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FOURTEEN
Caiden, Zayde, and I assembled in the huge lounge area to wait for Cassius, Weston heading off to check in with some online contact he had while we were waiting. I settled on the huge, squashy sofa, at the opposite end to Caiden, facing the biggest TV screen I’d ever seen in someone’s house, and Zayde flopped into a reclining armchair to the side of us, picking up a game controller and turning on the TV. He threw another to Caiden, and soon they were engrossed in some kind of shooting game.
“We need some fresh air in here.” Zayde paused the game, screwing up his nose, and walked over to the window, opening it. I shivered and pulled my thin cardigan tighter around me as a cool breeze blew in, a chill coming over me.
“Cold?” Caiden murmured, close to my ear. My head whipped around, and he was right there. How and when did he get so close?
“A bit,” I managed to whisper, staring at his lips as the kiss filled my mind for the hundredth time.
“Here.” He pulled off his thick black hoodie and handed it to me, leaving him in a tight slate-grey T-shirt that stretched across his muscles in the best way.
My heart rate picked up, and my mouth went dry. Somehow, I managed to mumble “thanks” and pulled the hoodie over my head, snuggling into it. It was still warm from his body heat, with a faint ocean scent, and I sighed in appreciation.
“Why are you being nice to me?” I leaned closer as Zayde resumed the game.
He gave a heavy sigh, his eyes flicking between me and the TV screen. “Z, I’m out,” he a
I arched a brow at him, and he gave me a small wry smile. “Most of the time, anyway. You were cold, so I gave you something to keep warm. Don’t read anything into it.” His face turned serious. “I mean that. Don’t.”
I debated whether to say what was on my mind, but in the end, I knew I had to ask. Leaning closer to him, I pulled my legs up onto the sofa, curling them under me, our eyes staying locked the entire time.
“What about the kiss?”
He was so close that I could feel his breath on my lips.
“Snowflake…” His voice was low and steely. “That kiss should never have fucking happened.”
“Shouldn’t it?” I moved even closer, and his eyes darkened, his lips parting.
“No. It. Was. A. Fucking. Mistake.” He tilted his head down so there was a millimetre of space between our mouths.
“A mistake. Really,” I breathed. “Cade—”
“Stop. You’re the last person I—”
“I fucking knew it!” Cassius’ triumphant shout cut straight through the atmosphere between us, and I jumped, scrambling away from Caiden, confused, and to be honest, pissed off.
“Whatever you think you saw, you’re wrong.” Caiden sat up straight, his voice flat and unemotional as he looked at Cassius, daring him to disagree.
“Right.” Cassius rolled his eyes. He sauntered over to the sofa and sank down in between us, throwing his arm around me. “Nice hoodie, babe. Sure I’ve seen Cade with one just like it.”
Zayde continued mashing the Xbox controller, oblivious to the rest of us, while Caiden gave Cassius an irritated look. “Fuck off. I’m getting West.” He disappeared out of the room, and I curled my legs under me more tightly, turning to look at Cassius.
“Why do you wind him up like that all the time?”
He shrugged. “It’s what we do. It’s fun.”
“If you say so.”
“Being serious for a minute, are you ready to talk about what we told each other last night?”
I tried to recall our conversation, remembering something about him saying they were keeping tabs on me and my mum. And I’d told him I’d come to Alstone to investigate my dad’s death. I absently rubbed my fingers across my meteor tattoo, thinking of my dad. If his death hadn’t been an accident, the people responsible were going to be brought to justice, no matter what.
“I’m ready.”
“Good girl.” Cassius grabbed my hand and squeezed it as Caiden walked back into the room with Weston in tow, and they both took a seat. “Time to get some answers.”
I looked around at the Four, each one of them giving me their full attention. Zayde had turned off the Xbox, and the room was silent. Cassius kept hold of my hand, his touch bolstering me. I took a deep breath and began, stumbling over the words, racing to get them out.
“Okay. Quick rundown of my life. My mother got pregnant when she was young, and she didn’t want me, she left us, then me and my dad moved away, we didn’t stay in touch—”
“Slow down,” Cassius interrupted me. “And start at the point where you think she had something to do with your dad’s death.”
There were three sharp intakes of breath, Cassius smiling smugly since he was already privy to this information.
“Why and how?” Zayde leaned forwards in his armchair, his intense gaze boring into me.
“It all sounds weird, but there was something that didn’t seem right. It could all be a coincidence, of course—”
“Get to the fucking point, will you?”
I leaned around Cassius to glare at Caiden. “No need to be rude.” I added, “Asshole,” quietly under my breath, and Cassius snorted as Caiden glared back at me.
“Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted—knowing what I do now, I suppose it all started around five months before my dad passed away.” My voice cracked, and my eyes filled with tears as I spoke about my dad.
Weston moved from his position on the floor to sit on the arm of the sofa next to me, ru
My voice cracked again, and I coughed to clear my throat. “Sorry, I need a drink.”
“I’ll get you one.” Cassius jumped up. We sat in silence until he returned with a bottle of water, which he handed to me.
“Thanks.” I unscrewed the cap and took a large swig. “Okay. Back to it. I’d been accepted to university, and my dad was so excited for me. It was always his dream for me—to get a good education. My mother wasn’t answering his calls, so he drove here to talk to her in person. He was desperate for us to reconcile, and he wanted her to share in his excitement. I don’t know if she ever loved him, but he never stopped loving her. He never looked at another woman, as far as I’m aware.”
I stared down at the floor, not really seeing it, lost in my memories. “He must have arrived back home late at night, after I’d gone to bed. The next morning, I went downstairs, and he was acting weird—all jumpy and shifty. I asked him what was wrong, and he brushed me off. He shut himself in his office for most of that day, and I couldn’t get anything out of him.”
I looked up, to find the Four watching me with rapt attention.
“What happened next?” Weston breathed.