Page 10 of You for Her (The Edge of Retaliation 2)
Tanner’s face registers a mix of shock and confusion.
Before he can say another word. I leave.
It’s time for me to finish this.
4
“CALLIE!”
I stop, my hand on the doorknob, my fingers trembling, my eyes burning with unshed tears.
I turn slowly to see Andrea waving to me from the kitchen.
I didn’t look. I didn’t stop. I didn’t want to see anyone when I left Tanner’s room.
I just want to get out of this house.
Out of these lies.
Out of this trap I walked myself into.
I meet Andrea’s eyes, and I try to keep it together. I take a deep shaky breath and force the fakest smile I’ve ever had to present. “Andrea, hey, I didn’t know you were here.”
“I didn’t know you were here, either. How are you? Are you feeling any better?”
It’s safe to say, I haven’t been to work. I had been planning on going back this week, but I’m still finding it incredibly hard to deal with everything happening. Keeping a straight face, holding myself together—it’s proving to be harder and harder with every passing day.
“I am, actually. I’ll be back at work tomorrow.”
The words come out before I can stop them.
I inwardly kick myself.
Andrea nods, and then smiles. “That’s great, but no rush. As long as you’re feeling better.”
She’s so nice to me.
So damned nice.
I would have never picked the monster that hid deep within her depths.
I would have never picked any of them for being anything but good people.
My heart aches and I nod, telling her, “I have to get going. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I hear Tanner’s door close, and I disappear before he sees that I’m still here. It’s bad enough getting questioned by him, let alone risking getting questioned by all of them.
I reach my car but pause when I go to unlock it. They’re all in that house. No doubt talking about me. I could go back, listen, find out what it is they’re planning on doing. I don’t know why I didn’t think of spying on them a whole lot earlier. Probably because I’m still in shock. I turn and glance back at the house. It’s a risk, no doubt. They could hear me, and I’d have to explain.
Still, it’s a risk I’m willing to take.
It’s not often they’d all be in the same house, at the same time, talking about me.
I walk back toward the house and duck to the left, using a row of trees to shelter myself. I move toward the living room window, which I’m praying is open. I’m also praying I can hear them through it because the kitchen window is around the back and I can’t go around there with the other guys sitting out there.
I walk carefully, placing my feet down slowly so I don’t make any sounds. I reach the living room window and carefully peer through it. It’s open, only a little, and the curtain is mostly across so I can’t see anything, but I can hear them. Rather clearly, in fact. I tip my head to the side and lean in, listening.
“We don’t have time to be questioning this, Andrea,” Tanner growls. “We don’t have time for doubts.”
“You’re right, we don’t, but what if she’s telling the truth? What if that poor girl is innocent and we’re tormenting her?”
Andrea is defending me.
My heart softens toward her just a little bit.
“We went through everything,” Tanner says. “We looked at everything, we talked to everyone, Celia wasn’t depressed. She wasn’t. I knew my sister, dammit, and she wasn’t fuckin’ depressed. That girl is lying, and she’s a believable liar. I’ve had my own moments of hesitation, but I can’t go softening now. Celia is gone. She’s fuckin’ dead.”
My heart pounds against my ribcage, hurt gripping my belly. It hurts to hear the pain in Tanner’s voice. I clench my eyes shut and take a deep, ragged breath.
“It’s all good, bro,” Tatum’s voice enters the equation. “We’re on your side here. We’re with you. We’ll get her to admit what she did. She will pay for what she did to Celia.”
Pay?
Like I haven’t paid enough already?
“Don’t you think she’s already suffered enough? She went to prison for six years! She didn’t have an easy time in there, you all know that. Ethan kept you updated on her progress,” Andrea says.
Ethan.
God damn him.
My heart breaks, and the tears threaten to burst forth again.
“Don’t fuckin’ mention Ethan’s name here,” Tanner barks. “He softened toward that girl. He let me down. He doesn’t get a fuckin’ mention.”
Wait? What? Ethan isn’t in on this anymore?
I don’t understand.
I’m so fucking confused.
“As for her paying for what she did,” Tanner goes on, “she didn’t pay for it. Her choices killed our sister in the most fuckin’ horrific way.”
“She was young,” Andrea exhales. “She made a mistake. Even if her story isn’t true, she still didn’t mean to harm Celia.”
