Page 77 of One Little Lie
“But I saw it on his face when he was telling me Colton loved you first.”
“You stupid fuck.”
I bristle at the deep baritone that comes from one cell over.
“Excuse me?” Rylan beats me to the punchline. My feisty little fireball is ready to fight for my honor, and my heart nearly explodes.
Blake rolls over and sits up to face us. He’s handsome under the layers of dirt and unshaven hair. He’s also familiar, and I can’t figure out why.
“I expected more of a Westbrook,” he growls.
Tension coils in my spine. Warning bells go off as I glance around our space, searching for a way to protect Rylan if it comes to it.
“Do I know you?” I ask, still trying to place him.
“No, but we used to run in the same circles. Who I am doesn’t matter. I don’t exist anymore. However, if you’re sitting here telling me you pushed away the love of your life for your family, you’re a fucking idiot.”
Rylan jumps from my lap as she seethes, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Kingston? Don’t go picking fights with the newbies. That’s not your style,” Jacobs says on his way out.
Kingston. My gaze snaps to his. Blake Kingston. Suddenly it makes sense. We did run in the same circles for a while. Charity functions, country clubs, all the places you’d expect to see two of the richest families in the county.
What the fuck is he doing as a regular in Block Island lockdown?
“Family is what you make it, asshole. Not what you’re born into. Don’t you forget that.”
Recollections of news stories float through my mind from a few years ago about a girl connected to Blake dying in a car accident, but I’m sure his family wiped the truth from ever reaching the media.
He glances between Rylan and me one more time, and a sadness so strong it’s heartbreaking takes over his entire body. “Nothing matters more than love, Westbrook. Nothing. Without it, you’re just a vessel for the emptiness to fester in. Don’t let anyone dictate your forever. The consequences aren’t worth it. Trust me on that one.”
Blake rolls over, leaving Rylan and me gaping at him. The pain radiates off him and slaps me in the face. Memories of gossip try to take root in my brain. Stories of him eloping with someone his parents didn’t approve of. Rumors she was pregnant. Rumors he told his family to go to hell. Then the news that she’d died.
I was so lost in my own hurt I didn’t pay it much attention, but staring at his back now, I desperately wish I knew what happened to him. The need to help him is greater than anything I’ve felt in a very long time. But that makes no sense. He’s almost as rich as I am.Why the fuck would he be a regular in a jail like this?
“I can hear your brains working from here. My story ended years ago. Don’t waste your time trying to figure it out. Just fix your shit before you’re left alone in hell,” he growls.
Fix my shit.
Holy fuck.
I’ve never believed in signs. Not before GG and her damn wine. Yet, when I peer up at a slack jawed Rylan, somehow, I just know. This is exactly where I’m meant to be. Not Colt. Me.
Now I can only pray she’s right about my brother, and pray even harder that they’ll forgive me for walking away from our father the day he died. If I hadn’t, maybe he’d still be alive today.
Jesus Christ. I am an asshole.
* * *
“It’s pretty fucked up that the happiest I’ve seen you in years is asleep on a twin cot, in jail, with my best friend curled up next to you.”
I bolt upright at the sound of Colton’s voice and take Rylan with me. Peering down, I see that her hair is a fucking mess. Her drool covers the front of my shirt, and I feel almost happy. Scared shitless about this conversation with my brother, but the happiness outweighs the fear for the first time ever. Blake’s words drift through my head, and I turn toward his cell, but it’s empty.
I turn my gaze back to my brother with a heavy sigh, releasing Rylan as I do.
“Ryguy? Can you wait outside for us?” Colton asks, but I think his gaze is focused on me. It’s hard to tell through the mirrored aviators he’s wearing. It’s a power move we got from our dad.
“Colty, I don’t—”
