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Soren looks like he just got hit by a bomb, and Ash is practically shaking with... what? Anger? Helplessness? I understand both of those feelings. I'm going through them now, myself.
But that's not going to help anybody. It’s sure as hell not going to help her. The pitiful, pained whimpers make me want to take her in my arms and promise nothing will ever hurt her again. I'll find a way to make this right. Even if I don't know what it is, I'll figure it out.
Isn't it strange how old habits and instincts can come up at a time like this? I'm a professional athlete with a home of my own and a good, solid life, but all it took was this disaster to bringall my old habits back to the forefront. I'm sixteen again, and trouble is knocking at the door. There's only one answer.
“Deny it.”
Ash's eyes go wide when they meet mine over the top of Harlow’s head. I don't know why he looks so surprised. Soren does, too. What, they never got in trouble when they were kids? They never had to figure out how to get out of a shitty situation? Probably not. At least, not the kind of trouble me and my friends got in.
Let them be surprised. I need to get through to her. That's all that matters. “Does he have proof? I'm talking photographic evidence here. Or a video, something?”
“I don't know. He didn't say. He came out and accused me, but he never explained where the accusation was coming from. He...” She looks down at her clasped hands and her chin quivers. “He wouldn't even talk to me after that. He didn't say a word. Because he hates me and he's disgusted with me. How did I ruin everything like this?”
My heart's aching for her, but that's not what matters most right now. “If he had proof, and I can't imagine how he would unless there's a hidden camera in somebody's bedroom, he would have shown it to you. Right?” I glance around the room, hoping somebody will back me up. I mean, to me, it's common sense.
“I really don't know.” She drags the back of her hand under her nose, sniffling, and Soren hands her the tissue box without a word. I practically have to bite off my tongue to keep from hurrying her through blowing her nose.
“No. I have to be right. I know I am.” The more I speak, the clearer it all gets. When I look to my friends for support, theystill seem too confused and skeptical, so I guess I have to do this on my own. “He can't have proof. There's no way. It's your word against his.”
“What are you saying?” Soren murmurs. He arches an eyebrow when I look his way.
“I'm saying, deny it and we'll stand behind you. It'll be the four of us denying it together. There's no way this hurts you so long as we're careful and stick together.”
I would at least expect her to think it over. To look at it from all sides. I mean, she's usually pretty level headed that way... then again, this is not a normal situation no matter how I look at it. I can't expect her to do what she would normally do when she's obviously heartbroken.
“No,” she replies, and I recognize the determination in that single word. She's damn stubborn when she feels like it, and she's feeling like it now. “I can't do that.”
“Sure, you can.” It's so obvious. Why am I the only one who sees it?
“Ryder.” There is so much hopelessness on her face when she looks at me. So much sadness. She's already been defeated. “You think I didn't already consider that? It's one of the first things that came into my head. I know you would stand behind me and say whatever it took to protect me. I can't tell you how much that means. But it wouldn't be right.”
“Fuck right and wrong at a time like this.” There's panic in my voice, and I try my damnedest to push it aside before I embarrass myself.
This might be a lot easier if somebody would back me the fuck up. Ash is staring out the window. He might as well be miles away. Is he thinking over what I just said? “Come on. You know this is the only way out. It's like the way cops always back each other up, you know?”
“Cops?” Soren snorts before frowning at me like I'm some foreign species. I should be used to that by now.
“Yeah, cops. They have each other's backs no matter what. Somebody fucks up, they stay quiet. Right or wrong, it doesn't matter.”
“Right,” Ash murmurs. “Because that's a great example. That makes me feel really good about myself.”
“And about the state of our law enforcement agencies,” Soren adds. “Maybe those aren't the people we need to emulate right now, you know?”
“Maybe stop being smart asses for a minute and really think about it. We form a wall around her. We protect her. It's the least we can do since we are the ones who got her into this.”
“That's not fair?—”
I squeeze Harlow’s shoulder and shake my head. “Yes, it is. Because it's the truth. We are the reason this is happening.” This time when I look around, I see guilt written on Ash’s and Soren’s faces. “You know I'm right. You kept telling us it was a bad idea, that we couldn't do this, and we kept finding a way to make you change your mind.”
“I should have been stronger. I risked everything, and I knew it was a risk. No, this is all on me.”
“Fine, then. That's something we can all work out together. But when it comes to the rest of the world, everybody else who isn't in this room at this second, we are an undivided front. The less you say, the better. Nobody ever has to know the truth.”
“It's too late for that.” She uses her sleeves to wipe her cheeks, then releases a deep breath. “He already knows for sure. I already apologized.”
It’s like she stuck a pin in a balloon. I’m watching my last hope deflate in front of my eyes.
“Damn it.” Ash rubs his temples while Soren’s head falls back so he can stare at the ceiling.
