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“I know D didn’t tell you,” Ares said, his hands coming together. “About his grandfather. I know he didn’t tell you who he was and that he knew him, and that probably looks really bad, but you have to understand where he was coming from. D and his grandfather…” Ares huffed. “It’s some complicated shit. The fucker has stayed out of his life just like mine, and there’s a reason for that. You know about that murder cover-up, and Callum Prinze did that shit to his own family. Dorian’s dad was dating his mom at the time.”
Christ.
“Callum Prinze has done some fucked-up things, and none of us could trust him.”
Which meant they couldn’t trust me? “What do I have to do with any of that?”
“That’s the thing. We didn’t know. Like I said, I didn’t know and…” His expression fell, pained. “I was scared about the possibility of that, but I was more scared for you. I was scared he was having you do things, causing chaos on his behalf and possibly hurting you in the process.”
“I wasn’t.”
“I know.” He rubbed his legs. “It took me some time. Time to know you and…” His jaw moved. “Even outside of that, he never hurt you, right? Never did anything to make you feel unsafe? You or Bru? Please just let me know that so I don’t go fucking crazy.”
He hadn’t. He didn’t.
He’d only been kind.
I closed my eyes, my own pain rupturing again. “He was only good to me and Bru,” I said, lifting my head. “And he didn’t even have to tell the truth.”
In fact, he hadn’t even been going to. He’d said he didn’t want to be part of this and what Godfrey did.
He’d just wanted to right a wrong.
“But I know now that was weak of me. Selfish.”
His words lingered in my memory, some of the final ones before my world collapsed even more than it’d already had. He’d been the one person who’d been honest with me.
“What do you mean?” Ares asked, and I nodded.
“He didn’t have to tell the truth, or at least his place in it.” I rubbed my hands. “He told Bru and me once he found out about what Godfrey did, he’d planned to keep his part in bringing me back here quiet. Said there were other factors, which he later explained was his history here.”
He’d said he couldn’t come forward. There was too much history here and him coming around would cause pain.
He’d said it would bring pain to his family.
“He said coming forward would hurt his family,” I said, Ares’s eyebrows narrowed. “And he felt a sense of responsibility that my dad…” I bit my lip, still getting used to that. “That Godfrey had come to him to care for us.”
Callum had said Godfrey thought Callum would keep his secret if Callum had ever found out, and from what I knew about Callum, him and his history with that town, that made sense.
“So why did he then? Come forward?” Ares asked, and I dropped my legs.
“He said he realized he’d only been trying to protect himself, and he shouldn’t do that anymore.” He’d admitted that too.
Ares blew out a breath, his head shaking. “He’s done some fucked-up shit, Sloane. A lot of fucked-up shit and…” He studied the ground, his head lifting. “Helping you or not, I’m sure it helps him. Whether it’s to clear his guilt, guilt about shit he’s done or whatever.” His eyebrows narrowed. “He’s messed up a lot of peoples’ lives, his own family’s the most.”
I did know this and was so aware of it.
I mean, he’d told me himself.
Ares left me with those thoughts. We were silent for a while, and when he pulled out his phone, my head shot up.
“I’m not calling anyone,” he said, somehow knowing what I was thinking. He pressed a button, and his phone went dark. “My family can track my phone as well as the guys, so I shut it off.” He pocketed the thing. “I meant what I said. I’m not setting the dogs on you. I just want to be here, and if that means a while, that’s what it’s going to be.”
Putting his legs out, he crossed them at the ankles, the frown on his face evident.
“I’m going to earn back your trust,” he said. “So as long as you’re here, I’ll be here too.”
I didn’t know what to say about that, so many questions in my mind. I faced him. “But your parents. I mean…” I stopped, my jaw moving. “You can’t just ghost.”
