Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 163089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 815(@200wpm)___ 652(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 815(@200wpm)___ 652(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
Because if I talk to her, I’ll see Preston in her wide eyes, and I’ll lie to her and tell her he’s okay.
He has to be.
My Preston is not buried six feet under.
But he is.
And I still refuse to believe it. Even as the attendees filter out one by one from the cemetery. The last to go are the Vipers team, some of whom were shedding tears as Kane spoke about Preston.
Jude didn’t.
He’s also standing in front of his grave, and I need him to go because I’m going to dig my Preston out of that dirt.
I will take him.
And we will leave.
“It’s time to go, son.” Dad’s voice fills the space as he stands beside me, holding a large umbrella over his head.
He’s the reason Mom and I were able to attend the funeral. She came a bit late because Dad needed to arrange her access, but she’s clutching my arm now, holding an umbrella over us.
The three of us stand still, watching the pouring rain wet the ground Preston was buried in, Mom sniffling softly while pressing a tissue to her nose.
Miley isn’t the only one who cried. Mom hasn’t stopped crying since she heard the news. She’s been hugging me all the time, begging me to get some sleep.
But I can’t.
Every place reminds me of him. My bike, my rink, my workplace. My kitchen. My shower.
My bed.
Especially my bed.
And it’s empty now.
All cold and just not full of him.
The moment I close my eyes, I see him unconscious, his mouth bubbling with blood as he was bleeding in my arms.
I hear him mumble something, but I can’t make out the words.
I feel him wrapping his arms around me, but then I open my eyes, and the pressure is gone, substituted with crashing emptiness and the lack of him.
So no, I can’t sleep.
“Do you need a moment alone with him?” Mom asks, her tone soft and brittle.
“No,” I say, my voice as numb as my insides.
“You need to grieve properly, sweetie. You can’t just hold it in.”
I make an affirmative sound but say nothing.
“Let’s go home so you can at least sleep, okay?” She pulls on my jacket.
“You go, Mom. I need to talk to Dad.”
She pauses and casts a suspicious look between us. “Talk to him about what?”
“Something.” I force a smile. “Won’t be long.”
“I don’t like the way you’re bottling your emotions, Marcus.” She faces me. “Preston wouldn’t like it either.”
“Then he shouldn’t have fucking left!” I snap, then purse my lips. “I’m sorry, Mom. I just…need a word with Dad, okay?”
Her brow furrows, but she nods. “We’ll be having dinner together, okay?”
I say nothing.
“Okay?”
“Fine.”
“And you.” She glares at Dad. “Don’t try anything funny, or I will—”
“Snip my balls.” He sighs dramatically.
“Exactly.” Her glare disappears as she smiles at me and kisses my cheek, whispering, “I’m so sorry the world couldn’t handle someone as larger than life as Preston.”
My throat closes, but I stay still as she walks away, her frame disappearing in the growing fog.
Dad holds the umbrella over our heads as we both face where Mom just disappeared, the gravestones of the expensive-looking cemetery resembling ghosts.
Didn’t know cemeteries could be luxurious as well, but I’ve always been proved wrong in this world of Dad and his people.
“Are your sons buried in this cemetery?” I ask, my voice as dead as the people here.
“Yes,” he says without emotion. “A few rows down below, next to your grandfather and the rest of your ancestors.”
“Will I be buried there, too?”
“Not anytime soon, but yes, one day. You’re family.”
“How about X? Was he buried here?”
His grip tightens on the umbrella, but his tone doesn’t change. “I see Serena has been running her mouth.”
“Certainly, you knew she’d use anything in her arsenal to keep me away. It’s natural she’d try to placate me, threaten me, and make me scared of you.”
“Are you? Scared of me?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“If you wanted me dead, I would be by now. I know you threatened her somehow to get off my and Mom’s backs.” I tilt my head in his direction. “What did you do?”
“Everyone has a weakness, I just used hers. It’s not her time yet, and she needs to understand that. Rest assured, she will not hurt your mother. I promise you that.”
“Growing soft?”
A small smile tugs the corner of his lips. “I’ve always had a soft spot for your mother. It’s why I let her go.”
“Will you still let her go if I refuse to cooperate?”
“Yes, but it’s not in your best interest. Without what I’m offering, Serena will kill you. Just like she killed her other brothers.”
My hand flexes. “What?”
“She told you about X, no?”
“The one you used to keep your sons alive?”
“Yes. But did she tell you she blew him and the entire lab up, and with that, she indirectly killed her other brothers? To answer your question, no. X isn’t buried here because there was nothing left of him.”