she felt like someone Ineeded.

“I’m trying to figure out the truth.”

“What truth have you got forme? Huh? You come here in the middle of the night expecting me to lay myself bare. That’s not fucking happening. I would have told you anything after I got arrested. You should have asked.”

After a brief hesitation, I sank into the couch. The apartment was small, with everything sectioned off the way I liked. Entryway, living room, kitchen, hallway. No open-concept bullshit. “I didn’t know how to ask you.”

“What the hell does that mean? You open your mouth and words come out.”

I put my elbows on my knees. “I let you down. I should have known what you were doing. I should have asked where you were getting all your money. Bagging groceries wasn’t it. Deep down, I knew that. If Dad had still been alive—”

“Don’t go there.” Trent held up his hand. “Dad died, and it was you and me, Grady. You and me against the world.” He yanked up the sleeve of his shirt and pointed to the spot we’d put our matching tattoo. “Brothers first.” Trent swallowed. “And then I fucked up, and you left me. You fucking left me.”

“That’s not what happened.” Trent had it all wrong—they’d all screwed up. This mess didn’t fall on anyone’s head alone.

“Unless you’ve got some alternate set of events I know nothing about, that’s exactly what happened. I got caught with my hand in the cookie jar, and I lost my brother. So, don’t come in here asking about Maggie. You can’t have her. You don’t fucking deserve her.”

I stood, anxious, angry, hands on my hips. “I’m looking for the truth.”

Trent scoffed and leaned against the wall across from the couch. “The truth is you leave when things get tough. Prove me wrong, and then I’ll tell you whatever you wanna know.”

Frustration spilled out of me. “I’m doing this fundraiser. I’m running for mayor. Neither of those things has been easy. I’m here, now, talking to you.” Without knowing what had been going on between them, I was stuck.

“Nah, that’s not tough. Tough is some life-altering shit. It’s the kind of thing that happens and no one’s the same. You weather one of those without tucking your tail between your legs and scurrying off, and I’ll believe you’ve changed.” His voice had grown rough, and he cleared his throat. “You earn the truth. You’ve got no right to demand it, not anymore.”

For the first time in my life, I’d been beaten by my brother’s words instead of his fists. Why hadn’t I seen how badly I was fucking things up by staying away? “I thought you were better off without me.”

“I’ve gotten used to being without you. Jury’s out on whether I’ve been better off.” He walked over to his door and openedit, making a grand gesture with his hand. “I’ve got work in the morning. Get the fuck out. And next time, have the guts to come during daylight hours.”

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