Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 93312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Grey throws a punch, but Thayer dips a shoulder, dodging the hit as he tackles Grey to the lawn. He raises his arm before slamming his fist into Grey’s face, the other hand gripping the collar of his shirt.
“Thayer, stop!” I run down the steps, then pull on Thayer’s arm, but he shakes me off easily.
“I didn’t fucking kill him,” Grey grunts.
Thayer lands another punch before Grey somehow gains the upper hand. They’re a pile of elbows and fists as they take turns getting their hits in until both of them are beaten bloody. If they don’t stop soon, someone’s going to be seriously hurt. I run back into the house, grabbing my phone off my bed, and call Holden.
“That was fast—”
“Holden, get over here fast. Grey’s here.” That’s all I need to say.
“Motherfucker. I’m coming.”
I drop the phone, running back outside.
“I heard you!” Thayer yells, sending another fist into the side of Grey’s face. Grey looks dazed, his eyes rolling for a second before he seems to come to. “I fucking heard it. You were with him when he died.”
What?
His elbow comes up like he’s going to hit him again, but I don’t think Grey can take another blow.
“Thayer!” My scream is desperate and guttural, surprising even myself, and I finally break through to him. He looks at me over his shoulder, fist raised, chest heaving.
“Please stop. Please, please, please,” I cry. “He’s my brother.” My voice cracks on the last word, sounding weak.
Thayer releases his hold on Grey and staggers to his feet just as Holden’s Range Rover comes barreling down the drive. He jumps out, taking in the scene before him with murder written all over his face.
Thayer bends down to grip Grey’s shirt, pulling him to his feet. “Get in the fucking car.”
“Thayer, no.”
“I’m not going to hurt him.” My face must convey how little I believe him. “Anymore,” he tacks on belatedly. “This shit ends tonight.”
Grey drags his arm across his bloody mouth, then spits onto the lawn. “Agreed.” He ambles over to Holden’s Rover, hopping into the back seat. Instead of taking the Hellcat, Thayer climbs in the front next to Holden.
If they think I’m letting Grey walk into the lion’s den alone, they’re mistaken. Before Holden can drive off, I jog over, jumping into the back seat, then close the door. Thayer’s eyes meet mine, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say they were full of remorse. But then he turns away, looking out the windshield.
“Bleed on my seats and I’ll finish the job,” Holden says, then he lays on the gas, heading for Whittemore.
To say this is awkward would be a massive understatement. Thayer and Holden are on one side of the poolroom, arms folded over their chests, and Grey is on the other. I stand in the middle, leaning against the pool table behind me. The tension in the room is palpable. This is the first time we’ve all been in the same room together in over a year, and my stomach is all twisted up in knots, having no idea what to expect.
“Start talking,” Holden says, breaking the tense silence.
“I didn’t kill Danny.”
“But you were there when he died.” Thayer states it as a fact, his voice void of emotion.
Grey takes a deep breath, then exhales through his nose. “Yes.”
My mouth drops open, my head whipping in his direction. “What?” I ask in a stunned whisper. I trusted him. Defended him. How could he keep something like this from me?
Grey looks at me, his eyes contrite, before focusing his attention back on Thayer and Holden. “I was supposed to meet up with him at the falls, but I found him on the shore. So yeah, I called the fucking cops. To save him.” He works his jaw. “But I was too late.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why wouldn’t you just say that to begin with?” I ask, confused. I want to believe him more than anyone in this room, but something isn’t adding up.
“I waited for the ambulance. I even tried to give him CPR for fuck’s sake. But Samuel got there before they did.”
“My uncle?” Holden asks, disbelief evident in his tone.
Grey nods. “He told me I needed to leave before anyone else showed up. Said there was no way anyone would believe that I just happened to stumble upon Danny’s body, and they’d take me to jail. I told him I’d already called the cops and he told me he’d take care of it. But then the police showed up before he could talk me into leaving, and they were asking all of these questions like I was some fucking murderer, and I realized he was right. They thought I did it, and there was no way to prove otherwise.”
“But my dad had the recording,” Thayer says. “He knew that you were the one who called it in. He had the police report. Why would he go out of his way to protect you?”