AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I bite my bottom lip and take Crew’s cold hand, then Jagger’s warm one. “I have to tell you guys something. And it’s going to change everything.”
They glance at each other quizzically, before returning their eyes to me. “What is it?”
I nod toward the open meeting room. “Mind if we go in there? You might wanna sit down for this.”
Heavy breaths escape them, and I’m certain they’re preparing themselves for something that involves Neo. In some ways, this does, but not in the way they think.
Crew pulls out the first chair at the first table in the room and he sits down. Jagger doesn’t sit; instead he presses his hands to the table, taking the same stance Sebastian did at the other end.
“What’s this about?” Jagger lifts his head, eyes on me.
“Remember how I told you guys that Neo knew a secret about me?”
“Yeah. That's how he coerced you into bed. Got it.” Jagger’s sarcasm is thick and laced with contempt.
“Anyways,” I continue, “I got the secret out of him, and it's a big one. It’s life-changing, if we allow it to be.” Crew must notice the tremble in my legs because he slides his chair back and pats his lap.
I sit down on his knee, and he wraps an arm around my waist. “Whatever it is, we’ve got you.” He looks at Jagger. “Don’t we?”
Jagger straightens his back and runs his fingers through his hair. “Yeah. Yeah, of course.”
When I question him with slitted eyes, his shoulders drop. “Look, I’m pissed about everything, Scar. But nothing’s changed. I don’t wanna lose you and I intend to keep you at any cost. So yeah, you’ve got us.”
I reach out and grab his hand, as a tear slides down my cheek. It warms my heart to know I have these guys by my side—along with Riley and Maddie.
“Thank you, guys.”
I inhale a deep breath, and on the exhale, I tell them the truth the best I can. Through cracked vocal cords, I say, “Kol isn’t my dad.”
Crew shifts beneath me and Jagger goes to speak, but I hold up a hand.
“My mom had an affair during her senior year here and got pregnant and they passed me off as Kol’s because…because she had an affair with Jeremy Beckett. He’s my biological father, and Jude Beckett is my brother.” I blow all the air out of my lungs, emptying them. My body is far too anxious for their response, so I stand up, shaking my hands at my sides while watching them both.
“Wow,” Crew says first. His hand draws back through his hair, eyes down. “I, umm…don’t know what to say.”
“You’re sure?” Jagger asks next. “Neo doesn’t have the best record for telling the truth.”
“I’m sure.” I sniffle, then I use the sleeve of my coat to wipe my eyes. “I overheard Neo and his dad talking about it earlier and that outburst in here today was Sebastian trying to control the situation before his son could reap the benefits. Not that Neo wants to anymore. Then, my parents admitted it. So yeah. It’s true.”
The room goes silent. Much too silent, and my heart is racing in anticipation for someone to say something. Anything to drown out these thoughts in my head.
Will they ever be able to look at me the same again? Am I Beckett to them now? Will they oust me to the whole Society?
“Who else knows?” Jagger finally asks.
“Just my parents, Sebastian, Neo, Jude, and Riley. I assume. Well, Jeremy Beckett, obviously, but he’s dead.”
Crew gets up and steps around the table, his hands pushed firmly in his pockets. “And we’re sure that bastard is dead?”
“Yeah,” I nod. “Jude confessed to killing him.”
“What the fuck?” Jagger grumbles. “Where the hell is all this information coming from?”
“Riley and I talked to Jude today, and honestly, guys, I think he’s telling us the truth.”
“Fuck Jude,” Crew hisses. “Doesn’t matter what that scumbag says. He’s been taunting us long enough. We’ve finally had some peace here with that son of a bitch tied up. I say we just kill him and go on with our lives.”
Stubbornness takes hold and I’m getting really tired of no one listening to what I have to say. “You’re not listening to me. If he’s telling the truth, that means someone else is in control. So what good will killing him do?”
