Rory’s gray eyes blazed with anger, pain, and something else—grief. Uncle Johnnie’s behavior not only affected Aunt Kendall, but their kids, especially Rory and Mattie. Until recently, he’d always been so kind.
“You want to help me, Harley?” he blared, ignoring Ryan’s rising anger. “Bring Gypsy back. Rewind the clock and tell Mom not to leave. Because of her, Dad’s gone, too.”
“Gypsy?” Harley squeaked. “Uh…uh…where did Uncle Johnnie go?” She didn’t know what else to say. Gypsy’s death was really sad, but Rory’s reaction was weird, like he was mourning a…she gasped.
Oh.
Grant patted Harley’s shoulder but focused on Rory. “Dude, would you control yourself and shut the fuck up?”
“Harley,” Ryan started, gritting his teeth and glaring at Rory. “I know I don’t have a right to ask anything of you. I’m asking you not to tell Mom or our aunts or your grandmother.Weknow about Rory and Gypsy.Theydon’t.”
“Ewww,” Harley said before she stopped herself.
“You wantewww?” Rory laughed wildly. “Try watching your fucking videos. There’s yourewww.”
Ryan and Grant jumped to their feet, unaware of Harley’s rising nausea and mortification. She slid down, wanting to melt into the sofa, wishing she had a blanket to cover her head.
“Ro, I thought I heard you,” Devon said, walking in, looking at Grant and Ryan, then lifting a brow. “What’s up?”
“Rory was just fucking leaving,” Ryan said.
“Because of Harley?” Devon asked in an unreadable tone, drawing her gaze to him. He smirked at her.
She knew, without being told, he’d seen the videos, too. If she had any tears left, she would’ve cried, but she was empty.
“I’m leaving for Boston soon,” Grant told her, sitting next to her again and giving her a quick, tight hug. “I’ll tell Roxy to give you my room. You need your dad and your grandmother. It is so easy to ignore them while you’re here. Bailey feels disrespected by how much you adore Aunt Zoann. If you’re there, her thinking might come around. Besides, you need to heal.” He sidled a glare at Ryan, Devon, and Rory. “Away from these fuckheads.”
“I’m trying to heal,” she whispered, and suddenly tears pooled in her eyes. She wasn’t sure if Aunt Zoann was pregnant or not and she wanted to be there for her aunt, but Harleydesperately needed her mother. She wished to rewind her life to last September with her current understanding. It wouldn’t have mattered that CJ was Molly’s partner. Harley would’ve believed what he told her. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t been so mean and hateful, Mommie and Daddy wouldn’t have grown apart. Pillar of Earth wouldn’t have gotten to me.”
Grant hugged her again. “It isn’t your fault, Harley,” he told her gently. “There were cracks in their marriage for it to have so easily crumbled. And Pillar of Earth had fucking help. He couldn’t have done it without Ryan.”
“You can’t seriously blame my brother,” Devon said.
Grant didn’t release her. “I’ll blame you, your fucking brother, and motherfucking Rory. Because, fuckhead, I know you saw those videos, too, you fucking creep.”
“I knew that bitch was lying,” Devon cried, his tone so resentful, harder than Harley ever knew him to be.
“What bitch are you referring to?” Rory asked. “There are several to choose from.”
“Rebel,” Devon spat. “Rebelswore she would keep my secret and told me to look after Ryan. She couldn’t wait to blab to Grant, CJ, and Diesel.”
Ryan laughed. “In your fucking dreams. If she’d told Diesel, you’d be in no fuckingcondition to make your stupid fucking accusations.”
“Diesel couldn’t do me a motherfucking thing,” Devon snarled, the bitterness in his voice frightening Harley.
That was how Nardo’s abuse began. She hugged Grant tighter, wanting Daddy or CJ.
“Ignore those motherfuckers, niece,” Grant whispered, trying to inflect humor into his voice.
“You want to know what the fuck Diesel can do to you, fuckhead?” Ryan snapped and revealed exactly what Diesel had done tohim. “Now, you still fucking believe Rebel told that fucking psycho?”
“I don’t!” Rory squeaked.
“She told somebody,” Devon insisted. “How else would Grant know? That’s why I’m so fucking pissed with her, Mattie, and this sniveling bitch—”
Devon grunted.
Harley lifted her head and widened her teary eyes. Judging by Devon’s bloody lip, Ryan had punched him.
