Page 65 of Brandishing Betrayals
“Stop looking for something that’s not there anymore. I left you. I’m with Dax now, stop pushing.”
“But you still slept with Nic on Saturday. Classy, Henderson.” He glared down at me.
I rolled my eyes. “You should go.” I was already backing away from him though, before he could answer. I turned my back on him and headed for the house, ending the conversation.
“This isn’t over,” Marcos called to me as I reached the house.
I ignored him and slipped back inside, closing and locking the door behind me.
Marcos
I drove a couple blocks over to where Kara’s house was. Funny, that Maya and Kara only lived a couple blocks from each other and never saw or spoke to each other anymore.How did people that used to be best friends, grow so far apart,I wondered.Probably the same way Maya grew so far apart from me and the guys. She changed and left us all behind.
I drove up the long driveway at Kara’s place—Johnny’s place—and parked my bike in front of the garage. It was late on a Monday night, but I saw the lights on inside, and knew it was still an hour or two before my sister would be going to sleep.
I knocked softly on the back door as I let myself in the house through the mudroom attached to the kitchen. Kevin was in the kitchen, washing bottles from the looks of things as I walked in. “Hey man,” Kevin said, glancing at me over his shoulder. “You good?”
I immediately shook my head. I kicked off my shoes in the mud room, lining them up on a rubber mat, along the wall with the other boots. I walked into the kitchen and over to Kara’s liquor cabinet. I helped myself to her bottle of Macallan, grabbing a glass out of a cabinet next to where Kevin was washing dishes. Pouring myself two fingers of whisky, I quickly tossed it back.
“That bad?” Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sighing heavily, I poured himself another two fingers of whisky, before I put the top back on the bottle and walked over to the island. I sat down with my whisky and shook my head.
“Marcos?” Kara’s voice came from behind him, and I glanced over my shoulder to see her walking down the stairs with Johnny and Derrick behind her.
“Hey, Lil Manita,” I greeted her, raising my glass.
“Fuck,” she swore softly as she walked over.
I didn’t see Lilah anywhere and glanced around the living room, realizing the baby wasn’t in the room.
“We just put her down,” Johnny said. “You good, man?”
“Not really,” I grumbled.
“Oh no,” Kara sighed. She walked over to the counter and grabbed her own glass and poured herself two fingers of Macallan.
“I confronted Maya. I asked her straight out if she was being threatened by Hillcrest. She denied everything. So either she’s lying straight to my face and Nic got it wrong, or she’s fucking Dax Hillcrest.”
“Jesus Christ,” Johnny growled.
Kara frowned, her blond hair framing her face. Her blue eyes darkened as she sipped her whisky slowly.
“Dude,” Derrick grunted.
“Did you see her face to face?” Kara asked.
“I just came from her parents’ place. I mean it was dark and we talked outside, but yeah, I saw her face. I don’t know anymore, Kara. I don’t know her like I used to, to know if she’s lying or not. Nic seems to think she’s being threatened; he questioned her Saturday night and she freaked out the minute he mentioned Hillcrest’s name. Tonight, she said the opposite and told me she was fucking him.” My voice choked up with emotion and I quickly sipped my whisky.
Kara reached across the island and grabbed my hand, squeezing it.
“I don’t know her, man. But no one would willingly fuck Hillcrest,” Derrick said.
I could only shrug.
“I called Slade,” Kara said. “She was reluctant to talk about Maya with me, because I haven’t really been friends with Maya in the last decade, but she did say she was, and I quote, ‘scared for Maya and really worried about her’. We all know Slade doesn’t scare easily, and it takes a lot of make her worry.”
Johnny hummed low in his throat. “That’s telling in itself. But if Maya’s refusing to tell you anything, there’s not much you can do.”
