Page 134 of Burning Skies
He’s so protective. I love it.
“Sorry. I’ll be careful.” Cyn wipes her eyes but hangs on to my hand as my brothers approach.
Trig shakes his head. “That was some crazy shit. It made the news.”
Cash folds his arms. “I called Dad. He’s on his way home from Vegas.”
The thought of talking to my father makes my head pound. “I don’t want to see him. Not after what he was trying to get me to do.”
Beau looks back and forth between me and my brothers. “What’s going on?”
I let go of Cynthia to grab Beau’s hand. “This is what I meant earlier when I said I needed to talk to you about my family.” I swallow, hating that I’m in this position. I know I sent him that one brief text, but he should hear all of it. When I can’t seem to spit out the words, Cash does it for me.
“Our father wants Honey to get with Ian to cancel out our debts, but I haven’t been able to verify that we owe him anything. Dad wanted her to fly out to Vegas today to talk about a plan with Ian.” He rubs his chin. “And I’m thinking the plan was a quick wedding.”
“Fuck that,” Beau growls.
I squeeze his hand. “I agree. Fuck that. Ian sent a limo to drive me to the airstrip, and that’s how I ended up jumping in Adrian’s truck. Because I was trying to avoid going home.”
He frowns. “How much money are we talking about?”
“Ian makes it sound like it’s millions, but I don’t believe it. I can’t get in touch with my father to ask him. Cash can’t get a straight answer from him either. My mom was cluelessbecause no one ever tells her anything.” A situation I hope to avoid.
Cynthia’s shoulders start shaking. At first, I think she’s laughing, but her eyes are red-rimmed and tears leak down her face. “This is my fault. I’m so… I’m so sorry.”
I’ve never seen her cry before. “Don’t feel bad. There was no way for you to get rid of that limo driver.”
She covers her face as she sobs. “That’s not what I mean.”
Confused, I grab her hand.
Trig reaches over and awkwardly pats her shoulder. When he looks to me, I shrug because I have no idea what’s unwound my friend like this other than watching Beau rescue me. I’m sure that was harrowing. I still can’t believe it happened.
Cyn takes a few breaths and wipes her eyes again. “This whole thing with Ian… This whole situation is my fault. Because I didn’t tell you.”
“How could this have been your fault? You don’t even know Ian.”
“Except I do.” She looks down at her feet. “Ian’s lying. Your family doesn’t owe him anything. He owes your family money, and he offered to marry you and give your father half of his ranch up in East Texas if Vernon cancels his debts.”
Is she messing with me? Based on her tears, she’s not. I frown. “How do you know this?”
Her bottom lip quivers. “Because Ian is my stepbrother. I overheard him talking about his plan.”
I stare at the woman I’ve considered my best friend for years as I process what she just said. “I thought your stepbrother was Hayes.”
“His name is Ian Hayes Fairchild,” she says slowly. “Family and close friends call him Hayes.”
What the hell? “When did you hear him talking?”
She pales. “A while back. Several weeks.”
Her betrayal feels like a sharp stab through my chest. “So you knew what was going on this whole time, and you let me get all twisted up about it? Were you going to let me get on that plane today?”
“No, I swear, I wasn’t. I would have told you.”
I laugh harshly. “Every time I confided in you, were you reporting back to him?”
“Of course not.”
