Crash (Billionaire New Adult Romance)(35)

"So, how much did he pay you?"

Stung, I looked into his eyes, which looked hard. "I didn't take anything from your dad. You can ask him that yourself." Jerk.

He sighed and the unyielding look vanished from his face. "Why are you here, Natalie? Didn't I hurt you enough?"

"I'm here because I care. You're in this mess because of me. I just want to make it right, so why won't you let me?"

The emotion in my voice affected him. He gritted his teeth and looked  down. "None of this is your fault. It's all mine. Mine. I wanted to do  this alone."

"Why do you have to do it alone?"

"Because it's my cross to bear."

"I won't say anything, Will. I'll just be there with you. I promise."         

     



 

A little smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I wish I met you  years ago." Then he turned around and walked to the living room.

What does he mean by that?

I jumped as someone pounded the door and I peered through the hole, recognizing the two reporters. "Let us in!"

"Shit."

Will reappeared in the foyer. "Who is it?"

"The reporters your dad hired," I said in a quiet voice.

"What?" He whirled around to look at him. "Dad, what is she talking about?"

Mr. Pardini looked unconcerned with the menace in Will's voice. "Yes, I hired them to clean up this mess."

"No," he roared. "I won't have them following me around when I do this. This is my problem."

"It's my company! It's my name!" Mr. Pardini shouted back. "Do you think  you're the only one affected by all of this? Your mother and I have  tried everything to make you happy. I'm done! I've had enough of you.  All you've done for me is make my life difficult. You embarrass me. I am  through cleaning up after you."

Mr. Pardini's thin frame shook; flecks of spit flew from his mouth as he  screamed at his son. William's eyes widened and he took a step back.

Wow.

But he still wasn't done. "You'll never make CEO of this company! I let  you believe that you had a chance because I wanted you to focus on  something in your life, but it didn't work."

"Wow, Dad." His eyes narrowed and he placed his hands on his hips. "Thanks a lot for that. That makes me feel great."

"Will-" I stopped as they both looked at me, surprised that I was still  there. "It won't be as bad as you think. You'll get to meet them like  you wanted, and the public will stop hounding you for retribution. If  they see the families forgive you, they might leave you alone."

"I don't care about any of that. This was supposed to be private."

"It stopped being private a couple weeks ago, son."

William looked at me for help, but I just shrugged and grimaced. Just do it.

"Fine, but you're staying here, Dad." He looked at me and nudged his head towards the door.

Mr. Pardini gave me a small nod as Will waited for me at the entrance.  My heels clicked loudly on the wooden floors and my heart hammered as I  stood beside him and heard his fast breaths. He was scared to leave his  quiet sanctuary. His hand twitched by his side and I lifted my hand to  grab it. It was the first time we touched in days and my blood heated in  response. I wanted to tell him how much I missed the feeling of his  hands around my waist, his lips pressed against my face. I missed being  around him, but all I did was try to squeeze some of those thoughts into  his hand.



Ugly, industrial South San Francisco rolled by as the driver took us  down the Peninsula. I balled my fists over my knees as I watched Will's  face growing more and more anxious. He probably prayed for the traffic  to get worse so that we wouldn't get there on time.

A stupid, selfish part of me wished that he would change his mind about  us. I wanted him to lean forward and kiss me. I wanted him so badly that  it was torture to be in the same car as him. I kept watching him,  wanting to memorize every part of him so that I wouldn't forget him when  this was over.

He fingered a bottle of water in his hands. "You know, I pictured this  moment many times in my head. What I would say, what they would look  like … When I saw myself doing this, I didn't see a bunch of fucking  reporters documenting the whole thing." He looked at me. "I hate this."

"I know you didn't, but your dad's right. This is affecting him, too. We have to do something to make it better."

He made an impatient noise and stared out the window. "I can't believe he dangled that job in front of me to try and fix me."

At least your parents care about you.

"Will, are you going to go back to work?"

"I don't know."

He said it in a closed way that made me realize that the conversation  was over. Disappointed, I fell back into my seat. William's quiet gloom  spread throughout the car like a heavy fog, and I felt his anticipation  when the car suddenly stopped in front of a modest home in a quiet  suburb. This was the place that held one of the families that Will had a  part in destroying.

"Oh, shit." He blanched as the car made a sudden stop. Will craned his  neck to look inside the windows, where a few dark forms shifted inside.  "They're here."

His pupils were like pins. "I can't do this. I don't know what the hell I was thinking."         

     



 

"You're just nervous. They're probably nervous, too. Calm down!"

"I can't calm down!" His wild eyes looked up and down the street, as if he meant to sprint towards an escape.

I moved across the car and sat next to him, wrapping my arm around his back. "Will, you can do this."

The door swung open as the driver got out of the car to let us out. At  the sight of the reporters standing by with their cameras, he swallowed  hard.

"Go on, I'll be right behind you."

It was so bright outside that I flung my hand in front of my face.  Remembering that I was supposed to be Will's "girlfriend," I took his  hand and tried not to look at the cameras following us across the neatly  trimmed lawn. He stopped in front of the door, his face a blank mask.  He closed his eyes and grimaced every time he heard the cameras beep.

"I can't do this with them there."

Will gave me a pleading look and I sighed and nodded.

"Guys, I need you to wait outside," he said to the two reporters behind us.

"That's not what we agreed on."

"I know, but I can't do this if you're both inside with me. Just stay the fuck outside."

"Your father paid us to go inside."

I placed a hand on his arm and stepped forward, blocking him from the  reporters. "This will all go easier if you stay outside. You'll get the  photos of them together, I promise."

"Fine."

"Yeah, whatever."

Will nodded, looking relieved. "Okay, I'm ready." Before he could rap  his knuckles on the door, it unlocked and swung inward. I grabbed Will's  hand in a vice grip.

A tall, heavyset man with graying hair answered the door, unsmiling. "You must be William."

He flinched as if the man struck him, but there was no anger in his voice-no accusatory stare. He just sounded tired.

"Yes, Mr. Metsky."

I never heard him speak in such a quiet voice, and then I realized with a  shock that this must be the father of Julian Metsky, the youngest  victim. That's why he looks so terrified. I could see him forcing  himself to look the man in the eyes.

"Come in," he said in his rolling, deep voice.

I followed Will, feeling horrible as I walked through the narrow  doorway, brushing past Mr. Metsky. Inside was a small, carpeted family  room. Two couches surrounded a large coffee table where a large portrait  of a young girl sat upright, grinning toothily. Will shuddered to a  stop and stared in horror at the photo until I sidled up against him and  pinched his arm, hard enough to snap him out of it.

On the couch were several people with varying degrees of hostility.  There were Julian's mother, a teenage boy, and several others who I  assumed to be part of the Ramos family. I froze. What do we do now? Do  we shake their hands and introduce ourselves?

Will shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "I'm Will. This is my girlfriend, Natalie."

I gave them a weak smile and flinched as their eyes flicked to me like  hot, stabbing knives. What were they thinking? Perhaps they were  disgusted with me.

"I'm sorry that it took so long for us to be in the same room together."

Mr. Metsky gestured towards the couch and Will and I crammed ourselves  beside the others, uncomfortable beyond belief. The tall man sat down on  the leather chair directly opposite us.

"You're having some week, aren't you?"

Having nothing to say to that, William kept silent. He couldn't stop  staring at the giant portrait of Julian, which was in front of him. It  seemed like it was placed there deliberately, to remind him of the  beautiful little girl he destroyed.

"I wanted to visit for many years, I just couldn't pluck up the courage. I-"

"Give me a break," the boy suddenly spat out. "He's just here because he wants to make himself look better."