Page 104 of Falling Into Forever
“Fuck.”
They keep talking about me like I’m not here, but I don’t want to be a passenger in my life anymore. Not anymore. I clutch my necklace, and for the first time since she died, I feel Shannon surrounding me, encouraging me, trusting and loving me.
Once we reach the porch, I refuse to go any farther. I sit on the top step and press the heel of my palms into my eyes while I fight memories, both old and new, as my lungs burn with the need for more oxygen.
Poppy is fine. I am fine. I repeat those two sentences like a prayer.
My head aches, but I don’t want to go inside. Somehow, staying out here, I’m empowered, and I want to be strong, but I need the warmth of the sun and the memory of my sister to do it.
It makes no sense, but deep in my soul I know it’s the truth.
Both men stand in front of me like armed guards. I sit in their presence and soak in their strength.
“Tell me,” I say quietly, staring at my feet.
The air shifts, and I’d bet money they’re speaking in hand gestures and facial expressions.
“Please, just tell me.”
“Ah, Sass.” Grady’s words are pained, but he sits down on my left, followed by Dante on my right. “Trent gave an interview about the two of you.”
“Motherfucker,” Dante hisses.
Unable to speak, I nod, encouraging him to continue.
“He said some of what you put into the books, embellished others, but confirmed the books were about the two of you. But then—then he talked about—Shannon.”
Dante stands, muttering something I don’t understand, and his heavy feet pound against the old wood before I can make sense of what Grady’s saying. Rage makes Dante’s muttered words bleed together, but I get the gist.
He’s going to kill Trent.
Then Grady’s words sink in.
“What did he say?” I keep my voice surprisingly calm considering the riot exploding in my ears.
“Everything,” he says quietly. So quietly, I’m compelled to look at him. Even Dante stops raging and stands eerily still at the bottom of the stairs. “He told them about Kingston Corp.”
At this my mind is on high alert. Blake loved my sister, but we had no idea how powerful his family was until it was too late.
Grady opens his mouth to continue, and I fight through memories to focus on his words.
“He explained how Blake’s father was involved in her accident, and how he helped you after, scrubbing any news of it from every media outlet to protect you, and then he made up a bunch of shit. It’s all tangled up in half-truths and full-on lies. Then he…”
Grady scratches at the scruff of his jaw.
“What?” I ask, and I don’t flinch when he takes my hand in his.
“He insinuated that the accident was your fault. That Blake’s father wasn’t the only one chasing her that night. And he told them you were in a psychiatric hospital after.”
Nausea makes me double over and put my head between my legs. We weren’t chasing my sister that night, we were following her to Buttery Cuts Steakhouse to celebrate my last semester of college.
What is wrong with this man? Why can’t he just leave us the hell alone?
“Where the fuck did he get that information?” Dante roars. “I didn’t tell him about the hospital. I didn’t even fucking know.” His wild gaze jumps from me to Grady.
“Trent must have gotten it from the book.” I knew that was a possibility, right?
“I’m going to destroy him,” Dante vows. “He’s so high he has no idea what he’s saying or any regard for who he hurts.”
