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I don’t want to. Not really, anyway. I’m not sure I’m ready yet, but if I’ve learned anything from Laiken being back, it’s that conversations like these need to be had whether I like it or not. So, I may as well get it over with.
I reluctantly step back and open the door further to let her in. “If you’re going to lie some more, then go. I’d rather you say nothing at all.”
She shakes her head. “No. No more lies. No more secrets. I told Laiken this morning, I’m not doing it anymore. So, ask me whatever you want to know, and I’ll tell you.”
Well, fuck me. This feels like I have access to the inside of Laiken’s brain. If anyone knows her better than she knows herself, it’s Mali. There’s something dangerous about this, but I can’t resist the chance to get all the answers I’ve been looking for.
“Okay,” I say, nodding slowly. “When did she decide to leave?”
“The night you two had that blow-up argument,” she answers. “When Cam and I walked in to see your fist go through the wall.”
God, I hated that night. I remember thinking it was the worst argument that we’d ever have. There’s nothing I hate more than fighting with her. It makes me sick to my stomach, honestly. And that night was intense.
“Not as long as I thought.”
She sighs, sitting on the couch beside me. “When we went upstairs, she told me about the text messages and showed me the proof she left in the car.”
My brows raise. “Was it really that bad?”
“Yeah.” She looks down at her hands and messes with the rip in her jeans. “When she told me she what she wanted to do, I told her it was a bad idea. I mean, if someone is threatening her, she shouldn’t be alone. But I could also see how scared she was—not for herself, but foryou. She left on the one condition that no harm would come to you.”
“And you helped her do it,” I say, not asking, just throwing the fact out there.
Mali nods. “I met her at the border of town and gave her a burner phone and all the money we were able to pull together. Then I promised her again that I would keep an eye on you, and I hugged her goodbye.”
The way she starts to tear up, I know remembering that moment is still hard for her. She watched her best friend leave, and she really didn’t know if she was going to be okay. But being able to at least reach her and make sure she’s all right is better than the hell I endured of not knowing what the fuck happened.
“Yes, I was updating her on how you were and everything, but none of it was fake, H,” she says honestly. “You really are one of my closest fucking friends and I’m sorry I kept this from you. I trusted that Laiken was doing the right thing, and when nothing happened to you, I believed she was right. That we were doing what was in your best interest. But I should’ve told you. And I should’ve told Cam.”
Shit, I didn’t even think about how Cam was there, hearing the same bomb drop that I did. For her to lie to me is one thing, but to him, this is probably devastating. It’s no secret that the two of them have some fucked-up thing going on, but it all stems from love. And a lie like this has the ability to break his heart.
My own words yesterday play through my mind. The ones where I threw their secret out for Laiken to hear. But hey, we did say no more secrets, right?
“You’re not going to nut punch me for outing you two to Laiken, are you?” I ask hesitantly.
She chuckles, shaking her head. “She’s not mad. I mean, she literallymarriedher brother’s best friend. That would be a little hypocritical of her, don’t you think?”
“That’s fair.”
I watch the smile fall off her face. “Not that it matters anyway. He’ll probably never speak to me again.”
If anyone knows about Cam’s ability to hold a grudge, it’s me. He’s stubborn as hell and holds onto everything. But Mali has always been different for him. Their friendship, if that’s what you want to call it, goes by a different set of rules than the rest. I just don’t know if that’s going to help her or hurt her in this situation.
My phone rings on the coffee table and I reach forward to grab it, seeing Cam’s name on the screen. “Speak of the devil.”
I answer the call and put it to my ear. “Yeah, what’s up?”
“H,” he says, and the panic in his voice makes the hair on my arms stand straight up. “You need to get to the fucking bar, now!”
MY BRAKES LOCK UP, my tires screeching across the pavement as the truck comes to a stop in the parking lot. The second I throw it in park, Mali and I both jump out. We run around to the door, but when I go to open it, it’s locked. I’m trying to find the key when Cam opens it, and the look of terror on his face is enough for my stomach to sink.
“What’s going on?” I ask worriedly.
Laiken turns around at the sound of my voice. Tears run down her cheeks as she looks so hopeless. So scared.
Cam can’t even say the words, so instead, he steps back and to the side—and that’s when I see it.
There, in the middle of the bar, is the body of the hacker. He’s almost completely buried under a pile of dirt, with his head posed to be sticking out. And I’m guessing the worms and maggots that crawl around are just for special effect.
