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The guy fell to a crouch and dropped his chin to his chest. “I thought he loved me,” he whispered. “I saw pictures of you in the house. You were with your mom. I noticed the similarities in our looks but thought little of it. He referred to you as his son. The boy he lost and missed. I… I love him.”
Releasing Starry, I took a step toward him, no longer afraid but oddly curious. My limbs ached from being strung so tight. I shook out my arms.
My asshole stepfather got someone to fall in love with him and brainwashed him into thinking I was lost and wanted to be found. What the fuck? “I wasn’t lost or missing. I ran because it was the only thing I could do to get away from him. For years I lived on the street. That was what I preferred rather than returning to him. He’s a monster. He tried to take me back with him like he held claim to me. He tried to hit one of my boyfriends and made a scene at their family’s restaurant. He’s pure evil. He deserves to rot in a jail cell for the rest of his pathetic fucking life.” My breath came fast by the time I was done. My heart pounded so hard it tried to break free from its cage. Starry whimpered beside me, so I reached down to pet her, surprised she hadn’t gone to investigate the stranger yet. She really was in tune with me.
“I didn’t want to believe he’d lie to me. I thought he was telling the truth. But then I dug a little and saw more pictures of you with them. I saw how happy you are now online. Why would you be in trouble and smile like that? It’s obvious how much you love them. I took his word though. I thought there was something wrong. When he didn’t come back, I worried. I couldn’t sleep. He told me it might take some time. Finally, I had enough and decided to look for him. To find out it was a lie… Oh god.” He covered his face with his hands as his shoulders shook.
The door behind me opened, causing me to jump and turn. Dash filled the space and looked from me to the guy on the ground. Casper and Reed came out behind him.
Casper immediately put himself in front of me. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m sorry,” the guy cried. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”
Placing my hand on Casper’s arm, I moved until I was beside him, feeling the way his muscles were taut as he fisted his hand. “It’s okay.” I quickly relayed to them what I’d been told. The more I said, the worse I felt for the guy.
The guy lifted his head, showing us his tear-stained cheeks and red eyes.
“I know you,” Dash said. “Didn’t you fuck my brother?”
“Dash,” Reed groaned.
“What? I think he did. I can’t remember your name.”
“Tristan.”
Dash snapped his fingers. “That’s it. Man, that was years ago.”
Tristan got to his feet and ran his hands down his shirt to straighten it. “I never thought I’d see you or the band again. It was a night of fun, one I needed at the time. Although, this might be my lowest moment yet.”
“You didn’t know who you were dating,” Dash said. “He had you fooled.”
“He did. I’m sorry for bothering all of you. Elic, it was very nice to meet you. I wish it would have been under different circumstances, but at least the truth was revealed to me.” He shook his head. “I should get going. I have to pack and get out of his house. Shit, I need to find a place to live.”
“I’ll go with you,” Dash offered. “I have my brother’s truck. We can load it up and get you moved out.”
Tristan stared at him. “You’d do that?”
“Yeah, what the hell. I have nowhere to be except home.”
“I can ask my grandmother if she’ll let me stay with her for a while.”
“Sounds like a solid plan. Let’s go so you can put this in the past.”
“Dash,” Casper called. Tristan kept walking to his car.
“Yeah?”
“Be careful. We don’t know him. He could be full of shit.”
Dash rolled his eyes. “He was crying his eyes out and obviously upset. Douchebag Daddy Dearest fucked with his head. It’s going to take a bit to reconcile what he’s been through. Besides, I think a stiff breeze could knock his ass over. He needs to eat.”
“Be gentle,” I told him. “It’s not easy going through shit like this.”
“I got him, El. No worries.”
Dash got in his brother’s truck and followed Tristan up the driveway.
“Are you worried about him still?” I asked Casper.
