Page 141 of The Twisted Beats

“See, right there. I’m not the enemy, Cash.”

I down half my beer, wanting to tear anyone apart. “Sincemy ma left last night, I can’t get my mind off wanting to make someone pay.”

“For what?”

“This whole damn thing.” I point to the back staircase. “Livianna won’t come out of her room. She won’t talk to me. I can’t get through to her. She’s living on the painkillers my ma left her, so she’s not even making sense.”

“Come on, Cash. She’s dealing with something pretty huge.”

“I get that, Guns, but she keeps talking about how she probably killed it. How maybe it’s her fault because she’s done it before.”

Bren’s face goes white. “She’s done what before?”

“That’s my question. I thought she was a virgin before me. Is that even true? Did she miscarry before she knew me?” My heart aches just saying those words.

“Back the fuck off my sister, Cash.” His chest heaves. “You’re the only guy she’s been with.”

“Then what the hell is Livianna talking about? Who’s thishershe keeps mumbling she killed?”

Bren stares distantly into my eyes as he drinks the rest of his beer. Once he’s done, he rises to his feet and gets another one. He keeps his back to me, but the muscles in his shoulders are like steel.

“Guns, what the fuck are you two hiding?”

“Nothing.” Bren pops the top off his bottle and turns back to me. His expression returns to normal, as if he purposely put on a mask. “Want another?”

“No. What I want is the truth.” I scrape my teeth over my bottom lip, about to draw blood. “I don’t lie to you guys. Why is it okay for you to do it to me?”

He takes a swig and then nods. “I’ll make you a deal.”

“What?”

“Tell me what really happened and I’ll tell you about Livianna.”

“Fine, but when I do, you’re gonna wanna kill someone just like I do. You ready for that?”

“Sure. I’ve got nothing to lose.”

“Except your dreams.” I leave it hanging in the air.

If Bren is serious, he has the right to know it’ll change everything for him. He glances at the floor, clinking a ring he wears on his middle finger against his beer bottle, seemingly thinking about something.

He raises his gaze to me. “Tell me.”

The memory replays in my head and my entire body shivers in repulsion. “My uncle found out about her being pregnant and we got into a brawl. He knocked me out. When I came to, she was on the floor and he was kicking the living shit out of her stomach.”

“And you didn’t kill him then?”

“My ma stopped everything.” Acid crawls up my throat. “He left and you came in not much after.”

“He’s a dead man.” Fire covers Bren’s eyes.

“And our manager.” I release a low, disgusted laugh. “And my family. My ma’s begging me to forgive him.”

“Why?”

“She says he tried meth for the first time that day and mixed it with alcohol. The results speak for themselves, but she insists he’s sorry and wants to make it up to us because he feels awful.”

“So what? We owe him nothing.”