Vivid Lies (22 page)

"Is that why you left? Did he hurt you?"

"We left for a lot of reasons. He hasn't touched us in years, but sometimes his neglect was just as abusive as his slaps or hateful words. He was suffocating us." I wipe a stray tear. "We couldn't just leave him like that, and guilt would always make us stay to take care of him. I wanted to grow up and have my own life. One where I wasn't tied down by a man who didn't love me."

Kane moves so he is behind me and pulls my back to his chest. His arms wrap around my chest, warming and protecting me. I feel his breath on my neck as his lips hover over the skin.
 

"Do you ever miss home?" he asks.
 

"Sometimes," I admit. "I miss the sound of frogs and crickets as I'd fall asleep. The treehouse in the backyard that we would spend hours in. I miss knowing my place in the world."

As the sky turns from navy to black, I grow quiet.
 

"Tell me more," Kane whispers in my ear. "I want to know everything about you."

I laugh and it feels good to feel my lips pull up into a smile.
 

"You're the investigator. You never looked me up?" I ask, only half teasing. My stomach knots thinking about the things he could find about us that we buried and left behind.
 

"No. I don't want to find something you aren't willing to tell me."

I look into his eyes, trying to see the deception but I only see honesty. Truth mixed with hope and a little bit of hunger.
 

"Everything?"

"Baby, I will take anything you will give me."

I tell Kane about growing up with my sister and Miles. I leave out the stories of my father and focus on the good. I realize the bond my sister and I share can't be broken. There is nothing that will come between us, and I start to relax in his arms. Kane is quiet and lets me talk until my eyelids get heavy.
 

"Let me drive you home," Kane finally says. "I'll bring you for your car tomorrow."

"Thank you," I say as he helps me up. "Not just for the ride, but for listening when I had no one else to turn to."

"Anytime, London." He leans down and takes my cold lips in a kiss that quickly warms me up.

My hands thread in his hair and our bodies press together like magnets. My heart pounds and comes alive. His tongue touches mine and I'm no longer tired. I forget the cold and the late hour until Kane pulls away.
 

"Don't start that now. I'm trying to be a gentleman tonight."

I pout, but he nips my lip and pulls me down the catwalk. My hand feels like it belongs in his. Miles may love Brooklyn more than me, but I'm okay with that. I don't need his love or protection. I found it for myself. With the light of Kane's phone, we find our way out of the marina.
 

Brooklyn

Her screams pierce through the night. My eyes fly open automatically, and I'm on my feet without thought. London is sitting up in her bed, panting and trembling.
 

"It's okay," I whisper as I crawl in the bed next to her.
 

My arm wraps around her shaking shoulders and I pull her close, hating how scared she is from something I can't stop.
 

"The same nightmare?" I ask.
 

"Yep. Same thing."

Silence fills the air as she tries to calm down.
 

"You gonna tell me about them? Maybe that will help."

I'm not surprised when she shakes her head. She never tells me no matter how many times they haunt her. She might think she is protecting me from her ghosts, but she has no idea how badly it hurts to see her fight alone. If I could step inside her mind for one night and put an end to this, I would in a heartbeat. Only she won't let me in.
 

"It's fine. Just the stress."

I roll my eyes at the excuse. The nightmares started when we moved here. She would say it was the stress of moving, or starting up her photography, or paying the bills. I didn't buy them then and I really don't now.
 

"When did we start lying to each other?" I ask.

I feel London stiffen. She knows I'm not talking about the dreams anymore. She sighs and leans against the headboard. I follow, letting the silence fill up the empty space between us. This would be the moment to tell her about Miles, but I keep my mouth shut. The secrets in the corner grow.
 

"Did he ruin us?"

"Probably."

I wondered that myself many times in my life. Maybe we stayed to long, letting him suck out all of our happiness before leaving us dry. Maybe we ran too late, unable to be anyone other than the spawn of a hateful drunk. Maybe the need to survive made London a better person and me a selfish bitch.
 

My sister's warm hand touches mine. I lift my hand and press my palm to hers. Our fingers line up perfectly. I sigh at the connection.
 

It's our way of holding hands. We've done for all of our lives, I suppose. It was a way to say we were together and inseparable. Nights huddled in the closet together, vicious storms, or hiding in the tree house were better because we weren't alone. Never alone.

"I'll tell you. When I'm ready to talk about it," she whispers.
 

I don't know if she is talking about the dreams or everything else she's hiding. It hurts she won't let me in but, I hold back. If London is going to take care of herself for once, I won't stop her.
 

"I've got your back either way," I tell her, pressing my palm to hers forcefully. "Forever."

"I know." London reaches over and pulls me into a tight hug. My heart aches for some reason when she pulls away.

Neither one us is able to go to sleep after, so we get up and ready for the day. The sun is peeking over the hazy skyline. I take the chance to run the empty streets alone. With the air still cool and the city still asleep, I run faster than ever. Every pound on the pavement feels like a punch to the world that's been unfair to us. I attack the ground with my feet for as long as I can.
 

When I come home, London is already gone. Her camera equipment is gone too, so she must be working. Exhausted, I shower and massage my sore legs. I don't bother getting dressed as the day is finally hot and humid. Naked, I flop in my bed and let the exhaustion take me under.
 

I wake to up to arguing. It's a change to London's screaming, but it's not welcome. I hear the rumble of Miles's deep voice. I haven't seen him since the other night when he slept over. I debate just staying in bed and ignoring whatever is going out there. When another deep voice joins, my eyes shoot open.
 

"Shit," I hiss while I get up to throw on a hoodie and sweatpants.
 

I press my ear to the door and listen before heading out to the battlefield.
 

"I told you to leave them alone," I hear Miles say.
 

"Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?" Kane throws back. "Where is she?"

"Leave. Now."

I swing open the bedroom door and find the two men in the doorway, fists clenched and shoulders tense.
 

"What the hell is going on out here?" I ask.

"Kane was just leaving," Miles says through clenched teeth.
 

"I'm not going anywhere."

The men stare each other down. This could get out of hand very quickly. I quickly cross the room and grab Miles by the arm, pulling him away from Kane.
 

"It's okay," I tell him. I turn to Kane. "I don't really want to see you though, so you can go."

He laughs and it grates my nerves. It's sarcastic and harsh, not a laugh of amusement.
 

"I'm not here for you. I'm here for London."

"London?" Miles and I say at the same time. Every muscle in Miles's body gets rigid when her name falls from Kane's lips.

"Why?" Miles asks.
 

Kane looks between me and Miles. His eyes fall on the way I'm holding his hand and I see the flash of understanding.
 

"Why do you care?" Kane asks. "Seem like you should have your hands full with this one."

I tug Miles back when I feel him ready to take a swing.
 

"Kane, cut the shit," I say. "What do you want with my sister?"

He glares at me but answers anyway.
 

"I told her I would take her to her car. We left it somewhere last night and I drove her home."

"Why were you with London?" Miles asks the question on my mind.
 

The silence speaks louder than words. I know what he's not saying. I can tell from the gleam in his eye and the smirk he is trying to hide.
 

It all starts to connect in my mind and make sense. The change in her, the men's jacket and the strange silence between us. Of course he was at the wedding. I finally see what she's been hiding from me.
 

I'm momentarily shocked, and I miss Miles's arm pulling away from me. His fists connects with Kane's jaw. I jump back as Kane swings back and pushes Miles to the wall, pinning him there with an arm across the neck.
 

"Stop!" my voice pushes through the heavy haze of anger and the men pause.
 

"I just came for London," Kane says. "I don't want trouble."

Kane pushes off Miles and they glare at each other. I stand between them to keep them from going at it again.
 

"You and London?" I ask Kane. I can't hide the hurt in my voice. It's not just because he was with her after me, or maybe even at the same time. It's because I didn't know. There are so many questions running through my mind.
 

In all my life, I didn't think there was anything I didn't know about London. I knew there were secrets between us lately, but I had hoped I was wrong. I was starting to think they were only my secrets and I was overreacting. I didn't want to see the devastating crack in our bond.

"Don't look at me like
we
betrayed
you
. What about you and Miles?"

"What about us?" I ask, knowing what he means but needing to ask anyway.
 

"Brooklyn, don't play dumb when we all know you aren't." Kane's words are harsh but true.
 

"I told you to stay away from London," Miles hisses.
 

"Why? So you can have her to yourself?"

Those words send a spear of pain through my heart.
 

"No, asshole. You will only hurt her," Miles argues, looking ready to throw another punch.
 

"I wasn't the one who hurt her. I think you two did that on your own."

"You don't know shit," Miles growls.
 

"I found her drinking by herself yesterday after she learned about you two."
 

"What?" I look to Miles who tries to avoid my stare.
 

"She saw me coming from your room," he admits. "She didn't seem upset though."

My skin crawls with a sickening feeling. Something isn't right. I can feel it in the air. I feel it in my DNA that's linked with hers. I felt the same when Dad would come home late some nights looking for someone to take out his anger and hate on. Miles looks at me and I know that I'm cracking.
 

"She lied to me. I lied to her," I whisper, backing away from the two men that are crashing through our world.
 

"Brooklyn," Miles starts toward me.
 

"Don't you see? This will ruin us. We are all each other has and we can't make it together with this between us."

The lies and secrets are finally in the shape of a wall. I can't get around it or through it. It's made of stolen moments with Kane and Miles. But it means so much more than that. It means we are drifting apart. Our bond that kept us glued together is breaking. The fear of being alone or without London is my biggest fear.
 

"Brooklyn. Please."

"I need you both to leave."

My words cut like a sword in the air. My voice cold and low. Two pair stare at me with concern.
 

"No," Miles says, coming for me.
 

"Go," I growl.

"No. Brooklyn, don't you dare fucking shut me out."
 

Miles clears the distance and grips my face between his warm hands. I'm forced to look into his familiar green eyes that I could get lost in.
 

"Don't push me out. Don't you dare."

I try to shake my head but I can't with Miles's hold. Tears start to well and I blink, letting one tear fall. I see the pain in his eyes to see me cry.

"She is my other half. We never lied to each other before you two."