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She returns to staring out her window, and I sigh. “I wasn’t lying, Larkin. I’m upset about my parents and haven’t told anyone, but I get that whatever you’re going through is tough. If you need to talk to someone at any point, you can come find me.”
She doesn’t answer.
At a loss, I turn my truck on and start driving. I ask where she wants to be dropped, and I get a one-word answer. I ask what she did during the day. She says, “Not much.”
Her stonewalling is irritating, but telling someone about my daddidfeel good. Those negative thoughts have been weighing me down for a while. Sooner rather than later, I’ll need to confront my father or do more intense sleuthing. Head things off before they get worse. Maybe tell my brothers. Or just Callahan. He’s the most level-headed.
“I have two half brothers,” Larkin whispers suddenly.
We’re a few blocks from her house, but I pull over and park at the curb, my heart knocking a faster beat. I don’t say anything. Whatever she’s sharing sounds personal. Pushing will only make her clam up.
She stares straight ahead and nibbles her lip. “My birth father is Otto Briggs.”
That wakes me the fuck up. “TheOtto Briggs who broke in to Malcolm Boyd’s body shop and stole his cars?” The same lowlife who sold drugs to local kids.
“The one and only. Great DNA running through my veins.”
“How come I’ve never heard that before?”
“He’s not on my birth certificate and never lived with us. And my mother warned us no one in this town could know or we’d basically be crucified.”
She’s not wrong. As much as I love Windfall and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, the gossip junkies here aren’t always kind. Having links to a man who sold drugs to underage kids would have been brutal. But she’s telling me.
“When you said you messaged your brother that you’re getting a ride with me, you meant Otto’s son?”
She nods. “Hunter and I are really close. He lives in Ruby Grove, but he’s visiting a friend in town tonight. He’s a good guy and super protective of me—hates Otto and all the shit that comes with sharing that man’s last name.”
“I’m glad you have someone who’s got your back.”
“Yeah, but like with your family, his reactions can be intense.” She runs her fingers over the bruise on her delicate wrist. “I never told him about Derek. They used to be friends. Things went south when Derek stiffed Hunter on some cash he owed. Hunterwarnedme the guy was bad news.” Her voice quiets. “I should have listened.”
My fury threatens to rise again, but I force it to settle. I take a deep breath and say, “Will you tellmeabout Derek?”
Her next swallow stutters down her neck. “We started dating about five months ago, and he was nice enough. A bit of a bad boy, but not, like, a badguy. Things got serious fast. I was basically living there after a few months. Then a friend of his got out of jail, and they started hanging out more. Derek isn’t a good drunk and was going on benders, during the day and stuff, staying out all hours. We fought way too often—verbally, not physically. Until Monday.”
I don’t say a thing. There’s no way my tone will be kind or gentle. I grip the steering wheel and wait for her to go on.
“I decided to end things, went over to tell him and grab my stuff, which included my passport that I need for an upcoming road trip. He got mad and got…physical.” She touches her neck, as though imagining his hands on her throat. “I got out of there with a swift knee to his nuts and told him to never contact me, but I didn’t get my clothes or my passport, so I’m kind of screwed right now.”
I look closer at her neck. The faintest bruise stains her smooth skin. “That fucking asshole.”
“Isn’t this supposed to be a safe space where you’re not emotionally involved?”
She’s right. It is. But there’s no changing my nature. “Give me your phone.”
“What?”
“Give me your phone. I’m putting my number in there. Your brother doesn’t live close. If you ever hear from this prick again, or get caught in a bad situation with him, you’re gonna call me.”
“Why do you care? I’m the girl everyone calls a stupid slut.”
This fucking town. “Your sexual history is nobody’s business but your own. Anyone who makes you feel bad because of anything you’ve done isn’t worth your time.”
Her lips tip up into a sweet smile. “I hope Jolene knows how lucky she is to have you.”
I blink at my lap, the same edginess I felt at the party returning tenfold. “Things are changing between us. I don’t fully understand it. We have tons in common. She loves everything I love, even watching sports and going fishing. But things have been…strained lately.”
“Have you talked with her about it?”
