Page 49 of Fueled Fury

29

Austin

Barreling down the road, I don’t know what I’m going to find, but I have to find her. Wherever she is, whatever it takes.

I’ve searched all night. Her car was gone from her mom’s house. I’d spent too long scouring every floor of the hospital for her, not guessing that she’d left. She had to have though because I combed that entire damn place. Randolph tried finding her too. I was pissed with him at first, but it’s not his fault. It’s not Thomas’s fault either. This is on me. I have to explain to her why I’ve done everything I have. She doesn’t understand it’s all for her—it’s always been all for her.

Pulling up to the Sunland house, I notice Eli’s truck is in the garage, but so is the vehicle I searched for all night.

Darting into the house, I run up the stairs and throw her bedroom door open. She’s calmly moving around the room, not acknowledging me as I walk to her. My arms wrap around her, pulling her to me, but she shoves me away.

“Lainey, please.”

She doesn’t say anything, only breaks free from my grip. I want her to scream, yell, tell me everything she’s thinking so I can explain away every bad thought she has. I can’t handle the Lainey who keeps quiet, the one retreating back into herself after I pried her heart open little by little. I’ll break if she slams it shut again.

“Just listen to what I have to say. Please. It’s not your dad’s fault. It was mine. I told him about the race, and he did offer me money to keep you off the track, but it was never about the money. I didn’t want the money. I needed a reason to come back. A reason to be strong enough to face you. Because without you, I was slowly becoming the monster I feared. The monster I was always told I’d become.”

She shows no response, only continues cramming clothes into a bag, then moves to the dresser to grab more as I step behind her. Summoning all my willpower, I don’t put my hand on her like I so badly want to do. She needs to hear me if she’s ever going to let me in again.

“Lainey, I came back for you. I left because I thought it was best, but it was too late when I realized my mistake. I never wanted to leave you. I didn’t leave you. I stayed at that hideous ranch for you.”

“What the fuck are you doing in here?” Eli shouts as Lainey’s door swings open.

I can’t let him get her away from me again. “I left her once because of you, I won’t do it again.”

“Leave now or I’ll have you arrested for trespassing,” Eli shouts.

“Whatever you need to do, but I’m not leaving until I tell her what I need to say. Everything I need to say.”

His face pales, true fear showing through, which I can only recall happening less than a handful of times.

Lainey continues to flit around the room, packing up. “This isn’t how it should be. I’m removing myself, and y’all can figure out your own shit.”

Eli throws his arm up in the air, gesturing towards where Lainey has several bags stacked on her bed. “Everything was fine until you came along. She’s leaving because of you.”

I ignore the goad but keep a watchful eye on my brother, unsure what he will do. “I’m not leaving,” I say to Lainey. “Even if you don’t want me, I’m staying. I will be at our house, waiting until you see the truth. Until I prove everything to you.”

“I’m calling the police.” Eli yanks his phone out of his pocket, clicking the glass screen.

Good. At least his stupid ass is occupied for a few minutes.

“Lainey, I wasn’t going to take the money. I don’t need it. It was the excuse I allowed myself to use so I could come here to get you back. I can’t live without you.”

“How could you?” Hannah shouts as she surges into the room.

Damn it. Now I have to deal with this one too.

“You don’t know what’s going on, so stay out of it.”

She swings her arm, her phone flying at my head as she screams, “I’ve seen everything I need to know that you’re a demented psycho. Who else does things like that?” She points across the room where her phone narrowly missed my head.

“What?” Eli rushes past me, picking up the phone, clicking on the screen then a murderous glare looking to me. “I knew you were sick, but this is low even for you. How could you do that to her?”

“What the fuck is going on?”

Looking to Hannah, I notice the tears stream down her face as she looks to Lainey. Why is Hannah crying?

Hannah begins to speak but a sob comes out.

“Lainey,” Eli says her name as she jerks the phone out of his hand.

The loud shriek cuts through every muscle in my body as Lainey surges forward, her fist clutching the phone as she hammers it against my chest. Unable to gain control of her erratic movements, I yell for her to stop.

Hannah screams across the room. “You sent it to every person on campus. Everyone. Why would you hurt her like this?”

“Sent what?”

Lainey shoves the phone in my face as I see her, bent over her car with me behind her.