Hidden River Deception (Hidden River Academy Book 4) Page 3

  “You got some shit bubbling under that skin?” He asked, his eyes mirthful. He was enjoying making me uncomfortable, and it was severely upping his chances of getting punched right in his smug face. I took a breath and unclenched my fist.

  “I have no idea-”

  “Look, it’s cute that you always like to deny yourself the things you want out of some misguided attempt to out-honor your father or whatever, but can you cut the bullshit and level with me now?” He narrowed his eyes, his smile pulling down at one corner. “Because I see you killing yourself over what happened, and I gotta be honest, some people do this shit to themselves. She never asked you for help. Or me, or anyone.”

  “Well why the fuck would she turn to us?” I demanded, feeling something inside of me unjamming and a rush of anger flooding past the gate I normally kept buttoned up tight. “What the fuck? Why-”

  Reid reached over and put a steady hand on my shoulder, his expression transforming instantly from slightly psychotic and gleeful to… sympathetic.

  “Breaths, man, take breaths.”

  I hated it when he got all understanding. It wasn’t a good look on him. He did vaguely bored and assholeish much better, but still, I had to appreciate he was trying.

  “I can’t explain this shit to you,” I said, waving him off and batting at his hand when he tried to grab my shoulder again. “I said fuck off.” I flicked the keys and the car grumbled to life again.

  Reid rolled his eyes, the click of his seatbelt buckle muted as he got himself resettled.

  What the hell was I supposed to say to him anyway? My feelings didn’t make sense. I didn’t believe in love at first sight. I didn’t even believe in love. Duty was real. What you owed to your family, and your people, your friends. Obligation and duty. Fidelity. Those were words that made sense, and have very clear lines drawn around them. Have your friend’s backs. Stand by your family until the very end. Never break the line, hold that goddamn line.

  Marry who you were supposed to. The girl that made sense, came from a good family, had good connections in the business world and would add to your bottom line. Maybe it was medieval, but it had kept our family in the top earners nationally for several decades. The quiet Pierce empire that was monolithic and ever-expanding. My uncles headed up shipping magnates in Europe. My father had worked right along side them, and until he’d died, I’d been following dutifully in his footsteps.

  My goals had been singular: do well in high school, get into the right university, marry the girl my parents had picked out for me once I had my degree, then join the family business as a company man. It wasn’t an easy path, but it didn’t have any deviations budgeted into it.

  There was no time for extracurriculars like art, or dating around. It’s why I never dated girls at school, I just fucked them. Reid was a help in that area; hooking up at his parties was simple and came with no strings attached.

  But then Mia Quinn had walked into school, so damaged and broken, with so few people having her back and… something inside of me had broken. My eyes had wandered just as she’d fallen into Buck’s arms and his bed.

  I hadn’t believed in love at first sight, because how could you love someone when all you were was perfect little robot, programmed to do exactly the same thing as your father, and his father before him? When you didn’t even have a heart to begin with?

  But she’d been there, shoulders rounded and looking like a stiff wind would knock her over… and she never bowed. Even when things got hard. Even when her world had turned on its head. She was so strong in a way I wasn’t, and it was almost like I was afraid being around her would expose the ugly parts of me on the inside. If I got close to her, everyone would see that who I pretended to be was a joke, but at the same time I couldn’t help it. I just wanted to be in her sunlight. I wanted to know what it was like to lose everything and not feeling like you were dead inside after.

  She still smiled, and the expression reached her eyes. She still lifted her head to the blue sky, eyes closing, like she wasn’t crumbling on the inside. It fucking staggered me.

  I’d barely exchanged more than a few words with her, and I loved her in a way that made me hate myself. It was almost better she ended up with Colt, Buck, and even Shawn. They had their problems but they weren’t empty on the inside like I was.

  They weren’t so hungry for something, anything, that they’d swallow her whole to fill the void inside of them.

  So I kept myself away, even at the same time as getting further tangled up in my feelings for her. I went along with Reid’s little shitty games, because I wanted her to keep away.

  That wasn’t exactly working out for me.

  “You dropping me off home?” Reid sounded surprised. I glanced up. The towering, impressive set of buildings that made up his family’s estate stretched out in front of us. My car’s tires rolled silently over the smooth pavement of the long drive. I’d taken us there out of habit.

  “Yeah, I’m done man, tonight is just… it was a little much, and I’ve got a presentation to prep for too,” I said.

  “Just get your butler to do it, that’s what mine does,” he said with a wrinkle of his nose. “Jesus you’re too good to even cheat on a little presentation?”

  “I like to know that I earned my results,” I shot back. “Instead of riding on my butler’s PHD or whatever.”

  “Pretty huge dick,” he said with a smirk, “that’s the only PHD I’m interested in having.”

  “Uh-” I paused and he realized what he said, his face morphing into a scowl.

  “Oh fuck off.” He unbuckled himself, hopping over the seat of my car with a angry hiss. “You know what I meant.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” I waved my hand and rolled the car forward with a shake of my head. “If I tell the guys, you’ll never hear the end of it.”

  All I got in response was an intense middle finger, and the sight of his back as he walked up the rest of the drive toward the double doors. One swung open for him, a member of his staff looking alert despite the late hour.

  Reid disappeared inside and my smile dropped off my face. I needed to get home and refocus my thoughts. I had a road in front of me I needed to walk. It was smooth, paved, and obvious. There was no time for deviations, no matter how much the whisper of the off-beat path to the side called to me.

  4

  Mia

  My uncle picked me up the next morning, didn’t ask questions, and wrapped me up in a big hug when he saw me.

  “You okay?” He asked, tousling my hair. I glanced up at him, my eyes burning. No more tears. I wasn’t the one who needed to be crying and feeling bad for themselves.

  “We need to talk,” I said, my tongue thick in the back of my throat. "I... I've been fucking up, and I just want to be honest with you."

  "Language," he admonished me gently, putting a hand on the small of my back. He tossed a look up at Buck, who was leaning against one of the entry pillars. Buck lifted his hand in a lazy salute and my uncle nodded, as if that was all he needed to know.

  I hadn't slept with Buck the night before. He'd given me a guest room, which was what I wanted and he needed too. There was something wrong between us and that had to get fixed before we... before I...

  I felt like a flower that'd had all it's petals crushed, and I needed to regrow before I went there with anyone.

  I ducked into my uncle's car and sighed, waiting for an awkward drive home.

  "So, I'm sure you know already, but I'm gonna tell you. Looks like charges are going to be dropped against Colt. Shawn's in a little more trouble, but-"

  "Can we talk about this at home?" I asked, squirming in my seat. I didn't want to tell him the whole truth and have him like, crash the car or something. That would be the cherry on top of the shit cupcake that was the whole situation.

  "Sure," Uncle Matt said, shaking his head slowly. "Sometimes you're just like her," he said. I knew he meant my mom, and my stomach fluttered. "Not in a bad way. Just... yeah, it's hard not to s
ee her in you. I think you make better choices. There were broken parts of her that are just fine in you." He reached over and clapped me on the shoulder affectionately. "Some people don't connect well with the world around them. It's good to see you fitting in, even if it's not exactly how I envisioned it."

  "I'm only here for a short time," I reminded him. "I could go home as soon as Mom's out, and ready for me." It was the reality we had to face, and I was done pretending that I could live in a bubble. Not facing problems had gotten me here. It was high damn time to start taking responsibility for myself. It was the only way to true salvation, and helping Colt and Shawn out.

  "You know..." We were turning into our drive way, the gravel crunching in a welcoming manner. The house may not have been as big as Buck's, but the paint was crisp and clean, and my heart squeezed in a painful-good way. It was becoming home. It was home. "You don't have to go."

  I froze as the car came to the stop. My Uncle Matt stared straight ahead, not looking at me. His voice got soft with his next few words, "I like having you here, Mia. I never thought I was cut out to be a parent, but heh, y'know, it's not so bad." He twisted in his seat to give me a brilliant smile. "This could be where you stayed, if you wanted to. You're more than old enough to make that decision."

  "I-"

  "Don't think about it too much now. I know you've got things on your mind, but I want you to know... if you need a safety net, a soft place to land? I'm here. This home is here, for you." He reached over and his rough fingers skimmed the side of my cheek, tucking my hair behind my ear. His eyes were wet. I wanted to throw myself at him and just cry out a month's worth of pain onto his shoulder.

  It felt like safety, and knowing that I'd be caught if I fell.

  "Thank you," I whispered. Matt laughed, awkward and too-loud, slapping his hand on his thigh.

  "Let's go inside and eat. Did that boy feed you at all?"

  5

  Mia

  My scrambled eggs went cold as I told him everything, and Uncle Matt's face became more and more drawn tight with the truth. About Brandt. About the bullying. About my fears over what would happen to my mom. About... the money.

  "You've got a pack of idiots running around you," he said, leaning back in his chair, looking thoughtful.

  I bit my lip.

  "What do you mean by that?" I asked. He rubbed a hand over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose like it hurt.

  "Well... I'd say we've got some problems. Where's the cash? Under your bed?"

  I shook my head.

  "In a box of tampons in the bathroom cupboard," I said. He popped an eyebrow and smirked.

  "Clever enough. Alright. So you've got this money..." He sighed. "Honestly, I don't know what to do at this point-"

  "Buck said that their, the guys', their family lawyers were getting involved, maybe talk to them?" I offered. Matt gave me a tired smile and stared down at his coffee.

  "I swear this thing was fuller a few minutes ago," he muttered before getting up to pour himself another cup. He loaded up with way more sugar than was healthy, and a generous splash of cream. "I'm gonna need all the help I can get. Alright, ground rules."

  I sat up in my seat, the change in his tone immediate and making my gut twist.

  "You stop lying to me by not telling me about things like Brandt, alright? I can't help you if you keep this to yourself." His mouth was stern, but his eyes looked lighter than they had in awhile. It was almost like he was relieved we'd gotten to this point and he could start helping instead of watching me hurt without having a way to stop the bleeding.

  "I know," I said, "that's why I'm coming clean now. Better... late than never?"

  "And... I'd really like you to see a counselor. I know we talked about it before, but I didn’t give it enough thought. Someone, a woman, a lady, someone to help you navigate this... thing you've got going on with all your boyfriends, or whatever they are."

  My cheeks blushed, hot and uncomfortable.

  "I-"

  "Non-negotiable," he said, "you've had enough trauma to last anyone a lifetime, and dealing with one partner is hard enough, let alone... however many?" He held up his hand and seemed to be counting off on his fingers.

  "Oh my god, stop, it's not that bad," I said, fighting the urge to cover my eyes with my hands.

  "Yes it is. And if I have to have the talk with all of them, I goddamn will. So let's not let it get to that point, because I feel like I've raised half of them at least, and it's going to be more uncomfortable for me than it will be for them." He pushed his coffee cup toward me as if to make the point more firm. "Clear?"

  "Okay," I said. "So um, do you want my phone, or... am I grounded or...?" He shook his head.

  "I think you've been acting from a place of duress and I'm not going to make that worse for you by punishing you, Mia. Did you want to do any of that shit?"

  I gave my head an empathetic shake.

  "No, I knew it was bad, the whole time but it felt like I couldn't stop it."

  "The only thing I'm thinking other than this right now? I want to report that asshole for luring and solicitation," he said firmly. Ice crawled up my insides.

  "Brandt?" His name almost stuttered out of my mouth but I kept it together at the last minute.

  "He propositioned you. You're a teenager, a minor. I don't fucking think so." His eyes blazed and he looked so incensed for a second I was worried he was going to fly right out of the kitchen and drive down to the Park to confront Brandt himself.

  "But, it'll, Mom's court case-"

  "You think for a minute that I want some predator out on the street? Your mom would agree with me, and I don't think it'll exactly hurt her case if he has those kind of charges coming up against him when she goes to court, alright?" He set his coffee cup down on the kitchen island. We were quiet, and my thoughts tumbled around after each other, not making any sense at all.

  "Mia, I'm not going to force you to report it, although as a teacher, there's some legal obligations I have. But still, I'd rather do this with you agreeing with me on it. There's that old saying, you do things with your family, not to your family."

  It was so foreign to think of him as family even though he was. The word reverberated inside of me and I looked down at my sad, cold scrambled eggs.

  "Okay," I said, "I'm okay with that. Let's report it." I was just kinda worried about him bringing up the blackmail thing, and it somehow getting back to hurt Shawn and Colt... but I needed to trust my uncle. He wouldn't do anything that would cause more harm than it fixed. I had to believe that.

  6

  Mia

  It was hard to keep a lid on my feelings and not frantically text Shawn and Colt both, but I knew deep in my gut I needed to give them time to sort themselves out. My uncle told me that things weren’t fine, but they were being dealt with in as best a manner they possibly could.

  I spent a lot of time on Google, searching up the legal process for what happens to a person when they get arrested for stealing, but none of the situations seemed specific to minors, or what had happened to Shawn and Colt.

  Sitting on the couch wasn’t doing me any favors, with all the possibilities of what could be happening swimming in my head. On one hand I wanted to, no, needed to, trust Buck and my uncle that everything would work out, but it’s one thing to generally believe someone knows what they’re talking about, and another thing to wait for that reality to pan out. I was stuck in limbo, and it wasn’t even my life that was in jeopardy. It just felt like it was.

  Normally being curled up in the quiet of Uncle Matt’s living room was enough to make my restless heart settle, but I just couldn’t. I wanted to get up, pace, do something, call someone, but at the same time I knew everyone was freaking exhausted and just needed time to work through everything. I didn’t even want to think about how stressed being arrested had been for Colt. Something teased at the back of my mind, something that I’d heard as they were loading Colt into the car… it was bothering me, like I’d m
issed something important, but I couldn’t quite remember it. The thought as just out of reach. I groaned and tried to close my eyes to focus on it because it felt like that would be the answer to whatever unease I was feeling.

  All the hard thinking did was ramp up my feelings of nervousness, and I broke down. I needed to talk to someone. Flicking my phone screen on, I took a breath and called Shawn, because it didn’t seem like the kind of conversation I should’ve had over the phone.

  There were just some conversations that you need to have like that. There are some things that could only be said where the other person could actually hear how you felt with your words and your tone. I didn't want any more miscommunications. I'd had enough of those. There had been so many times where I had made mistakes and not talked enough, not used my voice. This was not going to be one of those times. I was kinda fucking over it. Shawn had hurt me, yeah, okay, and it had probably been one of the most difficult times I’d ever gone through. And I wasn't even sure if I was ready to forgive him just yet, but he made such a sacrifice, risking his entire life, to help out Colt. That meant something to me. Maybe because, for the first time he was putting my needs ahead of everybody else's, ahead of his own. It was a stupid, brash decision that he made, but it was the brave one, and if I was honest… It woke something up inside of me, something protective and strong that I never really felt before. Maybe I'd always just been too weak to feel it before. I felt like I needed to be there for him, and shelter him from his own choices.

  I stared out the window, my phone in my lap, trying to wrestle with the feelings that warred in my chest. My anger and hurt over the past had to be put aside for the time being. I had to let it go, and just follow this path that was opening up inside of my heart. That was where the real Mia lived, at the end of it, I just knew. The Mia who could handle anything, who was strong and capable, and took care of other people as much as she took care of herself. That was the Mia I’d been with my mom, mothering her more than she’d done to me. It was a shitty burden to put on a kid, but I was growing up now. I could take this.