Bait(82)
It’s perfect.
It’s us.
And damn, he looks damn fucking fine in a tux.
Goodbye cathedral backdrop.
A couple of clicks and I’m done. It’s official. We’re my phone lock screen.
I guess that means I’m going to be meeting Cameron for sure. I’m laughing even at the absurdity of my train of thought.
Too long a night, too many revelations. Too much cock.
No. Never too much cock.
My parents have always been early risers. I guess that’s why my messenger pings when Mum shows online.
Are you up??
I type out a simple yes and hit send, and then I wait for it.
Who is the guy in the suit?
I take a breath. Ask myself if I’m really ready for this. Really, really ready.
I’m smiling as I call her number.
And I’m smiling even harder as I tell her about Leo Scott.
Phoenix
My heart is thumping wild. My throat dry all the way home.
My tyres screech as I pull into the driveway. I don’t even bother locking the truck.
I find Serena on the terrace. It takes me a moment to realise she’s smoking a cigarette.
She hasn’t smoked since she was a teenager.
“Was it–” I begin, but she doesn’t need the question.
“Jake,” she says. “I guess I wasn’t the only person who caught you skinny dipping with Miss Pretty in the swimming pool.”
The panic flares. “Cam, is he–”
“Cam’s fine,” she says. “Didn’t even wake up.”
I breathe. Allow my thumping heart to settle. And then I ask her what happened.
She stubs out her cigarette and takes out another. I realise it ended pretty badly if he left without his smokes.
“He was drunk,” she says, as though he was likely to be anything other. I tell her as much but she shakes her head. “This was different, Leo. He’s been drunk before, this was…”
“Really fucking drunk?”
She shoots me a glare. “Desperate. He’s really desperate. I’ve never seen him like this.”
“Desperate enough to do what exactly?”
She drops her eyes. “Fuck, I don’t know, Leo. He was spouting on, about you, about Mariana, about the goddamn paternity test. He said he’d given you an ultimatum. That your time is up.”
I shake my head. “There is no fucking time limit, Serena. I never agreed there would be. He’s not getting a paternity test, and he never has been.”
“He said you’re too busy cavorting with the new girl to take care of your own family mess.”
“He’s not my fucking family.” My voice is harsh. I regret it as soon as I’ve said it.
“We’re family, Leo. All of us. Don’t forget what he did for us. Don’t forget what we did for each other.”
“A long time ago,” I say, like it needs pointing out. “The guy’s off the rails. I’m calling my lawyer back on Monday morning. We’ll get the police involved.”
She stares into the distance as she takes a drag. “How the fuck did it come to all this?”
“Mariana,” I say, because it’s the truth.
That makes her smile. “I wonder if she’d be laughing, if she was still here.”
“Probably.” I lean over the railings with her. “I told Abigail about Cameron.”
“And?”
“And I think she’ll meet him. Not yet, but soon.”
She nods. “That’s good news. A step forward for some of us, at least.”
She holds out her arm. “He grabbed me. Hard. I had to hit him with the ashtray.” She points to the tray at her side. Chipped. I bet that fucking hurt.
“May have knocked some sense into him, you never know.”
“We can hope.” She sighs. “I think it’ll bruise. I’ll give a statement to the police if it’ll help keep him away from Cam.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’ve changed your tune. What really went down here?”
“Nothing you need to worry about, trust me.”
I do trust her, but not about this. Not about Jake.
She stares at me. “I mean it, Leo. Nothing. He barged in, spouted a load of shit, said he was going upstairs to see Cam and I told him I’d call the police if he did. I went for the phone, he grabbed me, I hit him with an ashtray.”
“And then he left?”
“And then I called you and he went really ballistic. Charged upstairs before I could stop him.” She’s aged so much this past year, my sister. I notice fine lines around her eyes as she looks away. “I thought he was heading for Cam’s room, but it was shut when I followed him. I stood outside to guard his door and I called you three or four times straight.” She quirks her brow. “Guess you were busy, hey?”