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“Shit.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. He did that a lot, I’d noticed—crossed his arms. “My uncle Bill?”
“Your dad was there too. They’re the ones who called Rex to tell him Jerry was there. I tried to get your brother not to go, but you know how he gets when he has an idea in his head. There’s no fucking stopping him.”
“What happened?”
“Didn’t your daddy tell you—” My words were sharp, but then cut off when Parrish winced.
“I didn’t know, Riv. I overheard Rex and Dad talking and admitting it.”
Nerves prickled along my skin. They wouldn’t like Parrish knowing. They’d find a way to use it against him the way they used everyone for what they wanted. “They know you heard them?”
“No. I sneaked back around the house and then went through the front door. What happened?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.”
“Why? You think you can change it?” When he didn’t answer, just stood there staring at me, I said, “Leave it alone. What’s done is done.”
“What happened? I need to know.”
It was the plea in his deep voice that reeled me in. “I wasn’t innocent. Once Rex dragged me there, I was talking shit to Jerry just as much as Rex was. Jerry decided to hit me instead of Rex. We fought for a minute, and then your brother tackled him. They hit the ground, Jerry’s head cracked open on the curb, and your brother ran.”
“Why did you stay?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Because I was a dumbass kid. Because I was weak and didn’t put myself first like your brother. Because a man was dying and I hoped we could get him help. I was freaking the fuck out. I’d done a lot a shit in my life, but seeing a guy bleed out hadn’t been one of them. I ran inside and told your dad and uncle what happened, that we should call 911. They then told me what we were going to say happened—Rex wasn’t there, after all, and I was. I’d driven Rex’s truck there. The keys were on me. They’d seen it… What happens to narcs, Parrish? What happens to their family?”
“Shit.” His hands fisted, and his angular jaw, which looked like it could cut stone, was so tight, I thought it would snap.
“They made me think it would be okay because it was self-defense, and I guess in some ways it was. I didn’t get murder.”
“We have to do something. They shouldn’t get away with that!” He paced the small space.
“What in the fuck can we do? I admitted to it. I did the time.”
“So you got prison time while Rex got to be free and took your girl?”
“I think she wanted to be taken. He’d taken her before I went inside too. None of that shit matters. I just want to save up some money, talk my grandma into selling her place, and get her the hell out of here.”
“I’m sorry, Riv. I’m so sorry. I thought you were just like them. They don’t keep me in the loop like they used to—hell, after hearing this, looks like they never really did. I try my best not to have anything to do with them. I go over and see Bec and the girls, help make sure they’re taken care of.”
“Then why did your dad ask you to watch me?” I cocked a brow.
“Because he still thinks he can control me, and I guess in some ways, he can. I agreed, but I’m not going to tell them anything you don’t want me to. As long as they think you’re staying in line, maybe they’ll leave you alone.”
That’s what I hoped, but who knew with them. And no matter what, I still couldn’t trust the man standing in front of me. “We’re not friends, you and me. I don’t do friends.”
He quirked a playful brow that didn’t fit the situation. “And you plan to do me?”
My traitor of a dick twitched. I had no plans to fuck Parrish. Spilling my guts to him didn’t mean anything changed. He was still a Hunt, and I still wanted nothing to do with them. That’s why the next words out of my mouth were such a surprise. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I stepped closer, heard his sharp inhale. “They tell you I said I like men?”
“They did, but I didn’t believe them.”
I didn’t expect it when he put a strong, calloused hand on my hip, brushing his thumb beneath my shirt and over the bone.
“But now I pay attention. I see the way you look at me. You might hate me, but you want to fuck me too.”
It was my breath that caught this time, blood rushing to my groin. Goddamn him. How was he getting the upper hand? Because he’s sexy as hell. Because you haven’t been with anyone in years. Because you’ve always had a soft spot for Parrish.
