Tea Leaves & Pine Trees

Chapter Thirteen

TRUTH

❀

Distressed. Furious. Sick with distraught.

I drove the two minutes it took to get to Lake Lakewood, barely able to think coherently as I choked down sobs. I hated crying, and all I wanted was to be with Monique and Kamaria, but I couldn't see past the fury inside of me. It was overwhelming and all-controlling and rocked me to my core.

I turned onto the gravel drive, bumping along dips and through puddles, and then I pulled to a stop outside the main residence I knew so damn well.

The car door slammed behind me as I made my way up onto the porch, and I slammed my fist against the wood, uncaring of whether it splintered beneath my rage, and uncaring of any scene I was about to make. The rage twisting inside of me reflected the storm outside. I was ready to unleash it.

Everest answered the door.

He was shirtless, his intricate tattoos on display. I hadn't realised he was tattooed like Free. And for a moment my breath caught, and my anger wavered.

His stupid hazel eyes with those gorgeous flecks of gold looked at me, and he had an eyebrow arched, like he was expecting me.

The anger returned, a horrible tension in my chest.

"What did you do?" I spat, glaring up at him.

Everest's other eyebrow joined his first. "You'll have to be more specific than that."

I inhaled sharply, and the wind whipped around the porch, almost pushing me over. I held my ground.

"You did something," I managed to choke out, tears blurring my vision. I angrily wiped them away, continuing to glare up at the man who seemed to tower over me. There was a flash of ebony-black hair, and then Free stood behind Everest, leaning lazily against the wall as he looked at me. He cocked his head, eyes narrowing slightly in what might have been concern but also could have been mockery. It was hard to tell with these men.

"Aubrey?" Laurel's soft voice called over the wind, and then he pushed past Everest's arm. "Hey. Why don't you come inside?"

"No," I snapped seconds before I stumbled forward. A new blast of wind hit me in the back. Over the screaming of the growing storm, I heard a voice. Or rather, I felt a voice. It tickled the inside of my ear.

Let it go, darling.

I glared up at Everest, ignoring the voice and all my other instincts telling me to get back in the car and drive away.

"No," I repeated, keeping my eyes locked on Everest. Laurel wasn't to become entangled in this. He was too kind to be the cause of any of this. "No, I'm sick of walking away. I want to know what you did."

"I didn't do anything," Everest said simply, somehow loud enough to be heard over the thrashing of the storm.

I shook my head. "Don't lie to me! Ever since—Ever since you moved here, everything has changed. People have left! People don't leave, and—and now—now—" my voice rose with every demand. It felt like I was watching myself unravel from afar. "Why are you here? What do you want? What did you do!"

I screamed the last bit, and the wind twisted around the house, rattling the windows. In the distance, from a tree, there was a crack.

Everest's face hardened as his eyes flickered over me, and then he grasped Laurel's arm to move him behind him, as if to protect him. Protect him from what? I wasn't the threat here.