I shrug my shoulders. “She was nice.”
“Nice?” he grunts.
“Well, kind of nice. She was rough like she’s seen a few too many things, but the good thing is, in twenty years, I’m still going to look pretty good.”
“Of course, you are,” he laughs. “Did she tell you anything worth knowing?”
“Kind of,” I say. “She helped me to see that she did the right thing giving me up. I really would have had a terrible life living with her as my mother, but I haven’t worked out if I want to hate on her for it yet.”
“And are you ok with that?”
“I’ll let you know when I figure it out,” I grin. “I just…I don’t know. I feel like I accomplished something today, but I just don’t know what.”
“I guess that’s something,” he murmurs.
I hear a noise outside Noah’s door and I call out. “Tully? Is that you?”
The door opens and Tully instantly scowls at her brother. “What’s up?” she says, looking to me.
I climb off Noah’s lap and pat the bed beside me. “Gina said a few things about Rivers I think you guys would want to know.”
Tully steps inside the door but stays away, not wanting to get close to her brother for fear of tearing him to shreds. “Go on,” she says nervously, always a little scared to find out something about Rivers’ private life that could crush her fragile heart.
I let out a sigh and tell them everything she said. I describe the way she looked as she spoke of him, the way pride shone out of her at seeing his photo. I tell them how he hasn’t gone to see her since playing the role in putting her away, and how she refused to tell me anything about his father. But when I tell them that she didn’t think he would know anything about us being siblings, relief seems to shine bright in their eyes as it confirms that he wasn’t hiding this massive secret from us after all, instantly restoring their faith in him. Well, mostly.
Once I get through all the Rivers details and fill in Tully on my abandonment issues, her eyes flick towards Noah before returning to mine. “So, before when you stormed off like a raging bitch, you said Anton was there.”
“Yeah,” I say, glancing across at Noah when his hand twitches in mine. His jaw is clenched and I quickly realize that he was waiting until we were alone to ask about this, but now that it’s been said, there’s no point in waiting. “I saw his name on the sign in sheet but he was gone by the time I realized.” I look up at Noah. “I’m sorry, he would have been sitting in the same room, but I was too focused on Gina to notice him. It would have been the perfect chance to put him in his place.”
Noah shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. I have a feeling I’m going to need more than one spontaneous run in with the guy to take him down. Though, it would probably help if I can find out why he was there.”
Tully scoffs. “He was probably checking in with all his criminal friends, seeing if any of them have any eleven year old kids to corrupt,” she says.
“Shut the fuck up, Tullz,” Noah snaps at his sister.
“It’s true though, isn’t it?” she demands. “You’ve been working for Anton too long. Getting too comfortable. It’s only a matter of time before he realizes that you know he screwed you over and what then? The next time you get arrested, he’s just going to let you go down for his shit. Fuck, Noah, he’ll probably set you up to take the fall.”
Noah’s bedroom door swings open and all eyes widen as they fall on Violet’s horrified expression. She stares at Noah. “Is that true?” she asks, never once removing her eyes from her son.
I squeeze Noah’s hand as he looks to his mother. “Mom,” he breathes as his nightmare comes true before his very eyes.
“Is it true?” Violet yells, making Tully jump as she watches Noah, probably hating that she had to go and open her big mouth.
Dread sinks heavy in my gut as Noah nods his head. “Yes. It’s true.”
“Get the fuck out of my house.”
Tully gasps, ripping her eyes away from Noah and turning towards Violet. “Mom,” she breathes in horror. “No, you can’t do that. Don’t do this to him.”
“I will not have a criminal living in my home,” she seethes, looking at Noah in disgust. “I raised you better than that. You have ten minutes to get your shit and go. I don’t want to see you again until you’ve cleaned up your act and made amends for whatever putrid acts you’ve committed working for that man. Your sister would be ashamed.”
With that, she slams the door behind her, leaving us gaping after her, completely and utterly horrified, wondering where the hell we go from here.