A small smile tugged at my lips. “It’s a good thing you have Mercury here. Give me a few, and I’ll get you his exact location.”
She sat back, looking relieved. “While you do that, I’ll call Cade to pick me up. I’m guessing you want to stay here, Cass?”
She guessed correctly. “Yeah. I think we have some stuff to talk about, don’t we?” My brother looked at me, his eyes full of emotion, and I nodded.
“We do.”
FIFTEEN
Blissfully numb. At last. Eyes closed, I let the room spin as the bottle fell from my grasp. I couldn’t smoke here, but I was well on my way to emptying out the hotel minibar. My phone was off, and the drone of the TV distracted me from my thoughts. I wasn’t stupid enough to think that no one would find me here, but I knew that the hotel’s strict security should at least stop them from getting to my room.
The hotel phone blared loudly, disrupting my peace. Gritting my teeth, I fumbled for the handset, barking out a “What?” into the speaker.
“Excuse me, sir.” The voice at the other end was completely unfazed by my rudeness. “I have a Miss Huntington here at the front desk, asking to speak with you. Would you like me to send her up?”
I froze. “No. Fuck, no. I don’t want to see anyone.”
“Very good, sir. Would you like me to relay a message?”
“No.” With that, I replaced the handset in its cradle with a crash and flopped back on the bed.
My eyes flew open at the click of my door unlocking, and I bolted upright.
“West!” Winter flung herself across the room and onto the bed. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Her voice cracked.
My arms went around her automatically, but I held myself tense, in fight-or-flight mode as I met the eyes of two people over her shoulder. Two people that I definitely wasn’t ready to face yet.
My dad and my brother.
“Get. Out.”
“No.” Caiden folded his arms, staring at me challengingly. “Not until you hear what we have to say.”
I’d seen that look on my brother’s face many times over the years, and because I knew what a stubborn bastard he was, I capitulated with a growl. “Fine. Say what you came here to say, then leave me alone.”
He frowned but didn’t argue with me.
“How did you get in here, anyway?”
My dad was the one to reply. “Did you realise you were in a hotel owned by Credence Pope?”
“Creed let you break into my room? Brilliant.”
“Technically, we didn’t break in. We had a key,” my brother oh-so-fucking-helpfully pointed out.
“Whatever. Just tell me what you wanted to say.”
Winter shuffled off my lap and rearranged herself cross-legged next to me, as my brother perched himself on the side of my bed and my dad took a seat at the desk chair.
“We were wrong not to tell you about your mother sooner.” For the first time since they’d entered the room, my dad’s face fell, and I saw the anguish he was trying to hide. “Caiden and I…we’d planned to tell you sooner, and I’m so sorry that we let you down.” He leaned forwards, clasping his hands and pinning me with a look that was so full of pain and remorse that it stunned me. “I failed you. I thought—” His voice faltered, and he cleared his throat before continuing. “I thought that I was doing the right thing. I only hope that you can forgive me.”
Caiden took over from Dad, his troubled gaze focused on mine. “I’m so fucking sorry, West.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Why didn’t you tell me when it happened? Do you have any idea of how much guilt and regret I’m feeling right now?”
“Yes, I do know!” His voice was a shout that echoed through the hotel room. “I do know,” he repeated more quietly. “Because I’ve felt that way ever since it happened. I was trying to protect you, so you wouldn’t have to feel the way I did.” A glazed expression took over his face, his voice cracking as he continued. “I found her, you know. She was so still. So cold. So…” He buried his face in his hands, and Winter crawled across the bed and into his lap, holding him as he broke all over again.
Fuck.
Some of my anger lessened right then. Rationally, I could see that they’d done it with good intentions, although it still did nothing to temper the betrayal and guilt that was tying my stomach in knots.
“Whether you did it for the right reasons or not, you still really hurt me.”
“I’m—” Cade started to say, raising his head to meet my gaze.
“Wait. I’m just…look, I can forgive you. Just give me time, okay? I need time. I need…I need to work things through in my own head. I don’t want to say anything that can’t be taken back.”
I’m proud of you, Winter mouthed, and I felt a small smile tugging at my lips. Out of everyone, I knew I’d find her easiest to forgive. She had a heart of gold, and she’d proven her loyalty to us all time and time again.
“I just wanna say one thing.” Caiden glanced at Winter, before he returned his attention to me. “Ever since Winter first found out, she was uncomfortable with keeping this from you. She wanted me to tell you. So, please, blame me, but don’t blame her.” He turned back to her. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
She sniffed, her eyes watery, but gave him a smile. “I forgive you. Your heart was in the right place.”
“I forgive you, Winter.” The words fell from my mouth, unplanned, but I realised I meant them. Staring between my brother and my dad, I shook my head slowly. “You two—give me time.”
My dad nodded. “Whatever you need, West. I don’t want this to derail all the progress we’ve made as a family. But I’ll own my mistakes. God knows, I’ve made enough of them.”
I nodded and leaned back against the headboard. “I’d like to be alone now.” My eyes closed.
The low murmur of Winter and Caiden’s voices sounded, before the door opened and closed softly. I let out a heavy breath.
A throat cleared, and my eyes flew open. Winter stood at the side of the bed, her lip pulled between her teeth and hesitance in her gaze. “I just wanted to say something to you quickly, now the others have gone.”
My curiosity was piqued. “What is it?”
“Lena.”
At her name, my insides twisted again. “I don’t want to speak about her. She—her betrayal hurts the most in a way, because this whole fucking time she’s been hiding behind a false identity.”
“Yeah, she told me about that.” Winter sighed. “But has she, really? Maybe she had her reasons for doing what she did.” Gazing out of the window with a faraway expression, she sighed again, before turning back to me. “Please, just go easy on her, okay? She’s been through some things. It’s not my place to talk about them, and it’s up to her whatever she decides to tell you, but please be careful with her.”
“I don’t know how to feel about all this, and I’m still too angry to be rational,” I admitted.
Stepping closer, she leaned over the bed and kissed my cheek. “I know. Just remember, though—she’s strong; so strong, but there’s a vulnerability to her. All I’m saying is, be careful with her, West.”