Vic wouldn’t hesitate to walk all the way through the house to find him. They were like that, my brother and Devin too, Jordan’s place was home. They’d expect a head’s up if he wasn’t here alone. So, it wasn’t a surprise when Jordan jerked a shirt over his head on his way out of the bedroom. Leaving me without a word.
I lay flat on my back on the bed, fighting to catch my breath as the room continued to spin. It was several long minutes before I could breathe again, several after that before I could feel the heat drain from my face. I was too stunned to be annoyed by Vic’s interruption.
They were well into their conversation by the time I slipped from the bedroom and down the hall. I could hear them in the kitchen, Vic’s voice anxious and Jordan’s quiet.
“I don’t know man, I tried to call him but he wouldn’t answer. I texted him back and all he said was to ask you, that you’d know. But the car’s gone, Jordan, completely gone.”
“It’s his to take.” Jordan’s voice was so cold it stopped me from walking into the kitchen.
“What’s going on, Jordan?” Vic’s voice was shrill with tension. Though I couldn’t see around the corner, I could imagine the way Jordan rolled his shoulders in response. It wouldn’t be easy to keep us secret from Vic, but he would for me.
The front door was to my right. I could slip out of it and not face this at all. I could go home, and Jordan would never say a word to anyone. I could turn around too, go back and hide in his room until Vic left.
There was a pit in my stomach. It was easy to figure out who had Vic all riled up when I stopped thinking about myself for longer than a minute.
“He said you could tell me. Tell me, man, this don’t feel right, he’s never—” I stepped into the kitchen and Vic broke off mid-sentence. Whatever he’d been about to say was replaced by two solemn words. “Oh, shit.”
“Yeah.” I sighed and slumped into the stool. “How’d he know?” I was asking Jordan, but Vic shrugged with him.
The answer came from my brother’s voice at the backdoor. “He saw the two of you in bed together this morning.” Aiden was propped against the doorframe, he’d left it open. “Incoming, Raelynn, he called Bree not me. I think I might have bought you like two or three minutes’ head start.”
Bewildered, I wondered why he was buying me a head start at all. Sure, Breanna had been hard to read since I’d been back, but who I was or wasn’t sleeping with didn’t seem to be something she’d be overly concerned with.
My sister blew past my brother in the doorway like a hurricane. “What the fuck?” Breanna’s voice was lit with anger. The sort of anger that one reserved for being betrayed by their own sister. She looked at Jordan one time and shook her head, before turning her dark glare on me. She looked every bit the manic gypsy, all long dark hair and anger. “You.”
I readied for the onslaught as she crossed the kitchen to me. I’d been on the receiving end of her anger more than a few times. I wasn’t overly concerned. Jordan wasn’t impressed. Breanna caught the threat in his eyes and ignored it. Even if she hadn’t known him our entire life, I don’t think she would have been afraid. When she was mad, she was ten foot tall and bulletproof.
“Outside,” I said calmly. She clenched her jaw before spinning on her heel. I pointed at Jordan. “Stay out of this.” I needed to figure out why my sex life had put a bug in my sister’s ass. I didn’t need him getting involved.
The haughty way she slung her hips as she stormed out left me feeling angry too. As if the way she walked, her long legs eating up the grass so that I’d have to practically run to keep up with her, put her at an advantage and she knew it.
“What’s your problem, Breanna?” My calm was barely contained, only siblings could make each other so angry with minimal effort.
“You.” She spun and turned all the rage in her body directly at me. “How dare you? Devin poured his heart out to you, he loves you, and you turn him down to go bang his best friend? Then lie to me about it? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Who I sleep with is none of your business.” I fought the urge to slap the self-righteous indignation right off her face. I couldn’t deny the lie or having Hadley cover for me. I didn’t have time in that moment to regret my actions. “What went on between me and Devin is none of your business.”
“It is my business when you hurt one of my friends, when you tear two people I care about apart.” She crossed her arms across her chest and sneered at me. I was struck for a moment by how terrifying and beautiful she was. My little sister, the warrior princess.
“But, like always, all Raelynn thinks about is Raelynn.”
“That’s not true.” Adamantly I shook my head, but
she continued before I could say anything else.
“Are you telling me you didn’t turn Devin down last night when he asked you out?” She snorted out a hateful laugh when I looked down at the grass instead of answering. “Are you telling me you didn’t immediately go home and fuck his best friend?”
“I did not.” I hadn’t, not right away. She made it sound wrong and dirty. It was as if all the mending I’d done on my spirit were washed away by one of the people I loved the most. When I looked up at her, angry tears were spilling over her eyes.
Behind me I could hear scuffling, I didn’t have to look to know it was my brother holding Jordan back.
“Don’t worry, Jordan.” She laughed hatefully. “I’m done. I needed to make sure it was true.”
“What’s that?” Jordan was angry too, practically shouting at her while I stood like a coward, my hands fisted at my sides. I couldn’t do anything but search desperately for any sign of the sister who loved me.
I didn’t see a trace of her.
“That my sister is a whore.” She spat the last word before storming away.