Chapter Seven

 

 

Emerson

Wednesday morning, I sipped a coffee as my mother hustled about getting ready for work. I’d taken her to seal the deal on her new vehicle the day before, and she was finally no longer at the mercy of a bus—or me—to take her to work and home. Her new Ford Escape sat shiny in the driveway. New for her, but gently used.

Since I’d arrived, she’d barely expressed her reasoning for bringing me there and simply assumed I’d read her mind and would correct the issue for her. Exactly as I had when Kaiden and I had been growing up. I was beginning to wonder if she understood that I’d be returning home on the weekend.

After adding a handful of strawberries and a dollop of yogurt to her morning concoction in the blender, she pushed the lid in place and clicked it on. It whirred to life, and I cringed against the assaulting noise battering my brain first thing in the morning. As she worked, I checked the time on my phone. It was half-past seven. Kaiden’s doctor’s appointment was in an hour, and I intended on bringing him and hearing what the doctor had to say—whether Kaiden liked it or not.

So far that week, I’d accomplished nothing. Handing out resumes hadn’t gone well. He’d made enough of a name for himself that everyone in town was reluctant to hire him. The only other option was school, but I knew how he felt about that. I tried to assure him the mess with Emma and her father would blow over, and he would be best to simply ignore her and the rumors. It wasn’t anything earth-shattering.

I rummaged through the cupboard, found a clean cup, and made him a coffee. With a mug balanced in each hand, I made my way down the hall and away from the ear raping noise that was still echoing through the house.

His door was open a crack, so I nudged my way inside and kicked it closed, shutting out the majority of the appliance’s scream.

“I want to fucking murder that blender,” came a muffled voice from beneath the covers. “Every fucking morning.”

I chuckled and moved to the bed to place his coffee on the bedside table. His head poked out when I came closer, and he eyed me with the same edge of panic and suspicion he’d been giving me every time I’d entered his personal space that week. It was almost as though he didn’t trust my intentions any longer. In all fairness, I deserved that treatment. I’d worked hard to tame my reactions, but I sensed he saw through me regardless.

“I brought you a coffee. You should get up and shower if we are gonna make your appointment.”

He groaned and wrapped his covers snug around his neck once again, closing his eyes. “I’m fine,” he mumbled. “We can cancel. I don’t think I need to go.”

I smiled down at his bedhead and pillow-creased face. Ever since Kaiden was a kid, he’d thrashed around in his sleep and woke up looking worse than Einstein on a bad hair day. His honey-colored skin glowed pale against his near-black hair, and his lashes rested long and peacefully against his cheeks. With his hands folded under his scruffy chin, his bottom lip seemed more pouty than it usually did when he was relaxed and sleeping. I tried not to stare.

“I want to hear you get a clean bill of health, then, if he says it’s okay, we can spend the afternoon on the hills, provided you bring your phone, in case you get a job call. Do you still have your old board? I thought I’d borrow it today.”

The corners of his mouth turned up into a lazy smile as he nodded. “Mmhm, in the basement somewhere.”

He cracked an eye open, and I averted my gaze so he didn’t catch me staring. Being around him again had proved harder than I anticipated. Drunken memories I’d tried to wash from my mind had returned with a vengeance in his presence. As many times as I’d convinced myself of my own stupidity, and that the actions I’d taken had been alcohol induced and nothing more, I knew seeing him again that I was wrong. But there was no way in hell I could allow him to see the truth in my eyes. I’d take that confession to the grave before I admitted it out loud.

“Up and at ‘em.”

Without waiting for a response or glancing back at his half-asleep form nestled in his blankets, I went back to the living room and collapsed on the couch. While I waited, I shot Jagger a text, not expecting a reply, seeing as he was on holidays, and I couldn’t be sure he had Wi-Fi at the cabin.

Me: I wish I was skiing.

Within a minute, my phone pinged with a response.

Jagger: That bad?

Me: You’re up?

Jagger: Nope. Sleep texting again.

Jagger: What’s the damage with the baby brother?

Me: High. He’s not going to get a job around here. He’s fucked his reputation too badly, and he’s been messing around with the reverend’s daughter.

I left out the full truth since I knew Kaiden hadn’t gone public about being bi.

Jagger: Fuck. Srly? Same reverend who slandered your name around town when you came out?

Me: The one and only. Things ended poorly, and now he has the reverend breathing down his neck. Add to that vandalism charges, public drunkenness charges, drug use, theft… I swear he is one misdemeanor away from a serious problem. He’s gonna end up locked up at this rate. He has the worst friends, and I don’t have high hopes here. He’s not exactly motivated to change.

Jagger: What are you gonna do?

Me: No idea.

The side door slammed when my mother left for work without so much as a goodbye, and a moment later, Kaiden wandered down the hall, freshly showered and dressed in a ratty pair of jeans and an olive-colored Henley. He called out from the kitchen as he refilled his coffee mug.

“Do you mind dropping me off at the doctor’s?”

“I’m going with you. I want to hear what he has to say.”

He shot daggers over his shoulder. “I’m not some kid. I don’t need you to hold my fucking hand. I can tell you what he says when I’m done.”

I peered down at my phone as it buzzed with a final text from Jagger.

Jagger: Good luck!

I was going to need it.

Blowing out a release of tension, I stood and took my mug to the sink to be washed. “It’s not up for debate. I’m going. Like it or not.”

As I rinsed my cup and placed it on the drying rack, Kaiden mumbled behind my back, “I choose not.” Like the petulant child he seemed so adamant to remain.

Leaning against the counter, I crossed my arms and waited for him to decide to be finished sulking so we could leave. When he’d downed his last mouthful of coffee, he avoided making eye contact and gave me a wide berth when he scooted to the sink to clean his dishes—without being told.

Progress maybe? Doubtful.

Then, he stomped downstairs to collect his coat, a dark storm of irritability raging behind his eyes. I followed, barely containing my mirth. His words begged me not to treat him like a child, but his actions were a direct contrast to his pleas. He had a lot of growing up to do, and I had the feeling, if his environment didn’t change, it might never happen. Like I’d told Jagger, he was on a one-way train headed for disaster.

The ride across town was quiet. Kaiden moped and stared out the window lost in thought. The doctor’s office was in an old building just past the downtown area. He shared the second-floor space with another general practitioner, and a pharmacy owned the first floor of the building.

I parked a block away on a side street next to a stone wall that separated the road from a private school property. The length of the wall was defiled with graffiti and not the artistic kind you might see in the bigger cities. It caused the ball of tension I’d carried home with me to tighten and tear at my insides.

Kaiden squirmed when I didn’t jump out of the truck immediately, my gaze catching on the profane words and vulgar pictures on display.

“Should I assume this is your handy work?”

The passenger door slammed as Kaiden ignored me and got out. It wasn’t truly a question. The initials KDC plastered to the wall as signature answered for me. Kaiden Daniel Cartwright.

What idiot signed their name to their vandalism? My brother, of course.

Without acknowledging his behavior, I followed him inside the building and up the two flights of stairs to the second floor. Kaiden shouldered his way ahead of me and barreled through the heavy wooden door and into Dr. Rupert’s office, letting it fall closed in my face. Some days, it felt like he hadn’t aged a single day since I’d left his petulant nineteen-year-old ass four years ago.

In the office, he spoke nicely to the young woman behind the desk as he registered. The smile on his face was new and in direct contrast to his mood five seconds earlier. Studying him, I found a seat in the small waiting room away from other patients. I knew Kaiden inside and out, and the crooked, almost childlike smile he was using was the one that had got him out of trouble his entire life. It appeared he’d learned to use it to his advantage in other ways since he was openly flirting with the woman behind the counter who was easily my age or older.

And didn’t she suck it up.

She handed back his health card and gave her own flirtatious smile as she batted her big brown eyes. The tension I’d carried in from the street, curdled and turned to acid in my gut. Kaiden came and joined me, but I’d been unable to wipe the venom from my face in time, and he rolled his eyes as he dropped into the seat next to me.

“Fucking get over it already. We did that shit last spring. It’s been almost a year. I paid the fine. It’s not my fault the city is dragging their ass and haven’t covered it yet.”

The graffiti had already become a distant memory, but I let Kaiden believe it was the reason for my poorly hidden jealousy. Fuck, I needed to get my shit together.

“You know better than to defile property that isn’t your own,” I muttered.

We sat in silence for a long time as people sauntered in and out of the office. Kaiden buried his nose in a Sports Illustrated magazine—likely so we wouldn’t have to share conversation.

After what felt like ages, a male nurse poked his head into the waiting room.

“Kaiden?” he asked, peering around.

Kaiden dropped his magazine on the table beside him and rose. When I followed, he spun and glared with dark anger behind his eyes.

“Do you seriously need to follow me?” he asked, his voice hushed. “It’s embarrassing.”

“I want to make sure everything is okay, and you aren’t bullshitting me.”

His lips pinched, and he dashed a look through the waiting room. “Fuck, Emery, I’m not a kid.”

“Maybe if you started acting like an adult I’d be more inclined to treat you like one. Until now, your immaturity has been glaring.”

His cheeks pinked, but I had to commend him on not exploding. He was pissed. Beyond. And maybe I wasn’t being fair.

The nurse behind Kaiden watched from behind his clipboard and the overhead music that had seemed soft only a moment before rang loud in my ears. I only wanted to ensure there were no complications or special instructions the doctor might share that Kaiden would find insignificant and ignore.

“Fine, but I want a rundown. Of everything.”

A look of relief passed through his eyes, and he shoved my chest back toward the seating area. “I will. Go.”

He disappeared through the door with the nurse as I reclaimed my seat in the corner. In the few days I’d been home, I’d done a piss-poor job of fixing things. Apart from Kaiden handing out a few resumes and coming clean about all the shit he’d been up to, I could tell there wasn’t much hope in turning his life around in the few days remaining. Left to his own devices, I feared the worst.

After a short time, Kaiden emerged with the same nurse as before, both smiling and chatting like they were old friends and all his indignation toward me was gone. The nurse gave his shoulder a squeeze, and once again, Kaiden adopted that soul-melting smile he’d used on the receptionist when we’d arrived. One that carved a small dimple into his cheek. A dimple I’d discovered when he was just a kid and one I’d been staring at for far too many years.

He’d become quite the flirt lately, and I wasn’t sure I liked it.

“Take care of yourself. Hopefully, I won’t see you back here for a long while.”

“Too bad,” Kaiden said with a raised brow.

They shared a look before the nurse checked his clipboard and called another patient. The roiling venom was back, and I shoved it away as he turned to find me.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

Once we’d cleared the office and were partway down the stairs, I couldn’t hold back any longer and mumbled, “Flirt much.”

Kaiden shot daggers over his shoulder. “Jealous much?”

“Umm… isn’t one relationship issue enough for you right now? Maybe get past the whole Bradley/Emma thing and make sure Daddy-o is off your case before plunging into something new. Just a thought, but what do I know?”

“Nice avoidance. I applaud you, Emerson. How about face the plain facts. What happened four years ago was not an accident, was it? If it was an accident or the result of too much booze, then you wouldn’t get pissy every time I talked about relationships or flirt with anyone else.”

Biting back every word that would only further incriminate me, I stormed down the stairs, ignoring him. He raced after me, and when I reached the last platform, he caught my arm and swung me back around. The naked truth was probably showing clear on my face, but he studied me closely and narrowed his eyes. I was flayed open. Raw. Exposed. And extremely bitter, because, yes, I was fucking jealous.

I bit the inside of my cheek, and with as much control as I could muster, I told him what he needed to hear, hoping and praying I sounded honest.

“It was a mistake, Kaiden. Nothing more. I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to apologize for four years, but you wouldn’t hear me. I was angry at Leo. Furious. You know how I get when it comes to your safety and protection. I… I was drunk and not in my right mind. I swear to you, if I could take it back, I would. I’ve beat myself up for four years over it. I don’t know what else to say to convince you. I will drown in shame and regret for the rest of my life over it, but I never wanted to lose you.”

A lull hung in the air. Thick tension swam around us both. My heart and words were conflicted, but I had no right to feel the way I did. I knew deep down in my soul it was wrong on every level. If I wanted to mend bridges and rebuild the bond we’d once shared, I had to let it go. I’d hurt Kaiden deeply, and I’d rather live a lie than lose him forever.

“Come on,” I said, hoping to break the icy mood. “Are you free to go boarding? Did you get the green light?”

His face unwillingly split into a crooked smile. “I did. Are you sure you can keep up with me, old man?”

I laughed and shoved him forward so he’d keep walking. “Screw you, brat. I taught you how to board. I’m the master. Let’s do it.”

We descended the rest of the stairs in silence. As much as I’d hope my confession would take some of the weight off Kaiden’s shoulders, he still seemed tense. Uncertainty swam beneath the surface of his eyes. I knew him well enough he couldn’t hide it. There wasn’t anything more I could say. Hopefully, someday, that look of betrayal would be gone.

As we stepped outside into the cold, I zipped my jacket and followed Kaiden to the truck. With my head down and focus solely on securing my zipper, I didn’t notice Kaiden stop walking until I crashed into him. I jerked my head up and caught my balance on his arm. When I was about to speak, I realized why he’d halted.

Getting out of a car across the road was Emma Pierce and her mother, Cynthia, Reverend Pierce’s wife. It’d been a lot of years since I’d seen Emma, but she’d grown into a beautiful young woman. She was curvy and tall with dark wavy hair and pale skin.

The moment Emma noticed us, a look passed between her and Kaiden. She said something to her mother and scurried across the street in our direction. Her mother scowled and narrowed her eyes.

“Kaiden,” Emma called.

He groaned and stepped back, bumping into me. “She has no idea when to stop,” he said through gritted teeth. “What do I do?”

“Walk away. You don’t owe her anything,” I whispered in his ear.

Emma moved in and grabbed Kaiden’s hand, glaring at me over his shoulder. When she attempted to move him away, he planted his feet.

“What do you want, Emma?” he asked.

“I want to talk to you. You’re ignoring my texts.”

Kaiden remained silent, and Emma eyed me again. “So, he is back. Daddy said he saw him. He’s pissed.”

“He’s my brother.”

“Yeah, but we said—”

“It was fucking lies, Emma, and you know it. Get lost. I have nothing to say to you.”

“We need to talk to you.”

“There is no we. There never was a we. It was me and Bradley and you pulling the strings. Nothing else. Now fuck off and get it through your head that Bradley and I are finished.”

Emma passed a panicked look across the street to her mother. “Shh. God, you’re an idiot. Keep your voice down. Look, there is something we need to talk about.”

Emma’s eyes pooled, and she bounced between feet looking increasingly uncomfortable. She pulled her coat tight around her body and looked back at her mother again.

“I’m done talking. Go be a little slut on your own time and leave me out of it. I should have never made deals with you two. Stupidest mistake ever. I should give your dad the whole picture and take the heat off me for once.”

“Kaiden, let’s go.” I dug fingers into his arm and tried to tow him toward the truck before he went too far. Threats were one thing, but Cynthia was too close for comfort. He resisted and stuck his face right into Emma’s.

“Your daughter is nothing but a slut, Mr. Pierce,” Kaiden mocked, pretending he was speaking to the man himself and not Emma. “I wouldn’t date her if she was the last option on earth. Know why? Because I happen to like dick, Mr. Pierce. In fact, I happen to like dick a lot more than pussy sometimes. Sucking cock is probably one of my favorite activities. Especially Bradley’s. Yes, that’s right, Mr. Pierce, your son is gay. G-A-Y, gay.”

Emma’s eyes grew so wide they nearly bugged out of her head. I tugged hard enough on Kaiden’s arm to send him stumbling after me. He was detonating a bomb, and he couldn’t even see the end results as he stood on ground zero.

He continued his tirade, unconcerned, “So, Mr. Pierce, Emerson and I aren’t that different actually, and it seems I’ve drawn your son to the dark side.”

Cynthia was making her way across the street, and I needed to shut him up. Before he could leak another word, I slammed a hand over his mouth and encased him backward in my arms, crushing our bodies together as I brought my mouth to his ear.

“Shut your fucking mouth, Kaiden,” I hissed with a razor’s edge. It was the tone of voice I knew he couldn’t ignore. “Not another word. Do you hear me?”

He tensed a moment, then a shudder passed through his body before he nodded tersely and tried to squirm free. I wouldn’t let go. Not yet. Not until I was certain he was done speaking.

“I’ll let you go,” I promised. “But you walk to the truck and get in without looking back. Understand?”

Again, a nod.

Just as I let him go, Cynthia pegged me with a look of poison as she closed the remaining few feet. She reached for her daughter’s arm, tugging to draw her attention.

Kaiden hesitated for only a brief moment, transferring his gaze from Emma to her mother. My stomach dropped when I thought he was going to spew the truth right then and there. Our gazes flashed to one another and locked. With a single commanding look, I brought him down. He spun and darted for the truck. I put myself between Cynthia and Kaiden and squared my shoulders.

“That boy is a menace. Corrupting my daughter’s innocence.”

“Mama, let’s just go.” Emma’s tone warbled, and something unsettling flared behind her eyes as she tried to pull her mother away.

“He needs to take ownership for his sins.”

“Mom, please. Not now.” The pleading in Emma’s voice intensified. Dread and panic had taken over her features; horror I couldn’t begin to understand. I pinned her with a look of question, but she wouldn’t hold my gaze.

“You’re right. I’ll let your father handle him. Come, we will be late.”

Cynthia sneered in Kaiden’s direction before guiding her daughter away from the scene and toward the doctor’s building. I watched them go as my head swam a million miles a minute trying to piece together what I’d witnessed and Kaiden’s near spontaneous outing of himself and Bradley. He had zero self-control and couldn’t seem to think ahead no matter how well I painted him a picture of his future. My heart thrummed as I watched Cynthia and Emma retreat. I’d missed something but shook it off.

When I turned to the truck and approached, the fire in Kaiden’s eyes was evident, even through a slightly tinted windshield. How could I trust him to keep himself in line? The moment I walked out the door and went home, he’d explode.

Fuck! Could he not see the path ahead of him? How many more things could he bring down on himself before he found the right road to follow? I cursed the thought the moment it escaped, fearing I’d somehow jinx the situation and more scandalous crimes would unveil themselves. I needed to do something. When my mother had called me almost a month back, I didn’t think even she had a grasp on how dire Kaiden’s situation was. The only aspects that had concerned her were the ones that directly related to her. Ruined cars, mounting fines, poor housekeeping.

He was a ticking time bomb. There was no way I could stand by and watch the countdown and do nothing.

I got in the truck and slammed my door, breathing as evenly as possible through my nose and working to keep calm.

“Emerson—”

“No! You don’t get to talk right now. Shut up and let me think.”

I drove us home only half-aware of anything going on around me. My head was a roaring clutter of noise that I couldn’t turn off, and I felt like I’d inadvertently jumped on Kaiden’s crazy train bound directly for a brick wall.

When I pulled in the driveway and cut the engine, Kaiden made to jump out, but I caught his wrist.

“No fucking way. Do you have any idea what kind of a dumbass move you almost made?”

“Let go of me.” He tore from my hold and shifted away. “Who fucking cares?”

He yanked the door open and jumped out. Before I could protest and stop him, he slammed it with more force than was necessary, cutting me off before I started.

I killed the engine and raced after him. He’d become a lot more difficult to handle than he was four years ago. A million times more stubborn and hotheaded. Angrier. Lost.

“Kaiden, stop!” I yelled, catching up with him as he passed through the screen door into the house.

He didn’t stop and proceeded to slam a second door in my face. My irritation grew and festered as I made chase.

I jerked the door to the house open and nearly took it off its hinges as I followed him. He’d kicked his shoes off and thrown his jacket on the stairs. Avoiding the obstacles, I climbed past them and caught up just in time to wedge my foot in the way of a third door-slamming. That time, his bedroom door.

“This little habit of yours is annoying as fuck,” I said as I shoved it wider and went in after him. “Now listen to me. You out yourself and Bradley this shit storm will turn into a tsunami and not in your favor like you think. You just handed out resumes, and your reputation around here is shaky at best. A pissed off Reverend Pierce will destroy any chances you have at getting employed anywhere in this city. You open your mouth now and you out Bradley too. Is that what you want to do?”

“I don’t give a shit. Not my problem. I’m not ashamed of being bi. Why the fuck do I have to hide? I’m so fucking sick and tired of hiding.”

“I’m not telling you to hide, Kaiden, I’m telling you to think. The things he could try to pull are countless. That man is a force, believe me. What’s stopping him from concocting his own stories? He could make it seem like you manipulated or raped his son. Bradley will not stand up for himself. He will lie to try and save his own ass. If Bradley is frightened enough, he might even go along with it. You already have a record, and even if not a single word is true, authorities will still have to investigate, and in the process, what shitty reputation you have will be ruined. You won’t work, and everything will get worse, not better.

“Okay, this might be a worse case scenario, but Kaiden, you will not get anywhere doing it like this. You want to come out, then let this shit die off. It will. Emma will get bored. Bradley’s heart will mend, and it will be nothing more than a memory in a few months. Get a job. Get secure in your life. Then tell the whole fucking world for all I care. I encourage it. You shouldn’t stay closeted. You should be proud to be yourself.”

Kaiden rolled his eyes midway through my spiel and flopped onto his bed, pulling out his phone. I was officially being ignored and my blood boiled.

“Are you listening to me?” I snapped.

“No,” he said, face still buried, fingers still actively typing.

“Kaiden!”

No response. He jumped up and pocketed his phone. “J.P is coming to get me. I’m out of here.”

“Kaiden! You’re not listening.”

Before he could worm around me and escape, it was my turn to slam a door in his face.

“Fuck you, Emerson!” he yelled. “If I want to ruin my life, let me. You didn’t care for four fucking years. Why do you give two shits what happens to me now? I’d rather be the scum of the town then jump through anyone’s fucking hoops.”

 “Think about what you’re doing, Kaiden.”

“I’m done thinking! I have to do what’s best for me.”

It’d turned into an all-out shouting match, and I saw no clear way to bring it down again. His cheeks bloomed red with anger, and his dark eyes were nearly black with rage.

Before I could respond again, he kept attacking me with words, “If I want to be a fuck-up and wind up in prison, who cares? Maybe I’ll drink myself into a coma or shoot up until I OD and do everyone a fucking favor. Who cares? Not you. Not really. Certainly not Mom. No one gives a shit about me. I don’t even give a shit about me. Fuck, Emerson, look at me. I’m good at one thing, and that’s being a dumb shit.”

Every word he flung speared into my chest and ached in my heart. Did he truly believe I didn’t care? That I’d abandoned him four years ago and stopped giving a shit? There were a hundred things I couldn’t say; couldn’t tell him. The void I’d suffered by not having him at my side. The guilt, the hurt, and every unnatural emotion that refused to let go no matter how desperately I wished them away.

Why did I care?

“I’m your brother,” I choked. “I’ve always cared.”

He studied my face with weariness. Could he see the truth? Because I felt transparent at that moment. My heart was laying open, my soul exposed.

There was no possible way I could express my true thoughts. They would finish us for good, and I wasn’t ready to give up on having a brother in my life. But I couldn’t watch him self-destruct. I couldn’t send him out there knowing that if he did what he was adamant to do that that man would make his life more hell than he realized. Kaiden would fall harder than he ever had before. The path he was on would swallow him up, and the next phone call I received would be to tell me he was in prison or dead.

What did I do?

The doorbell rang, jarring us apart. Kaiden whirled around and flung the door open.

“That’s J.P, I’m out.”

“Kaiden…” I scrambled after him sifting through options but not seeing a clear answer or any way to talk him down. “Where are you going? J.P is bad news.”

“Not your concern.”

He darted through the kitchen and flung the side door open just as I rounded the bend. It wasn’t J.P at the door, it was an extremely irate Reverend Pierce. The vengeance in his eyes was like the fiery pits of hell, and it was aimed at Kaiden.

Everything went from bad to worse.

“You defiled my daughter’s virtue,” he spat as he shoved his way through the door, pinning Kaiden to the wall by the stairs. His hand was dangerously close to cutting off Kaiden’s air supply, but Kaiden didn’t react with anything but his own anger.

“Your daughter’s virtue was well stained before I met her. Give your head a shake,” Kaiden snarled as he tried to worm free. I was two seconds from jumping in and helping when the reverend’s next words froze Kaiden and me both.

“You impregnated her.”

Kaiden flinched, and his mouth gaped. Everything I thought I knew and understood about the situation fuzzed together in a jumble of noise inside my head. Then, Kaiden laughed. It was a wicked and evil laugh that made the hairs on my arms rise. It grew the fury in the reverend’s eyes and made my stomach drop.

“Impregnated her? You have to be kidding me. Are you doped up, old man?”

“I just received a call from my wife. The doctor has confirmed it. You’ll own up and take responsibility for your—”

A shrill cry erupted from the driveway as Emma rushed up behind her father and started yanking on his arm, working to dislodge the fierce hold he maintained on Kaiden.

“Daddy, no. Leave him alone. He didn’t do anything.”

“Enough!” The reverend’s voice boomed loud enough we all startled. The whole scene was unwinding so fast I couldn’t keep up. The reverend released Kaiden and spun to his daughter. “He will take responsibility for his actions, not run from them.”

Kaiden planted his hands on his hips and rolled his neck as he continued chuckling. It was ominous the way he glared at Emma, and she figured out why before I did. The pleading look on her face was intense, and tears streamed down her face as she shook her head.

“Don’t,” she begged. “I haven’t got the chance to explain. I will, I swear.”

It dawned on me, and I shot down the stairs and grabbed Kaiden in an attempt to stop his running mouth before it was too late. But, the inevitable happened, and no one could stop it, not me and not Emma.

“Oh, this is fucking beautiful. You think I knocked up your daughter? Try this on for size, Reverend Pierce,” he spat. I tugged Kaiden’s arm, reached to cover his mouth, but he threw me off, flailing, determined to say what he wanted to say. “I ain’t no baby daddy because I wasn’t fucking or dating your daughter. Bradley, however, has a sweet, tight ass and is queer as a three dollar bill. Emma was nothing more than a cover for us. She loved taking advantage of her whoring time while Bradley and I took off on our own. Loved it enough to get herself knocked up, I see.”

The curtain of silence that descended was absolute. No one moved. No one breathed. I watched the realization as it dawned on the reverend’s face, and Emma’s quiet sobs finally penetrated the air.

A snarl formed on the reverend’s face as he narrowed his eyes at Kaiden. His voice when it came was pitched so low, the raw hatred was like a rumbling storm on the horizon, threatening and sinister. “You’re no different than your brother.”

“Than your son,” Kaiden corrected. The fucker just kept digging his grave.

Finding my senses and footing, I tugged Kaiden from the stairwell and dragged him up the stairs, no longer allowing him to gain the upper hand. He was out of control.

“Enough,” I growled in his ear when he tried to get away again. The damage was done. I needed to get those people out of the house and figure out how to maneuver through the flying debris.

The grin never left Kaiden’s face as he peered behind me and down the stairwell. He was clueless, proud of his unveiling. I shoved him into the kitchen and turned to the reverend and Emma.

“I think you should leave. Your problems are elsewhere, Reverend.”

With a look that could melt iron, he snagged Emma and left—slamming the door in his wake. It was so far from over. The problems were only just beginning.

What was I going to do with Kaiden? How was I going to help him? He was a loose cannon and bound for no good.

The answer seemed simple enough; he needed to get away. Away from those people. Away from this town. Away from his shit friends and their poor influence. Convincing him in the conventional way would be impossible. He was on fire and prepared for a fight. Kaiden couldn’t see his future in South Bell deteriorating before his eyes, but I could, and it had just gone up in flames.

I knew of one way to get Kaiden to listen. A way that never failed. In my early twenties, before mistakes were made and lines crossed, I’d discovered in Kaiden an innate desire to submit when I used the right tone of voice. However, the effects that discovery had on me were dangerous because, in turn, I’d also discovered an inner part of myself that craved seeing that hunger in his eyes and thirsted for his submission.

I’d been struggling to bury those memories and the consequences of the actions I’d taken one drunken night four years ago. It was dangerous. Too dangerous. Only twice since I’d been home had I used that tone with him. His reaction was impossibly strong and knee-buckling. What did it mean when I saw reciprocation in his eyes? Felt the current tugging us closer. The answer scared me.

My heart skipped imagining it. It was dangerous.

But, he wasn’t giving me a choice. I needed Kaiden out, and in order to do that, I needed to be the one in control. I couldn’t give him any wiggle room. Firm and commanding, then he’d submit and follow me to the ends of the earth. The reality terrified me.

I pulled air through my nose; a long deep breath to help keep me steady. He needs this. It’s for his own good.

Without warning, I took two fistfuls of his shirt front and spun him so his back slammed into the kitchen wall. Hard. Shock wiped the smile clean off his face, and his eyes widened. I didn’t give him time to question my actions. My face was in his before he could suck in an argumentative breath. I firmed my features and bore my stare into his dark-brown irises, pulling up the tone of voice that I knew would have him sinking to his knees.

His shock melted away, and his body stilled, no longer prepared to fight. I searched deep into his eyes and rooted myself to his troubled soul, commanding him to give up with sheer will alone.

And he did. Before I said a word, I saw warmth flood to the surface and submission slackened his body. I ignored the dilation of his pupils.

It’s not real. He isn’t feeling it, too.

“I hope you’re listening,” I whispered.

My voice was deeper and more graveled than normal. It brought a flush up Kaiden’s neck, and he nodded immediately, two sharp jerks of his head. There was no fear in him. The opposite. Need. Longing. He craved this kind of handling and drank it up. But it was those intense emotions and feelings reflecting back at me that had tricked me four years ago. I wouldn’t make the same mistake again, no matter what I thought I saw. No matter what I felt inside.

“You are going to pack your bags right this instant. Take everything that is important to you. Then, you are going to get in my truck and wait for me. I’m going to make a few phone calls, and we are leaving. Do you understand me?”

The red burn had moved to his cheeks, and he squirmed a little in my grasp, pressing himself further into the door. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and I tried to ignore the slight parting of his lips and the way his gaze fell to my mouth.

Did he fear my advance or crave it? I pushed the thought away.

“Answer me, Kaiden.” My voice warbled unintentionally.

The silence in the room throbbed in my ears as his warm brown eyes returned to mine. The hunger behind them wasn’t real, I reminded myself. It was simply a reaction.

“Yes.” His voice cracked, and he licked his lips, still clung to the power I held over him.

I released his shirt but didn’t step away, still overpowering him with my inch more height and determination. I loomed close, breathing in his scent—stronger since we’d come in from the cold, radiating off him in euphoric waves that made me lightheaded.

Our gazes never broke, and again, my body wanted to be fooled. I needed to step away before mistrust crept in. If Kaiden were more in tune with my body, he’d know my heart was racing out of control, and a sheen of sweat had prickled my skin. Gratefully, he seemed unaware and remained trapped in the hold of my gaze.

Willing myself to step back, the tension released. Kaiden took in an audible breath and moved from the kitchen, turning his back to me. He could no longer meet my eyes—which was probably a good thing. The secrets I ordinarily kept bottled up weren’t hiding well.

Suppressing the urge to adjust myself, I left him alone and went to make a few calls.