“I didn’t mean for him to feel this way. I’m just…I’m scared, Lora.” My voice cracked. “He said he knew that—that guy that was on the news. Said he was coming, and that it wasn’t safe, and then that shit with Kelly happened and I just—I kept thinking about it, and it freaked me out more and more—”
“Wait…what guy are you talking about?” she demanded.
“I think his name was Jefe or something like that. Some guy that the cops are looking for.”
“Shit! He should not have told you about him. What the hell was he thinking?”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s fucking insane. And if he finds out that you know who he is and that he’s coming, that’s not going to be good, Kandy. That guy is—he’s a monster. Okay? He’s ruthless. If anyone stands in his way he has no problem making that person disappear. Do you get what I’m telling you?”
“I, uh…I think so.”
“Listen, maybe it’s a good thing you told Cane that you needed space. It gives a solid reason for you not to be associated with Cane, and Cane can be stubborn sometimes, especially about the things he wants. You don’t need to be around when that guy shows up. Okay? You need to stay far away.”
“Okay. I will.” I swallowed hard. “Lora?”
“Yeah?”
“Cane isn’t a good person, is he?”
She was quiet for a really long time. So long that I thought she’d hung up. “Cane has a good heart—loves harder than a lot of people—but he has never been a good person in the way you mean, and I’m sorry you had to find out the hard way.”
My heart dropped to my stomach. That wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear, not by a long shot.
"In the beginning, I told him it wasn’t wise to get close to your dad," she went on. "He was a cop, and we didn’t know much about him other than the fact that he was good at his job and had saved our Mom’s life, but of course he didn’t listen. Cane thought he was changing—becoming this great person who had been forgiven of all of his sins, just because he'd made a best friend." She sighed. "He hides it well, Kandy, but Cane has done some fucked-up things that I’m sure he isn’t proud of, just to be where he is now. He wants to be the good guy so, so much…but we weren’t born to be good people, and my biggest fear is that he has forgotten that."
God. Of course. Of course that was her response.
I wanted there to be hope—a reason for me to hold on—but hearing it from his own sister was proof enough that I needed to stay away.
“I guess it’s a good thing he’s leaving.”
My brows dipped. “Wait, what? Leaving? To go where?”
“He bought new headquarters in Charlotte several weeks ago. He wasn’t going to move his office until the summer, but with all this stuff going on, I guess he’s ready to go sooner. He said he’d mentioned it to you.”
“Yeah, but he never said when.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“He hasn’t bought a house or anything yet. He’s only moving his office right now, getting settled in to work there. He’ll most likely commute back and forth for a while. I’m sure he will get in touch with you if he has any other plans, Kandy. He’s probably just trying to find the right words…the right time.”
I tried swallowing, but my throat was so dry, the lump was hard to get down. It wasn’t that I hadn’t heard from him. I had. He’d called several times, but I never answered. It killed me to do it, but I ignored his voicemails and deleted them as soon as the notification popped up that I had one from him. I couldn’t handle hearing his voice because I knew he would say something to make me fold.
“Look, I have to go,” she said, rushed. “Mom has a meeting in thirty, and I just finished a workout and need to shower. Let me know if you want me to bring you a meal, some ice cream—anything. I’m here for the time being, okay?”
“Yeah.” I sniffled. “I will. Bye, Lora.”
“Later, Kandy.”
I hung up and stared down at my phone for several minutes, then went to my call log, finding Cane’s name. The urge to call was so intense—I felt the anticipation in my heart and at my fingertips—but a knock on the door startled me, and I shut the screen off.
“Yeah?” I called, and Mom twisted the knob and walked inside. She shut the door behind her and walked over to me.
“Kandy,” she murmured, sitting next to me. “I’m worried about you, sweetie. You haven’t talked much about what happened. It’s like you’ve been bottling it all in. I see your wound is getting better, and it’s easier for you to walk around the house, but your eyes. God, your eyes.” Her expression was pained as she grabbed my hand and looked me all over. “You’ve lost weight. You have those horrible night terrors, which are understandable, but I can tell you aren’t getting good rest.” She brought her free hand up, running the pad of her thumb on the skin beneath my eye. “Your light is gone, and I don’t know what to do anymore.” Her voice thickened, and then she dropped her head and started sobbing, but I gently brushed her hand away, pressing my ear to her chest.