Young Lies (Young Series Book 1) (13 page)

Nearly dropping the phone, I sit up. “What?” I whisper in horror. The only person in my family that accepted Matthew was my father. Jimmy and my younger sister Lily didn’t like him because Matthew took me away from the farm after I made a promise to stay with my family when my mother died. They felt as though I was abandoning them, which was true in a sense. Because of that, Matthew was always the enemy.

“I talked to Tom the other day and I think he might have had a few drinks because he started going on about Young and you and Ty and New York. What the hell is going on, Sammy? Are you back with that prick?”

I bristle, ready to jump to Matthew’s defense the same way I did for three years whenever some member of my family attacked him. They all thought he was a bad influence on me, never agreed with my decision to marry him, never grew to feel more than a mild tolerance for him. My family has always been protective of me and I understand why, but I was never able to overcome the sadness that Matthew wasn’t fully accepted by them. “No, Jimmy,” I say quietly. “We’re just visiting.” I try to think of something that will satisfy my brother without telling him more than he needs to know. “He wants to get to know Tyler.”

My brother makes a sound of disbelief. “Little late for that, isn’t it?” he asks. “He hasn’t been around for five
Goddamn years, now all of a sudden, here he is. Don’t you think that’s a little confusing for Tyler? Young might be his father, but Tom’s the one who’s been there for him, taken care of him—and you, if you’ll recall—which makes him Tyler’s dad. Young’s got no place in your life, Sam.”

Angry tears well in my eyes. I want to shout the truth at him, that it doesn’t matter to me how much distance there is between Matthew and Tyler, Matthew will always be Tyler’s dad. Immediately my thoughts bring back the feelings of guilt. Despite how I feel about Matthew, on some level, my brother is right: Tom’s been the one there for us. He deserves some sort of acknowledgement for that. “Just stay out of it,” I beg Jimmy quietly. “Please. When we go back to Omaha, I don’t think we’ll be seeing Matt again. Not if I have my way.”

I hear someone suck in a sharp breath and snap my head up to find Matthew at my open door. Within a matter of seconds, I watch all the emotions flit across his face and I can’t turn away from it—surprise, hurt, anger, resignation, determination. Without a word to me, he turns on his heel and goes back the way he came.

Fuck.

The rest of my conversation with Jimmy is a blur; I’m more concerned about searching for Matthew than actually paying attention. As I end the call, I’m already halfway out of my bedroom, listening closely to everything for a hint of where he might be. The house sounds empty. Tom and Tyler are playing outside, and I’m coming to the conclusion that Matthew has decided to leave the house again. His temper tantrums clearly haven’t changed. I learned early on that when he’s upset he’s far more likely to disappear for a few hours than he is to face the problem head on. He needs a chance to clear his mind and find a way to deal with it that doesn’t involve biting off the heads of everybody around him. There is no doubt in my mind that this is what he’s doing now.

Suddenly, I’m the one who wants to bite off somebody’s head and my target is standing outside behind my son, pushing him on a swing. I stroll out into the backyard, feeling annoyance bubbling just below the surface. Both Tom and Tyler smile and beckon me over, and once I’m close enough, I see Tom’s face fall. He knows I’m pissed and I’d venture to guess that he knows why. When Tyler runs off to climb a tree, Tom turns towards me reluctantly.

“Why the hell did you call my brother?” I say quietly, trying to keep my voice even.

Tom shifts on his feet. “He’s been calling me all week, Samantha. I was supposed to help him with a shipment this weekend and I forgot to tell him I wouldn’t be there.”

“Okay,” I say with strained patience. “So why did you tell him we were with Matt? I know you’re fully aware of how Jimmy feels about him!” He opens his mouth to respond, but I cut him off. “Do you not understand the trouble we’re in right now? The last thing I want to deal with is my brother getting protective and pissed off because I happen to be sharing a house with someone he despises.”

“I’m sorry,” Tom grits out. “I wasn’t aware I’m not allowed to communicate with friends. I didn’t tell him what’s going on, Samantha, but I’m not going to fucking lie to him.”

I roll my eyes. “Nothing changes with you, does it? You still take every opportunity to run Matt down to anyone who will commiserate with you. I know you and Matt will never be friends, but I thought you were starting to get what it is he’s trying to do for us. Now I’m wondering if you did at all or if you’re just pretending because you don’t want me angry.” I’m being unfair and I know it. Unfortunately for Tom, I can’t stop it right now.

“You’re right,” Tom snaps. “I don’t like him. I do appreciate what he’s doing for us, especially after what he told us a few nights ago, but I can’t help but think he’s trying to push his way between us again, trying to get close to you and get me out of the way. Is he who you want? The man that k
icked his wife and son out and ceased all communication for five fucking years? I was there to pick you up off the ground once and get you back to something resembling normal function, but I don’t know if I can do that again. More than anything, I hate seeing you upset and I’ll admit I spent the last five years thinking about what I would do when and if I ever saw Young again. I might have agreed to his little truce for your sake, but I’m never going to stop hating him for what he put you through.”

All I can do is stare at him. His feelings towards Matthew are my fault. For five years, I let him believe the very worst about my ex-husband, knowing Tom was looking for any reason to hate him even more for taking me away from my home. “You need to get over it,” I tell him shakily. “He’s not trying to push us apart, Tom. Hell, if anything, he’s supportive of our relationship.”
Grudgingly
, my mind adds. “He knows our marriage ended, he knows what my future is, and he’s doing everything he can to make sure we can live quietly and peacefully without worrying. So just suck it up until this is over.” I actually glance over my shoulder to check whether Matthew is lingering at a door again. “After this, I don’t see any hope of him being in our lives again, so I think you’ll get your wish.”

For a moment, I think I’ve placated Tom; in the next, he’s searching my eyes and I see his own hardening, probably as he realizes I’m not as content with never seeing Matthew again as he. His expression hardening, he stands up straighter. “Am I always going to be second best? Your second choice?” he whispers, closing enough of the distance between us that we’re practically nose-to-nose. “I’m sick of this, Samantha. I need you to be all in with our relationship or it’s never going to work.” He turns away suddenly, heading for the front door.

“Where are you going?” I ask urgently, worried that he’s walking out of my life altogether.

He pauses, his hand lingering on the doorknob for a moment before gripping it tightly. “I just need to clear my head,” he tells me almost apologetically. Without another word, he’s out the door and I’m left feeling as though I’ve alienated two of the three most important men in my life.

-------------o-------------

The change in Tom after his excursion is shocking. Where before he was surly and brooding and snapping at anyone who looked in his direction, now he’s almost cheerful. I’m trying not to read too much into it, preferring to simply believe having time to himself is what made all the difference. He had time to work out all this thoughts and emotions in his own way.

It’s not until I hear something break upstairs in the area I know to be Matthew’s home office followed promptly by several loud curses and stomping footsteps heading towards the staircase that my unease returns. Glancing at Tom, I catch the widening of his eyes and the paling of his skin, and I get the impression he’s nervous about something. In the next second, however, his shoulders are squared and a look of defiance appears on his face.

Oh no
, I groan inwardly.
What happened?

A moment later, I’m about to find out when Matthew stalks into the room looking positively livid. And it’s all directed at Tom. I have a second to send Tyler, who’s looking at Tom in confusion at losing his playmate, out the door to play before Matthew’s temper explodes.

“What the
fuck
did you do?” he shouts at Tom. Only Leo’s arrival to the room in time to grab Matthew’s arm keeps him for attacking Tom.

I stand nervously from the floor where Tom and I had been playing with my son. “Matt, what’s going on?” I ask tentatively. Tom stands up beside me, possibly preparing himself for a battle.

Matthew keeps his glare trained on Tom, his face white with a fury I’ve only ever seen once. “It seems somebody can’t keep their fucking mouth shut,” he sneers. “One fucking scotch and he sings like a fucking canary. Do you have any idea what you did?”

I look up at Tom, expecting him to be just as confused as I currently am, but whatever happened, Tom knows exactly why Matthew is so angry. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tom lies in a mutter. I close my eyes in horror. Matthew could sense a liar five miles away, even if he didn’t have knowledge to prove a lie.

“Really?” Matthew says in a deceptively calm voice. That tone is one of his most dangerous. “So you didn’t go into a bar and start blabbing to the first sympathetic ear you came across? You didn’t tell that sympathetic ear you were in town because of your ‘fiancée’s’,” he even uses the sarcastic finger quotes, “ex-husband? I’m not exactly unknown around here, Saunders. People know exactly who I am, what I do, and how I do it. Most of them are good people who know how to keep a secret and don’t hesitate to warn others when people—specifically simple-minded farm boys and foreign terrorists start yapping their jaws at the local bar!”

My eyes widen and I stare at Tom in disbelief. Who the hell was he talking to?
His face pales considerably at Matthew’s words.

“Yeah, that fucker who bought you a drink is one of the fuckers trying to get their hands on Samantha and Tyler. And now you’ve told him exactly where to find them, your trouble just fucking tripled.”

Tom snaps. “Well, how the hell was I supposed to know?” he demands loudly.

“Oh, I don’t know!” Matthew begins sarcastically. “Maybe from the heavy
foreign accent
? That’s usually a dead giveaway!”

“Matt?” I whisper, unable to keep the fear out of my voice. If I wasn’t frozen where I stand, I’d be rushing to grab my son from outside. Or at least realize Leo had gone out to keep Tyler occupied.

Matthew apparently just now realized I’m still in the room and turns his gaze to me, his eyes softening slightly and apologetic. “We’re handling it,” he tells me in a wavering voice, “but I think the damage has been done.” He turns back to Tom in disgust. “Get out of my house. You’ve got a flight back to Omaha in two hours and you’d better be on that fucking plane. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

“What about Samantha?” Tom asks immediately, trying not to seem intimidated by Matthew.

“Unlike you, I’m still willing to protect her. And Tyler. I knew you’d be a challenge, Saunders, but you’ve exceeded expectations.”

Tom’s jaw tenses as he turns to me. “Are you coming?” he demands.

I stare between the two men, knowing whatever I say or do next will impact the lives of me and my son from here on out. In the time it takes me to form a response, Tom comes to his own conclusion and I see his reaction clearly in his eyes. Without a word, he stomps off past Matthew towards the stairs and we can clearly hear him slamming doors. I look at Matthew who seems to deflate under my gaze. “How bad is it?” I whisper.

His jaw tenses. “Pretty bad,” he says quietly. “Saunders told that fucker everything I’ve said or shown him. And I’m sorry it’s ending this way, but I can’t have him here risking everything when I’m trying to keep you safe.”

I nod. “I understand,” I say. “I’m going to go talk to him.”

As I pass him, I expect Matthew to stop me, but he doesn’t; in fact, my confusion only peaks when he takes a step to the side to avoid coming into contact with me. I reach the guestroom trying to rein in my emotions, the inexplicable hurt I have at Matthew and the totally explicable anger and betrayal I have towards Tom. The man himself is standing over the bed, furiously stuffing his clothing into a duffel bag. His shoulders tense when I enter and close the door, but he doesn’t stop what he’s doing as I lean against it, watching him silently.

Finally, he turns towards me, his eyebrows rising as he waits for me to start yelling at him. I have no intention of raising my voice. “Did you?” I ask quietly.

He sighs, sitting down on the edge of the bed. That’s more than an answer than anything he could give me verbally.

“What the hell were you thinking?” I ask him desperately. “Matt and Leo have both told us over and over not to talk to anybody, that we don’t know how far this thing has reached, and you go into one bar and start blabbing about everything?”

“Samantha, don’t you realize what’s going on here?” he demands, running his hands through his hair as he stands. “Young is blowing this whole thing out of proportion. He’s doing it to get back into your life! Now he’s driving me away so he’s got a clear shot.”

I stare at Tom in disbelief, my feelings slightly hurt. “Fuck you, Tom,” I whisper, shaking my head. “You always believed the worst about Matt and you have no idea the lengths he’s gone to in order to keep us safe. And despite all the hostility between the two of you, when he could have easily left you in Omaha, he’s doing everything he can to keep you just as safe. Is this really how you repay him? By blabbing about what’s going on?”