Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
I knew what he was talking about. Foster kids were easy targets for men and women who needed access to kids for the ugliest of reasons.
“You learned not to trust anyone,” I said as I put two and two together.
“If you don't learn that lesson fast, you’re fucked. The only one watching out for you is you.” Con's fingers moved to my back. His touch was light and gentle.
“And then I met King and eventually Lex and realized that not everyone lies. They made me feel safe. Less alone. Even when we weren't together, I knew there was someone out there who would notice I was gone. That was a big deal in my world.”
“But something happened,” I offered. I could tell from the way he was speaking that things had changed.
“Lex disappeared about a year ago. He just kind of fell off the map. He’d still text and email to say he was okay, but I knew there was something wrong. We were all worried about him. Me, Luca, Vaughn, King.” Con paused before adding, “I tried to find him at first, but Lex knew how to cover his tracks.”
“That must've scared you,” I said. Knowing what I did about Con, he would've done anything and everything in his power to know that his younger brother was safe. So to not know where the young man was, to not have any control over what was happening to him, Con must've been frantic.
“It did. I kept trying to figure out what I’d done wrong to make him want to hide from us, from me. When he showed up a few weeks ago at Luca’s house, I was so relieved to see him that I didn't even see it at first.”
“See what?” I asked gently.
“That he was blind.”
“Oh God, Con, I'm so sorry. When you said he’d lost his sight, I didn’t realize it only recently happened.”
Con shook his head. As distraught as he was, his touch on my back was still gentle.
“I was so angry with him for not telling me. That's why he disappeared. He knew he was going blind, and he didn't want any of us to know.”
“He was trying to protect you,” I said.
“That was part of it,” Con agreed. “But he also knew that when I found out, I'd want to… I’d want to…”
“Fix it,” I supplied. “Fix him.”
“He was right,” Con said. “I wouldn't have stopped until I found a solution. He was my responsibility. He will always be my responsibility.”
I shifted so that I was lying across Con's chest. I forced him to look at me when I said, “That's not why. He’s not a responsibility. You love him. He's your brother and you want him to have everything.”
Con closed his eyes and nodded.
“Him not telling you is what broke your trust, though,” I guessed. There was something that Con wasn't telling me. I wasn't sure how I knew; it was just something I could tell by the way he was holding himself.
“King knew. Eventually Lex told King everything. Where he was, that he was going blind…”
“But King didn't tell you,” I realized. “Fuck, Con, that had to have hurt.”
“We didn't keep secrets from each other,” Con murmured. “At least I didn't think we did.” He sighed and then shifted his eyes to mine. “But I guess that's not true. We did keep secrets. I think that's the part that bothers me. I've been so blind these past few weeks. I've been blaming King for keeping secrets, but I've been doing the same thing. I never told him or any of my brothers what happened in that alley. And King and I agreed never to tell each other what we did to get our half of the money for Lex’s surgery. I've been a hypocrite. I've been expecting everyone else to tell me everything, but I don't have the balls to do the same thing.”
“Your brothers will understand why you didn't tell them about that man in the alley. Something like that… that's your right to tell or not. They won't hold it against you, and they won't judge you for any of it. I don't know anything about King,” I admitted. “I barely remember him from when he brought the kids to the hospital that night. But I know that if he chose you to be his brother, he's a very smart man. That smart man will accept that you're hurting and it's not something you can just get over. He loves you, Con. I don't need to know him to know that.”
I put my hand on his cheek and held his gaze. “How could he not? Talk to him. Talk to all of them. What you guys have isn't something you can find on just any old street corner. They’re your family, Con. Don't let the past change that. I know you don't know me all that well, but this,” I scanned his body briefly and shook my head, “I don't do this. I don't put my faith in other people. I can’t afford to. But every time I try to let you go, all I want to do is hold on tighter.”