I stare out at the lake, wishing I could dunk my entire body into the water until I can’t feel anything anymore.
“He was so worried about you,” Jackson says, slurping from his mug. “We all were.”
“Maybe if you’d told me what was going on, things would’ve turned out differently that night.”
“Truth.” He leans back, sliding his arm along the seat behind me. “But you’d run off to Jane’s, and that asshole Atticus brought his plan forward. There wasn’t any way of warning you.”
I turn sideways to look at him. “You don’t like him either, huh?”
“He’s a twisted old fuck, and he basically checked out for years, leaving Kai and Rick to run things when they were only kids themselves.”
“If that’s the case, why does he have such a strong hold over them?”
Jackson shrugs. “I used to joke it was like Stockholm Syndrome, and now I’m not so sure I wasn’t right.”
“He’s their only surviving parent,” Sawyer says, startling both of us as he steps out onto the deck. “And even if he’s a shitty one, he’s all they have.” He walks toward us, taking the space on the other side of me. I open up the blanket, and he tucks it up under his chin, smiling at me.
“They want to please him,” I surmise.
Sawyer nods. “And they were kind of brainwashed into believing all Mannings were the scourge of the Earth.”
“Gee, thanks.” I roll my eyes.
“Apart from you, it’s not far off the mark,” Jackson says.
“Drew isn’t like that,” I quietly say, feeling the need to defend my brother, even if I’m torn over his loyalty. Jackson and Sawyer exchange a loaded look, and I glare at them. “No more fucking secrets. If you’ve something to say, just say it.”
“Drew’s…acting a little strange,” Sawyer says. “And no one knows what the fuck he’s up to.”
“You’ve spoken to him?” Because the last I remember the old elite and new elite weren’t on speaking terms.
“Not directly, but we have people watching stuff for us back in Rydeville,” he confirms.
“Word on the street is your twin is your father’s newest bitch,” Jackson adds with a bite to his tone, his knee tapping up and down.
“If that’s the case then he’s playing some angle.”
“You really believe that or you’re trying to convince yourself,” Sawyer asks.
“My whole life Drew has been there for me. I don’t understand what he’s up to now, and I’m still pissed at him for not protecting me in the office that day, and for keeping shit from me, but I’ve had time to think about it, and I think it’s part of some bigger plan.”
“For your sake, I hope that’s true,” Jackson says.
“Stop.” I clamp my hand down on his knee. “Why are you so jittery? You were like that last night too.”
“Because going cold turkey sucks.”
Shock splays across my face. “You’re giving up your stoner ways?”
“Don’t get too excited,” he says. “It’s only temporary until Harley and Joaquin go back to school.”
“Ah, I get it. Kai and Rick don’t want you setting a bad example.” He nods. “Wow. They really are protective of them.”
“You’ve no idea,” Sawyer says. “They would take a bullet for their brothers, and they’ve done everything to keep them shielded from this world.”
“But it’s more than that,” Jackson says.
“Lauder.” Sawyer silences him with a warning tone.
