“You didn’t have to go through that by yourself. As you have said, it’s all in the past. I think it’s time to tell your boyfriend. If he leaves you because of this, then he doesn’t really love you. Don’t you think so?” Rexy says positively, and her gaze doesn’t falter. She looks at me like everything is completely normal.
Brandon loves me. I know that for sure.
“Or maybe the reason why I’m afraid is that I’m ashamed of what we did. I’m ashamed of myself that I’m not good enough for him.”
“That’s a lack of self-confidence coming from you, Alayna,” Dennis remarks. “And you are not that type of person.” He gives me a half-smile.
Rexy hooks her arm around my shoulder. “You know, I was shocked, but it’s okay. You were the victim here.”
I guess it wouldn’t be that bad if I’d be honest. If my friends could be open-minded about my past, then Brandon can do the same, right? He always had before. Why would he stop now?
“That’s—” I inhale plenty of air “—reassuring.”
“We all need a friend sometimes. You can’t keep something like this bottled up forever.” She grins.
We talk a little more about work, drop the earlier subject, and then finish our last drink. I have never felt so relieved to share that part of my life with friends I trust. Everything I heard tonight gives me a much more sense of understanding about my situation.
I don’t have to do this alone.
I have them.
I have my family, and now I have Brandon.
I’m not alone anymore.
John is waiting for me outside when we leave the bar, and Dennis gives Rexy a ride to her apartment. It’s already past eleven, so I’m sure John has already told Brandon where I am. He told me not to stay late, and that’s precisely what I did. I can already picture myself under interrogation.
“See you tomorrow.” Rexy hugs me and smiles at John before getting into Dennis’s car. Dennis waves a hand and settles into the driver’s seat. I wave back as the car takes off.
“John, I’m not going to the penthouse. Can you drive me to my mother’s house?” I request.
“That’s the plan, miss.” He smiles, then opens the door at the back, so I gratefully step in.
“Thank you,” I say as I place a foot into the car, but two men in a black suit appear in front of me.
“Good evening, Miss Hart,” the one with a beard calls.
My heartbeat begins to accelerate, but John immediately steps in and covers for me.
“Yes, gentlemen?”
“We are here for Miss Alayna Hart. If you could please excuse us, sir,” the other guy in the suit with a younger feature says.
John glances at me with a slight frown, then sets his eyes back at the two men. “Who do you work for?” he questions, fully aware of the trouble I’ve gotten myself into.
“We work for the mayor of Seattle, sir. Mayor Mallory asks for only a moment of Miss Hart’s talk,” the bearded man says, then points out the limousine parked across the bar, near the restaurant.
I grit my teeth. Of course, Drake knows where to find me. What the hell does he want from me?
John tenses up. “Miss Hart isn’t available at this hour, gentlemen,” my bodyguard insists. “I’m sorry, but you have to leave.”
“Are you defying the mayor’s request?” the young guy cautions, but his tone remains calm.
“John.” I finally step up and speak. “What a hard-working mayor he is then. Please tell the mayor he’s wasting his time. I’m not talking to him. Let’s go, John.”
I turn around, but I hear the bearded guy speak. “Let’s not make it ugly, miss.”
I look back again. “Or what?” I challenge.
The two men suddenly step back, and the limousine pulls over. The driver steps out, then walks around to pull the door open.
A sophisticated man in a white designer suit with a gray cashmere scarf wrapped around his neck steps out of the limo and briskly walks toward me.
“You’ve become stubborn, Laynie,” Drake utters out with his eyes squinting. “You need to be tamed again, I guess. Can everyone leave us?”
“For someone who works for the city, you sure have got a lot of time, Drake,” I fire back. How can he be so publicly bold? “I don’t want to talk to you.” I’m brave enough to speak up as I’ve hidden behind John.
“It’s necessary,” he says calmly. “Or if you like, I can say it right here, right now, while everyone is listening. Do you want that?”
I cringe. Whatever the hell he wanted to say, I don’t wish John or his men to hear about it, of course.
“What is this about?” I ask.
“I told you I was going to talk to you,” he reminds. “This is about your dad, Laynie.”
“No!” I refuse firmly, holding on to my bodyguard’s arm to keep my balance. “You’re going to manipulate me again. Let’s go, John.”
He shuts his eyes briefly and seethes under his breath. “This is not I gulp hard. Drake is manipulative, yes, but never with the truth. I hated everything about him, but he never lied.
John looks over at me.
“Miss Hart?”
“Stay right here,” I say. “I’m listening to whatever the mayor wants to say. You can tell Brandon as soon as I’m done. Deal?”
“Of course, miss.” He nods and finally steps back, but not so far that he can’t intervene if necessary.
“Just say what you need to say because I’m sick of looking at you right now.” I’m not sure where my bravery came from. It might be because John is here, or I’ve already told my friends about him, or maybe because I’ve finally told Brandon.
“MyDisgust parades all over my body. “You are not the Drake I met years ago. You are the devil,” I finally say. How I wanted to tell him that all my life. However, looking at him like this makes me remember everything he was—how I wanted to give him my world, how I wanted to stay with him because I knew he was broken. I’m even more surprised at how I can stand in front of him with such courage.
“You’ve got a lot to say to me, Laynie. I feel it. Let it all go if that will make you feel better. I’m willing to listen.”
I blow out a sharp breath. “We’ve got no time for that. Just tell me whatever it is you want to say then leave. What about my dad?”
“You’re going to be surprised when I tell you.” He leans close to my ear. “This won’t be the last time we’ll ever meet. Are you ready for that?”
I gasp and press his chest away. “Stop flirting with me, Drake! I don’t like it. I hate you.”
“Really? But I don’t even have to try. Your body remembers me.” He steps back, grinning in victory, but his expressions turn stern again. “It’s my father.”I frown. “What?”
“It’s my dad. He murdered yours,” he confessed in a whisper, and there’s guilt in his eyes.
I freeze, coldness penetrates deep within my veins and bones. My lips tremble, and my sight slowly turns dim. “No.” I swallow dryly. “You’re probably still angry with your dad. That’s why you’re doing this now. To get me back somehow.”
“Laynie, stop!” he hisses tightly and catches my arm. “Listen to me, I was there. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Miss Hart?” John steps forward in vigilance.
“It’s fine, John.” I break free from Drake’s grip then set my attention back to the subject. “If this is true, you kept this all by yourself after so many years? How am I supposed to believe that?”
“You know I don’t lie, Laynie.”
“Well, there’s a first time for everything.”
He loosens his scarf. “If only you’d stop being so rigid and listen to me. This wouldn’t be so hard for both of us. Don’t you want to know why I left? I left because of yous“And right now you’re not?” I probe. Drake Mallory isn’t afraid of anything except for his father. Donovan Mallory is one cruel man. There were countless times he hurt his son—physically and mentally damaged him.
He doesn’t answer because he knows I’m right.
“So you’re saying you left Lawrence because your dad asked you to shut your mouth?”
“I couldn’t face you after that,” he admits.
“You were ashamed of what your dad did to my father, but you aren’t even mortified at what you “This isn’t…” He presses the points of his temples. “God! This isn’t about me and you anymore. It’s taken me years to find the courage to finally tell you, and you just won’t believe me! Don’t you know how frustrating that is? Don’t you want to get justice for your dad’s death?”
“Of course I want that!” I snap, throwing my arms in the air. “But I can’t seem to trust you after everything I’ve been through! You didn’t just hurt me. You destroyed me!”
“Then please remember, Laynie. You’ve got to remember. If you can’t believe me, ask Jason.”
I scowl. “Jason knows?”
“No, but he can help with reminding you of the timelines. If you want to know more, you know how to contact me, and please, don’t hesitate. This is probably the only way I can repay you for everything I did.”
“If that’s the only thing you’re doing right now. I’m not forgiving you. Not anymore.”
He nods, and disappointment marks in his eyes. “I understand. You don’t look at me the same way anymore. You love him, don’t you?”
I nod. “More than everything, and he’s not stepping back.”
He raises his head. “Is that a warning?”
“Maybe.”
“Then why are you still so afraid of me?” He steps forward again, closing the gap between us, and I gasp—it’s the same feeling I felt whenever he got close to me in the past. “Then why is it when I’m close, your body reacts? You still feelforeverDrake signals his bodyguards, and they immediately escort their boss to the limo. He steps inside without looking back and drives away. My knees turn wobbly, and I’m quivering as always, in his presence.
John attends to me immediately. “Miss Hart, shall we?”
“Yes, please,” I whisper.
“Are you alright?”
“I’ll be fine. When is Brandon coming back?”
“In two days, miss.”
I nod. “Thank you.”
I walk to the car then get into the backseat. There, the tears I’m holding back finally fall on my cheeks.