Page 101 of Twisted Truths
Levi snorts. “So you could tell me what a pathetic loser I was? No, thanks.”
My chest tightens. I know I’d given him a hard time growing up, but it wasn’t because I thought I was better than him. Truth be told, I’d envied him. He hadn’t grown up being pushed to his limits by an overbearing father. He’d been spared Dalton’s controlling nature, his criticism and opinions. Until now, it seems.
“So you went to Paul?”
“It was Zara’s idea. She saved me from them that night.” He looks almost bitter about it.
“No, she saved you from ending up in the hospital like Crawley. Or worse.”
“I just wanted out. Dalton didn’t care. Paul was my onlyoption. I had to keep them away from my wife. Paige had no idea. She didn’t deserve to get hurt for what I’d done.” Levi swallows, his throat bobbing with the effort. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
I sit there looking at the broken man in front of me as he folds under the weight of his own mistakes. He’s not evil or malicious. He was simply weak in all the wrong moments.
But that’s just as dangerous.
“You have to come clean, Levi. To PaigeandPrincipal Hargrove. This is your chance to fix this once and for all. Tell him what you know and bring down this betting ring for good. It’s the right thing to do.” He doesn’t say anything as I get to my feet. “You owe it to Theo. He deserves better. It’s his future you’re risking.” I hesitate in the doorway, another question lingering in my mind. “Can I ask you something?”
Levi looks up at me warily.
“Did Zara ever tell you she was pregnant when she went into the Sunfire Circle?”
The shock written over his face is answer enough for me, but Levi has enough on his plate. I don’t need to pile more on by asking him to help us save Franklin.
Gabriel and Hadley know the commune, and we need to be careful. Showing up with an army will only put Franklin in more danger. I’ll introduce Franklin to his other uncle once we get him out of there.
“Fix this, Lev. It’s the right thing to do.” I rap my knuckles on the doorframe before leaving him to figure out what he’s going to do.
I’ve got my nephew to save.
Chapter Thirty-Four
HADLEY
Nash was quiet when he came home from visiting his half-brother last night. He told us what Levi said about Tanner Crawley’s attackers being the men from the betting ring, but I could see Gabriel wasn’t completely convinced. He’s still fixated on his parents having something to do with it.
By the time we all went to bed, we were all on information and emotional overload. Nash didn’t initiate anything, but he held me close, and I was relieved when he made it through the night without any nightmares.
He’s spent today in his stepfather’s office, sorting through paperwork and making sure everything is organised for when the house goes on the market. I’ve left him to it, not wanting to get in the way.
One thing I’ve learned about him is when he needs to unravel, he does it alone. He withdraws, letting the weight of everything press down until he figures out his next move.
Gabriel has spent the day on the phone with the private investigator to see if he can get more information on what happened to Tanner Crawley, and to his uncle. He’s trying toget as much information as he can about the Circle’s plans for Franklin.
Left to my own devices, I drift through the house, looking for some way to be useful.
I’d only half packed up the sitting room the other day, so I decide to continue with that. As I’m sorting things, I come across a shoebox of old DVDs. There’s a stack of discs labelledBarrenridge Redbackswith different years scrawled on them, which I know is the name of Nash’s high school team from the yearbooks I found in Zara’s bedroom.
Curious, I select an earlier one and place it in the DVD player. Settling onto the couch, I press play and smile when a younger Zara—no older than twelve or thirteen—fills the screen, decked out in the school’s red and black. She rolls her eyes and holds her hand up to block her face, saying in a droll tone, “It’s recording. Point that thing away from me.”
Nash and Zara’s mum laughs from her seat next to her daughter, holding a squirming toddler in her lap. “Go Nash!” she cheers, and the camera pans down to the court as the players run out.
My heart catches in my throat as I spot Nash wearing number twenty-three. He’s with his teammates, running up to the backboard and making shot after shot. I don’t exactly know the technical terms, but whatever they’re doing, it looks effortless.
The video cuts to the game, and Nash is bouncing the ball down the court using his arm to block an opposition player from stealing the ball. He wears a cocky grin, and I marvel at how he looks like the Nash I know, yet somehow different at the same time.
He passes the ball off to a teammate before getting it back again and taking a really long shot, which swooshes clean through the basket. A couple of his teammates erupt aroundhim, slapping his back and shouting, but Nash just throws his arms up, grinning like he knew it was going in the whole time. He turns to the crowd, egging them on with a raise of his hands, soaking in the roar like he was born for it. A little cocky. A lot confident. Every bit the star of the team.
Two of his teammates catch my eye, standing off to the side, watching the spectacle. One I’ve never seen before, but number three is a younger version of the guy I saw with Nash at the funeral. His half-brother, Levi. He shakes his head with a scowl before switching into defence. Interesting.
