Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 122030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Mr. Ciprian was always close-fisted with cash, the kind of man who wanted his sons to earn their own way in the world. Growing up, any time I went over to their place in Greenwich, I’d hear lectures about the value of hard work and how Mark Ciprian was never going to feed his kids with silver spoons. I always felt so bad for Gabe and Lucas. Sure, work ethic is admirable, but you can’t send your sons to the poshest prep school in the country and only give them an allowance of a hundred bucks a month. They’d get crucified.
“Did you forward Gabe’s message to Lucas yet?” I say pensively.
“No, I wanted to talk to you first.” RJ tips his head. “You still think Lucas might have insinuated to Gabe that you were responsible for his exile?”
“I don’t know. But this whole thing feels shady to me.” I shrug. “Let’s test him. Forward the message to him now. If he didn’t say anything to his dad or Gabe, then he’s more likely to pass along Gabe’s ‘tell Fenn’ message. But if he did somehow make Gabe think I did him dirty, he probably wouldn’t relay the message, right?”
“Stands to reason.” RJ unlocks his phone again to send Gabe’s reply to Lucas.
Then we wait.
“Does he have read receipts on?” I demand, losing patience after about three seconds.
“No.” RJ checks the screen. “But he’s typing…”
I go on alert, sitting up straighter on the couch. A moment later, Lucas’s response pops up.
“‘Thanks. I owe you big, man,’” RJ recites.
We both stare at my phone on the coffee table. It remains silent. We know Lucas is by his phone because he literally just used it to text. And if he’s got his phone in his hand, there is absolutely no reason why he would see those words—Tell Fenn I know the truth—and not pass them along to me.
“Maybe he assumes I’ll do it,” RJ starts, just as my phone buzzes and we both jump.
I snatch it up, relaxing when I glimpse Lucas’s name.
“It’s him,” I say, hastily swiping to open the notification.
Lucas: Hey, heard back from my brother. Basically he’s doing okay in there. Got into a fight with some skinhead, but he can hold his own.
I relate the response to my stepbrother, adding, “No mention of Gabe’s message to me…”
RJ sighs unhappily. “Fuck.”
But the phone chimes again.
Lucas: Also, I have no idea what this means, but at the end of his message he says: tell Fenn I know the truth.
There’s a pause. Then a follow-up.
Lucas: Mean anything to you?
I relax fully. “Okay,” I say with a relieved breath. “Maybe things aren’t as shady as I thought. I’ve been tainted by Silas, I guess. Seeing enemies everywhere.”
RJ snickers. “Hey, I could always tell that Silas was a secret prick. The nice ones usually are.”
I text Lucas to say I have no idea what it means, but that I’ll think on it. He responds with a thumbs-up.
“What now?” RJ rocks back and forth in his chair, leg crossed over his knee.
I run a hand through my hair, suddenly remembering there’s a way more critical matter to be discussing. “Now I wait for my impending execution.”
“Shit, I forgot about that.”
“Me too.” I lie down, resting my head on the arm of the couch. “We had a good run, though, didn’t we? Enough brother bonding to last a lifetime.”
RJ snorts. “More than enough.” But his humor doesn’t last. “He won’t actually expel you, right? It’s not like he caught you balls-deep inside her.”
“Honestly, I don’t know whether I’m annoyed by his timing, or forever indebted to it.” I give RJ a wry look. “I was seconds from telling Casey the truth before he barged into her room.”
“The truth?” he echoes, then understands. “Ohhh. Okay. Are you still planning to?”
After a second of indecision, I find myself nodding. “I have to. Especially now. Maybe if Gabe’s message had provided even a shred of clarity, I might have—” I stop abruptly, realizing what I’ve done.
RJ hisses out a breath. “Motherfucker.”
Goddamn it.
“You were covering for Gabe?” Incredulity drips from his voice.
I rest a forearm over my eyes, shielding them from his view. Then I realize there’s no backpedaling here. No hiding from it. So I drop my arm and sit up.
“I’m almost certain Gabe was driving the car the night of Casey’s accident,” I say flatly.
RJ stares at me in silence. Like his brain is buffering. Then, “Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“And you kept it a secret all this time?”
I don’t miss the note of accusation. Disapproval, even.
“I owe him,” I say simply.
“He’s your best friend, I get it. But to cover up something this huge? Seriously? How much loyalty do you actually owe the guy?”
“A lot.” I rub both temples as all the stupid mistakes I’ve made over the years buzz around in my head like a swarm of hornets. “He gave me a get-out-of-jail-free card a couple years ago. I returned the favor on prom night.”