Page 62 of Free Fall

“I mean about the picture.”

His teeth grind together. “That’s not your fault either.” He sighs. “Though I’d love to be the only guy who’s ever seen you, we know that’s not the case, right? Lex,” he says, like he’s going to count the guys who have seen me, but that’s it. There’s just three people. Just him, Lex, and Ezra through a picture even though I’m pretty covered up.

My cheeks pink. “I don’t want that picture to get out.” My mind wanders to my parents, and I start to tremble. They really don’t need this. Not after taking time away for themselves.

“I’m going to fucking talk to her,” he says. “I’ll make sure nothing happens.” He takes his phone out of his pocket and brings it to his ear after hitting a button. “Yeah, can you come back? I need someone to take Briar to my house while I pay Sasha a visit.”

He hangs up after that, and it doesn’t take long to see both Cade and Lex come striding back toward us. “Do you think that’s a good idea?” Cade asks. “Maybe I should go talk to her. Or Lex.”

“I can’t fucking talk to her right now,” Lex seethes. “I’ll fucking—” He breaks off with a mottled curse. “It’s just not a good fucking idea right now.”

“She’ll talk to me,” Reid says, glancing at his friend. “She’ll probably only talk to me.”

I can’t help that jealousy spikes the blood in my veins. I don’t want Reid anywhere near Sasha. She’s a conniving bitch.

In the same moment though, I know Reid. I trust him. Nothing is going to happen. He downright loathes her.

“You’re probably right,” Cade sighs. He comes over and drops his arm around me. “Come on, Shortie. Let’s let Reid do his thing. Lex and I will drive you to his house and wait with you there.”

I slide out from Cade’s arm and throw myself at Reid, letting myself go to mush in his arms as he kisses the crap out of me. Cade drags me away again, warning Reid that he better take care of this soon. Sasha’s off-the-wall crazy.

Lex picks my cell up from the ground, which must’ve fallen in the jostling between the two boys and hands it over to me. His fingertips brush mine. I look up at him and frown. It makes me sad to see him upset over me, but the heart wants what it wants, and right now, it wishes it could be next to Reid as he drives over to his ex-girlfriend’s house and hopefully either unleashes his fury or talks some sense into her.

I’m not sure which I want more, but I do know, I want all this to end when Reid comes back to me.

27

Reid is moody when he returns. The door closes just as his family and I, along with Lex and Cade, are about to sit down to dinner at Mrs. Parker’s insistence. He kisses me on the temple as he takes his seat next to me. My skin is crawling with unanswered questions, but little by little, I’m lulled by the fact that this seems so normal, eating over here with Reid’s family surrounded by the boys. Mr. Parker talks football with the three of them while Mrs. Parker asks me about school. It doesn’t make everything go away, but it puts it on hold for a moment.

As soon as we’re finished and Mrs. Parker starts to clear the plates, Reid tilts his head, indicating for us to follow him. He takes us into the lived-in living room, sitting down on the couch and pulling me onto his lap. Cade sits on the other end of the couch while Lex stands near the TV stand, his arms crossed, trying not to look at Reid while he talks. “She’s placated for now, but we’ll have to fucking watch her,” Reid says. He shakes his head. “I can’t believe I ever—” A shiver rolls through him that transfers to me. I hug myself, rubbing my hands up and down my arm.

“Maybe we could tell someone,” I say. “The principal or her parents…”

Reid laughs harshly. “Her parents are worse than her. All they want is for her to be happy, so no, it won’t help telling them. Things would just get worse.”

“The police then?” Lex asks. “It’s illegal to have pictures of a minor like that. Plus, she must’ve hacked into Briar’s account to get them. That’s an offense, right?”

I turn my head away. I really don’t want anyone seeing those pictures. The police are just going to look at me like I’m this sad, pathetic girl.

“I think if we can just keep Sasha from showing the pictures, we should keep this between us. Maybe if she threatens to use them again, we’ll tell someone.”

“So,” Cade says. “What did you have to do to get her to agree not to show them?”

My body locks up. I don’t want to hear what he has to say. I don’t know why I’m so worried about what’s going to come out of his mouth. She wants him back. So, if she’s decided she’s not going to show the pictures off just yet, is that how he got her to do it? Did they kiss? Are they dating again?

Reid pulls me to him, holding me close to his chest. “I bluffed,” he says. “I told her I had something that would ruin her if she did anything to hurt Briar.”

“Okay…” Cade says, sounding skeptical.

“I didn’t know what to fucking do,” Reid spits. “I’m sure if I think about it, I probably do have dirt on her. I mean, shit, she’s a terrible person. I’ll have to think about it, or we can work to get something on her if I can’t think of anything, but what matters right now is that it’s over with. There’s no imminent threat to Briar.” He pulls me to him again like he can’t get me close enough. His lips over my ear, making me shiver, he whispers. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Promise.”

I like that promise, and maybe that’s my problem. No one can make promises like that. Not Reid. Not anyone. The truth is, we never know what’s going to happen. That’s why it was such a shock when Brady died. I put my world into him, if I think about it. My whole life revolved around him. He was my brother. His friends were my friends. When he was taken out of the equation, I had no one.

It scares the shit out of me to be that way again.

Cade slaps his thighs. “Alright. I’ll see what I can’t get out of um…” He snaps his fingers. “Um…”

“Jesus. Hayley,” I say.

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