I push all those thoughts away and square my shoulders as I make the trek toward Kenna’s family’s mausoleum. Every step I take feels weighed down. The closer I get, the harder it becomes to lift my feet. When the large concrete building comes into view, I freeze in place. My breath lodges in my throat when I read the name inscribed above the doorway.
Di-Leo.
My head begins to swim, my fingers get pins and needles and I sway on my feet. I release my pendant and tuck it into my shirt, then close my eyes to try to ward off the impending panic attack. When my stomach drops, I know I have seconds before I’m overtaken by panic. I drop to my knees on the grass. The moisture from the ground soaks through my pants, but rather than annoying me, it centers me. I keep my eyes closed as I try to breathe and force feeling back into my toes and fingers. My stomach constricts but I fight against it.
Don’t be weak, Toren!
I snap my eyes open and grit my teeth. I force my fingers to wiggle and sluggishly climb to my feet. I have no right to break down here. I put her in there and like fuck will I stay out here and feel sorry for myself. I stumble forward, not caring that I have to use the tops of other headstones to lean against so I don’t topple over. If the dead want to haunt me then they need to getin line, because there is a long list of people that wish to see me dead before them.
I stand in front of the gates that keep me from her. Before I can talk myself out of it, I push the handle down and open the gates. I lift my foot ready to go inside until a voice has me halting on the spot.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” I take a deep breath then slowly turn around to face my best friend’s mom. The moment Mrs. Di-Leo realizes it’s me standing here her features darken and hatred whirls in her brown eyes. She looks like she has aged ten years. The soft laugh lines that once brought me comfort are now replaced by hard, angry frown lines. She has a bouquet of lilies clutched against her chest.
“Mrs. Di-Leo?—”
“How dare you!” she screams, causing me to stumble back a step and collide with the concrete pillar. “You dare to show your horrid face here after what you did?” A feeling I can’t explain slams into me. I feel like utter trash, worse than shit beneath her shoes.
Breathe.
I try to suck in air but I can’t seem to get my body to function. The way she is looking at me with pure malice and hatred has tears clouding my vision. Mrs. Di-Leo was like a mother to me. She was the one who taught me to deal with my periods every month and how to manage the cramps.
She charges toward me like a bull ready to take out the matador. I fight to remain standing and not crumble to a heap at her feet.
“Mom, enough!” I jerk my gaze over Mrs. Di-Leo to see Meekan. At the sound of her son’s voice she halts in place, but the malicious look on her face remains. I haven't seen KeenaDee's older brother in three years. Meekan was the golden boy of Somerset. The whole town viewed him as a king andeveryone thought he would go to SU and take the hockey team pro but he surprised everyone and gave it all up to become an FBI agent. My father was furious and so was his own. Kenna and I never understood why both our fathers would be so angered over his choice.
“She has no right to be here, Meek.” Her cold words have my stomach tightening and guilt rearing inside me. I never should have gotten out of the car. I should have forced Xaden to take me away from this place and never looked back. She has every right to hate me. I killed her daughter and I dared to show my hideous face here like I had a right.
“Mom, she was Kenna’s best friend—” Mrs. Di-Leo doesn't give him a chance to finish.
“She stopped being anything to my daughter the moment her intoxicated ass got behind that wheel and took my angel from me.” Her words are like a punch to the gut. My knees tremble and I want to collapse to the ground and beg for forgiveness, but even I know I don’t deserve that from her. By instinct, I wrap my hand around my pendant and try to repeat my chant in my head.
To teach is to learn. To learn is to excel. To excel is to thrive. To thrive is to live.
“You took my little girl from me. Your family ruined mine. My husband is nothing but a puppet and my son refuses to come home because ofyou!” Her words hit like a slap to the face. I dart my gaze to Meekan, utterly perplexed by her meaning. His eyes harden as he glares at the back of his mother’s head.
“Enough!” The sound of his voice washes over me like a cooling balm. The feel of his presence closing in on me emboldens my resolve to remain standing. Meekan’s face slackens and Mrs. Di-Leo looks like she’s seen a ghost. I study both of them and find it odd that they both recognize Xaden without knowing his name, how? “Go to the car, Tink. Now.” I slowly turn to face him. His gaze is locked onto Meekan, purehatred shimmering in the depths of his eyes as he stares at my best friend's brother.
“Don’t hurt him,” I blurt without thought. Xaden tears his furious glare from Meekan to stare down at me, loathing and repulsion lurks in his eyes as he takes me in.
“Get the fuck in the car now before you really piss me off.” His voice is laden with warning, I’m smart enough to know this is a battle I can’t win. I take one last look at Mrs. Di-Leo and Meekan before I run to the safety of Xaden Devlin’s car.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
XADEN
I ignored her, didn’t so much as glance at her as I drove. The second we walked through the door of my house, she beelined for her room and remained in there. Cas didn’t bother to check on her, nor did I. Knowing that Meekan Di-Leo is back in town is going to cause tensions to rise. The fact I have to call my father and alert him pisses me off. He’s already given me a time frame to take out Masen, Toren, Kellan and their father. The two cocksuckers will be taken care of next week at the game, I’ll make sure Toren has a front row seat at the game to watch me annihilate her brother and former love.
When I woke the next morning, I decided she’d had enough time to sulk so I barged into her room, ready to drag her ass out of bed and enact phase one of my plan, but her room was empty. I checked the closet and the bathroom across the hall, only to find them both vacant. I scoured the rest of the house and couldn’t find a trace of her. I dashed into Cas’s room and found him sound asleep, snoring like a fucking bear in hibernation. I smirk at the sight of the half-drank glass of water on his night stand. Creeping across the room I grab the glass, then dump the contents on his face, making sure some of it lands in his open mouth. The big fucker jerks awake and sits up, spluttering andshaking his head like a rabid dog. I’m unable to contain my laughter.
He glares over at me with a look that promises pain. “The fuck are you doing, you dick flap?”
My brows raise. “Dick flap?” The humor in my tone is unmissable.
His eyes narrow. “What the fuck do you want, Xaden?”
“Where the fuck is your littleTerror?”
His eyes narrow to slits. “She isn’t my anything and fuck if I know where the little shit slinks off to.” His answer does nothing to abate my growing annoyance at not being able to find her. I like all my toys within arm’s reach.
