Page 77 of Every Single Broken Piece
“Definitely. I looked into it when all those reporters were hounding us after the attack. What Colby did was intrusive, and it caused you harm.” Jordan overtakes a semitruck before he asks, “Is Levi really related to that bastard?”
“Yes.” My tongue darts out to wet my lips, and remembering I have lip balm in my handbag, I dig the tube out and quickly put some on.
Suddenly, my phone rings, and when I see Levi’s name, I don’t know what to do.
“Are you going to answer?” Jordan asks.
“It’s Levi.”
“Put it on speaker. I’ll talk to him.”
I take the call, and my brother says, “It’s Jordan.”
“Is Kelcie with you?” Levi’s voice is gravelly, and just hearing him sends a wave of goose bumps over my skin.
“Yes.”
“Is she safe?”
“Yeah,” Jordan replies.
There’s a pause before Levi asks, “Is she okay?”
Jordan glances at me. “Not by a long shot. Why are you calling, Levi?”
“She left hours ago, and I got worried. I just wanted to make sure nothing happened. Thanks for taking the call, Jordan. I appreciate it.”
Levi hangs up, and a sob sputters from me. Covering my face with my hands, I cry, “It hurts so much.”
“I’m sorry, Kelcie,” my brother murmurs.
Once I manage to rein in my tears again, a weird calmness settles over me. It was the same after I learned Mom, Dad, and Sage died.
“Did Levi know who you were when he started a relationship with you?”
I nod and let out a heavy sigh before I reply, “He came to Verona because he felt bad about what happened. Apparently, he wanted to help us.” I look at Jordan again. “But seriously, who moves in next doorto the woman your half brother and his druggie friends tried to kill?” I shake my head wildly. “Levi followed the trail. He inserted himself into my life. He made me love him.”
My voice cracks, and I suck in deep breaths, the shock of what Levi did hitting me for the umpteenth time.
I close my eyes and whisper, “I trusted him, and he broke my heart.”
Silence falls between us, and by the time Jordan pulls up to his house, it feels like I’ve lost a fight against a grizzly bear, and my head is pounding something fierce.
The garage door rolls up, and after he parks the SUV, I shove the passenger door open and climb out.
“Oh, sweetie,” I hear Natalie say, then she comes around the back of the SUV and pulls me into a hug. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”
I shake my head and struggle to keep my tears back. When she lets go of me, I ask, “Is it okay if I visit for a little while?”
“You know you don’t have to ask.”
I follow her into the house while Jordan brings my luggage.
When we walk into the kitchen, the aroma of pot roast fills the air.
“Dinner is almost ready,” Natalie says, her worried gaze drifting over my face. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
Not wanting her to wait on me, I reply, “I’ll make some tea.”
