Rebounding (21 page)

On Saturday, Max has his appointment with Piper. I spend time on the beach with my brothers while he’s gone. The water is still cold, but winter in South Florida is remarkably different than in Savannah. Everyone swims and we grill hamburgers on the patio. I enjoy every second of the time I get to spend with them.

That night Stephanie comes over, and she and I decide to cook a big meal since it’s Forde and Wyatt’s last night. We decide on Cuban food. She and I get to work, which let’s face it, is basically Stephanie telling me what to do the whole time since my cooking experience is limited. The end result is delicious though, and I’m proud of myself.

“We’re gonna miss you, Char,” Forde says to me over dinner.

“I’ll miss you too.”

“You’re going to have to tell Mom and Dad, you know.”

I stifle a groan. “I’m planning to call them this week. They already know I left. I just haven’t spoke to them since then. That conversation didn’t go down so well.”

He places his hand over mine. “They love you, Char. They’re your parents. And whether or not they agree with your decisions, they’ll learn to accept them.” He nods toward Lucas. “Prime example over there. Dad hated having a gay son, but he got over it. It didn’t make him love Luke any less.”

I smile softly. “You’re right.”

After dinner, I take Batman outside to pee. Trevor’s outside smoking a cigarette. As soon as I step outside, he signals for me to stay quiet. When I hear Max’s muffled voice around the corner, I realize why. Trevor is eavesdropping.

I’m not surprised. Over dinner, Max kept checking his phone. It gave me a weird vibe, like he was trying to hide something.

“Tomorrow night? The party runs till midnight? Okay…yeah…I’ll be there…bye.”

Trevor gestures for me to get back inside. He practically shoves me through the door when I don’t move as quickly as he wants. “Batman hasn’t gone yet,” I hiss.

“If Max sees us, he’ll know we overheard.”

Once we’re back inside, Trevor leads me across the house. “Follow me,” he says, heading toward the side entrance. “Batman can do his business out here.”

Once the door is shut behind us, I don’t hold back. “This is one of those times when he sneaks off and no one knows where he goes, isn’t it?”

Trevor nods slowly. He eyes me very carefully. “What do you know about that?”

“Just that he disappears a lot in the middle of the night…and that he’s putting himself in danger.”

“All of that is true,” he says, watching my reaction. “I don’t like it, but I can’t stop him.”

“I don’t like it either.”

“What do you think about following him tomorrow?”

“Me and you?”

“Yeah. By then, your brothers will be gone. You can tell Max you’re exhausted from their visit, pretend to go to sleep early, and I’ll keep watch for his truck. As soon as leaves, I’ll call you, and we’ll follow him.”

The idea is tempting.

I’d really like to know where he goes and what he’s up to, but at the same time it feels wrong. If I go, I’d be crossing another line. A
big
line.

“So?” Trevor asks again. “Are you in?”

Tell him no.

Tell him it’s wrong, and you want to respect Max’s boundaries.

“I…what about Steph?” I certainly don’t want to enlist Stephanie for this, but I’m curious as to why she’s not his first choice.

He shakes his head. “She has plans. It’s her friend’s birthday tomorrow. Charlotte, I’m going with or without you, but I’d rather not go alone.”

I let out a shaky breath. “Okay…I’m in.”

TWENTY-NINE

Char

It’s a good thing Trevor and I are dressed in black. We find ourselves camped outside of a mansion on the intercoastal, a loud party raging inside. We hide in the bushes looking over the terrace, planning our next move.

“Part of me feels like this is wrong,” I whisper to Trevor. “I mean, he’s not obligated to tell us everything he does. I feel like we’re spying on him.”

“Newsflash. We
are
spying on him.”

A branch pokes me in the arm. “Exactly,” I say, pushing away the scratchy shrubbery. “And we’re not doing a very good job of it either. What are we going to do from out here?”

“Well for one thing, we know where he is. And for another, I just looked up the owner of this address.” Trevor holds up his phone, flashing me a picture of a middle-aged Hispanic man in a business suit. “River Diaz owns the place. He’s a known associate of David Garcia.”

I remember the name David Garcia from the anniversary letter. Max is looking for revenge, just I suspected. Knowing that’s what he’s after fills me with dread. Trevor and Stephanie are right. He’s going to get himself killed.

“What do you think he’s going to do?” I ask Trevor. “It’s not like Max can walk up to Garcia and off him in a huge crowd of people.”

He looks at me suspiciously. “So then you know who Garcia is to him?”

Crap. “I um…read about him.”

He nods. “Well, you’re not going to like this part then. The crowd won’t stop him. Max can and
would
off him regardless of how many people are watching. It wouldn’t matter if it happened on national television. If he has an opportunity, he’ll take it…even if it gets him killed in the end.”

I swallow, feeling dizzy. This can’t be happening. “Maybe we should try to go inside,” I suggest.

“Just a moment ago, you said we shouldn’t even be here.”

“I changed my mind.”

Trevor stares at me. “You love him, don’t you?”

I don’t answer the question, but it still scares me. I already know what the answer is.
Yes.
I’m in love with a guy who cares more about revenge than his own life.

Trevor and I are distracted by a commotion going on outside. “Get down.”

We both kneel down as low as possible, peeking through the bushes.

“It’s Max,” Trevor mouths to me.

Several men dressed in suits lead Max directly toward us. I catch a glimpse of his face, seeing the anger in the hard lines of his jaw. Something is wrong. Once they’re far enough away from the house, one of the men slams his fist into his stomach, and Max doubles over. I yelp in response, ready to scream out for help, but Trevor’s hand around my mouth cuts me off.

“Stay quiet,” he warns me.

Two of the men walk right by us. Trevor doesn’t move his rigid hand from my mouth. His attention is on the scene unfolding in front of us. The two men stop only a few feet away, speaking in low voices, but still loud enough for us to hear.

“Let’s get rid of him. He’s been a nuisance. I say we load him up in the cargo van now while we have him.”

The other man shakes his head. “No. Too many witnesses around tonight. Find out where he lives. We’ll take care of him later.”

I gasp against Trevor’s palm. They can’t be serious. They’re talking about killing someone as if it’s an errand they need to run.

They continue beat the shit out of Max. He fights back at first, gets a few punches in, but that just pisses his attackers off even more. When he receives a blow to the face, I struggle against Trevor, but he continues to hold me down. “You can’t let them know we heard them, Char,” he whispers against my ear.

I can’t watch anymore of this. Feeling helpless, I close my eyes, wincing each time I hear a noise. I know only seconds pass, but my adrenaline is pumping so fast it feels like an eternity.

“Garcia has a message for you,” someone says, and I look up. “He says the next time you come around asking for him will be the last.”

With that said, the men head back inside, leaving Max lying there on the ground.

“Let’s go get him,” Trevor says now that we’re in the clear.

We jump the hedges, and the two of us are on the veranda in an instant. Surprisingly, Max stands up without needing help. He’s brushing himself off as he sees the two of us approach. He looks me over once, his lips swollen and bleeding. I don’t miss the hard, accusing look he steers on Trevor. “I’ll kill you for mixing her up in this.”

“Doesn’t look like you’re in good enough shape to kill anyone at the moment,” Trevor points out. “So let’s get out of here before your friends come back.”

Before Max has a chance to argue with that, I say, “I’ll drive you. I can take you to the nearest hospital.”

“I’m not going to a hospital. The two of you can leave the same way you came.”

He walks away, leaving me standing there feeling struck. I figured he might be mad, but I never thought he’d be upset enough to turn me away.

“Don’t worry about it,” Trevor says softly. “He just needs some time to cool off.”

“What if he has a concussion and wrecks on his way home?”

“We’ll follow him back to the house. It’ll be all right.”

Trevor and I both stay quiet on the drive home, both too shaken by what we saw to say anything. We follow behind Max’s pickup truck, watching his every move. At least he seems to be driving without difficulty. He doesn’t swerve or brake too hard or drive off center. It makes me feel a little better, but not much.

When we pull up to the house, Max completely ignores us. He slams his truck door, heading inside without a single word. I remember the last time this happened and the way Max reacted, using me as a way to escape Trevor and Stephanie’s questions.

“How often does this happen?” I ask Trevor.

“Let’s just say I’m surprised he’s still alive.”

“Doesn’t he realize he’s just one person?”

Trevor shrugs. “He doesn’t care. He won’t give up until either he finds his sister, or Garcia is dead. Or maybe both.”

Suddenly I get it.

Why Trevor is here. Why he refuses to leave. It’s like he’s on constant standby, waiting for Max to disappear, to hear news of his death, or to find out he’s gone to prison—who knows. I finally get why it’s always so tense between the two of them.

I march up the front porch steps, not surprised when Max is nowhere to be found. I go straight up to his bedroom, opening the door without knocking. He’s inside, standing by the window, holding an icepack to his face. He keeps his back turned to me.

That’s fine, I tell myself. He doesn’t have to say anything. All he has to do is listen.

“What you’re doing is selfish.”

“You don’t know the first thing about what I’m doing.” His biting response surprises me. I figured he’d keep giving me the silent treatment.

“I know that you’re putting yourself in danger. I know that it’s not fair to your cousin or to anyone who loves you.”

“There’s a lot of things in life that aren’t fair.”

“Revenge comes at a high price. It’s never going to give you the peace you’re looking for, and someone always ends up losing in the end.”

He turns around, the anger in his gaze unmistakable. “How did you find out?”

I could lie, but I don’t feel like it. This needs to be an honest conversation. “I researched you online, and then I read more about it in a journal you left in my room.”

“You had no right—”

“I only read one entry. I’m not saying it was right, but I wanted to know more about you. Getting to know you isn’t easy when you try so hard to keep everyone away.”

He takes a step toward me. “Are you satisfied? Now that you know about my sad little tragedy?”

I swallow, trying not to back down. “I wish it had come from you, and no, it doesn’t satisfy me to know about the horrifying things that happened to you. It makes me angry. It makes me
furious
. No one should have to experience what you went through.”

He moves even closer, clenching his jaw. “So you understand my anger, but you criticize my need for revenge.”

“When you’re risking your life, yes. You walked out of that church a survivor, Max. Why throw away everything you have? You know how it feels to lose loved ones. Why would you risk passing on that hurt to Trevor, to Stephanie…and to me?” I whisper the last part out.

“Everything I have?” He laughs bitterly. “What I have is a life full of sleepless nights. Every time I close my eyes, I see their faces. I dream about their deaths, their screams, their blood, until I wake up in a cold sweat. What I
have
is a life I don’t fucking care about. All the money in the world, a thriving business—and I’d give it all up just to put a knife in Garcia’s heart. I didn’t ask for Trevor to come here. I didn’t ask for him or anyone else to care, because I don’t
want
anyone to care. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m on a suicide mission, but if it gets me one step closer to killing Garcia, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

My chest constricts, making it harder to breathe. Hearing how he feels hurts me in more ways than one. Deep down I know this isn’t about me, but when I hear him talk about his meaningless life, and how he wishes no one cared, he’s lumping me into that box too. I haven’t been in his life that long, but I thought what we have might be worth something to him.

I shake my head as I stare at him. “I won’t watch you do this to yourself.”

“You don’t have to, kid. You can leave anytime you want.”

His words pinch at my insides, twisting me apart. “You said that like you don’t care one way or another.”

He doesn’t even flinch. “I already have Trevor chasing after me, acting like my goddamned keeper. I don’t need you to do it too.”

“Your keeper…” Just the other day, he told me never to leave. Now he’s saying he doesn’t care if I do. The constant push-pull is getting too hard to handle. Tears sting at my eyes, but I blink them back. He’s
not
going to see me cry. “You’re an asshole, you know that, Max?”

“You’re just now noticing?”

For a few seconds, I stare at him, searching his dark eyes for hidden emotions. But it’s like the guy is made of stone. I need to get out of here before he sees me fall apart.

Turning my back on him, I walk away. As I do, there’s a lingering sense of hope that he might stop me. My breath is caught in my throat, waiting for him to take back everything he said, waiting to hear him tell me he didn’t mean it. But he doesn’t stop me. He doesn’t take any of it back. I laugh to myself, shaking my head. Ironic, now that I think about it. He told me he wouldn’t run once he’d taken what he wanted from me. In a way, he was right. He doesn’t have to run. Because he’s forcing me to do it.