Tristan
Tristan’s jaw ached,a muscle ticking in his left cheek, as he muttered through gritted teeth, “Mark King drugged you and then sexually assaulted you. He threw a party for me, saying he wanted to celebrate my signing with Tarmac Records, then spiked your drink, and dragged you up to his bedroom. His buddy Reg came up to me and said Mark wanted to give me some pointers before my meeting with the execs, so I went looking forhim.”
He didn’t need to shut his eyes as he revisited the events of that night. The image of a lingerie-clad Izzie on her knees blowing Mark would forever be branded in his retina. He couldn’tunseeit. Except now, the scene played out in his head under a different light. What he once believed to be exhilaration on her face just turned out to bestupor.
The one thing that had triggered his reaction that night had been Izzie’s gaze. Instead of pouncing on Mark for suspecting him of sexually assaulting Izzie, Tristan had frozen at the door when he noticed her eyes glazed over. That happened when he aroused her, so he connected that flimsy piece of evidence with the countless incidents of Mark touching Izzie that he had witnessedbefore.
He had misread the wholesituation.
He waswrong.
Deadwrong.
Unforgivablywrong.
“Instead of doing something, like punching him or wrestling you away from him, I turned and fled. I bolted down the stairs and didn’t stop until I was out of thehouse.”
She nodded, but didn’t say anything, as if she understood he was thinking outloud.
He went on. “I thought you wanted to be with him. All these years, I thought you had chosen Mark over me, but you had no choice thatnight.”
His head was about toexplode.
His heart clawed its way up histhroat.
Hechoked.
His chest compressed as if a giant held him in a tightfist.
Conflicting emotions jumbled up insideTristan.
Too many for him to sort themout.
His brainstalled.
“I feel like I should yell or cuss or both. I’m numb, though.” That wasn’t entirely true. Through the haze that fogged his mind, one idea stood out like a beacon. Would he dare hope? His next words bypassed his brain and came out unfettered. “You didn’t betrayme.”
“I didnot.”
“Why did you let me believe youdid?”
Izzie knelt between his knees and framed his face in her warm hands. In his addled state, Tristan just stared into her forest green eyes. “What would you have done if I had told you all this backthen?”
“Killed themotherfucker.”
No doubt aboutthat.
“Exactly. Then, you’d either be in prison or you would have been killed by Mark’s buddies from the Crips. Plus, I was ashamed. I felt dirty. I blamed myself for what happened at theparty.”
He covered her hands, pressing the palms against his face. He closed his eyes to better enjoy the warmth that radiated from her as it penetrated his numbness, nudging it away. He pulled her hands from his cheeks, laced their fingers together and rested the back of her hands on histhighs.
Then, he pinned her with his gaze and asserted, “I wish I knew this then, so I could’ve told you there was no reason to feel dirty or ashamed. You did nothing wrong. I don’t believe what-ifs will get us anywhere, but I’ve got to say this. Had I had a chance to make the bastard die a slow, excruciating death, I would’ve happily takenit.”
Her upper lip quivered as if she was fighting a smile. “You’re saying I wasright?”
“I guess I’m saying we’ll never know.” He shrugged. “We can’t change the past, but I still haven’t wrapped my head around what happened after the party. I get that he forced his dick down your throat at the party, but that doesn’t change the fact you left me. For Mark. Months after that night. Why did you do that after he treated you thatway?”
Her cheeks beamed red and she framed Tristan’s face again, prodding his stare as if she was trying to reach his soul. With a slight sigh, she blurted, “He blackmailed me. Mark picked up on the fact I never told you what he did that night. One day he cornered me at the studio. We stayed late, alone, mixing a track. He said he knew I was terrified at the possibility you’d kill him, if I told you thetruth.”
