Fallen Crest Home (Fallen Crest High #6)

A few days later, James Kade sat behind his desk, squared off against Mason, Logan, and myself. Logan and I sat in the chairs, and Mason stood to the side. At the moment, however, James Kade only had eyes for his eldest son.

He leaned back in his chair, his fingers tented. “Let’s hear it. What’s the reason you brought an audience to this meeting, Mason?”

Mason dropped a file on the desk.

“And what’s this?” James leaned forward, bringing it in front of him.

“That’s a file on one of your employees.”

“Jared Caldron?” James skimmed through the papers. “He’s a laborer for my landscaping company.” His eyes lifted back to Mason. “Why am I reading about him?”

“Because he was best friends with Budd Broudou in high school, and what you don’t know is that we had a hand in getting Broudou sent to prison.”

James didn’t seem to react. His face remained passive for a full fifteen seconds before he shot to his feet, sending his chair flying into the bookshelves behind him. “What did you do?”

I stood up. “They didn’t do anything. I mean, not really.”

Mason said over me, “She’s lying for me. I did do something.”

Logan stood up, too. Everyone paused and looked at him, and he held up his hands. “I wanted to fit in. Everyone’s standing.”

Mason cursed, rolling his eyes.

James’ attention went right back to Mason. “You’re going to explain everything to me.”

“Budd Broudou and his brother were our rivals in high school. They did shitty things to us. We retaliated—“

“Of course you did. Why would my sons ever not get revenge?”

Mason kept going, ignoring his father’s sarcasm. “Brett turned to our side—or kind of on our side.”

I felt Mason’s eyes linger on me.

“And Budd got pissed. He said he’d been waiting for me to get a girlfriend so he could destroy something I cared about.”

“Oh, God.” James swung his gaze to me. “Samantha…”

“So I pretended to be dating someone else.”

“What?”

“For a weekend, I was with someone else.”

“You cheated on Sam?”

I’d been staring at the desk, reliving the past, but looked back up now. “No,” I said fiercely. “He did not cheat on me.”

Logan slid his hands into his pockets. “He set up his ex to take the fall for Sam.”

“I didn’t enjoy touching someone else, but I had to, and I had to do it where Budd Broudou would see me. I only touched her when he could see. He had to buy the lie.”

“And let me guess.” James’ disapproval was thick. “He tried to hurt this girl?”

I cleared my throat. It was my turn now. “He was going to rape her, but I came running by. I poured gasoline on his truck and set it on fire to distract him. Someone called the cops, and he was arrested. The girl testified against him.”

“That’s what put him away, and this guy wants payback now that you guys are back in Fallen Crest.”

Logan gave him a half-grin. “Look at Pops here. All smart and catching on quick.”

James shot him a look as he sat back down. “Not now, Logan Nathan.”

Logan’s eyes widened, but he shut his mouth and sat down, as did I.

Mason leaned against the wall beside us, crossing his arms over his chest. “Now you know the details. We need your help dealing with him.”

“What’s he doing?”

All three of us shared a look.

“I can’t discipline him if I don’t have a reason to,” James said. “I need a reason.”

“I don’t want you to discipline him. I want you to promote him,” Mason explained.

James fell quiet, staring for a beat. “You want him to have incentive not to do something. Give him something to lose, and he’ll work even harder to keep it. Something like that?”

“Yeah. Something like that.”

Logan snorted. “Something exactly like that.”

“It’s a good plan,” James said. “Except it won’t work.”

“What?” Mason stepped away from the wall. “What do you mean?”

James pointed at the file. “Reading his history and last review comments, I’d say he’s got a chip on his shoulder. You give him power, he’ll want more. He won’t be content to stay where he is, even if it does mean he’ll lose a significant raise if he acts up. I don’t know what he’s been doing—” His hands shot up when Logan jerked forward in his seat. “And I don’t want to know. What I do know is that this is not a kid you can bribe or threaten.”

“What are you talking about?” Mason’s tone was quiet, eerily quiet. I looked over to him, but he was watching his dad with rapt attention.

“Is it within reason that this kid is doing something illegal?”

Mason shrugged. “You mean besides assaulting people?”

“You can charge him with that?” James frowned.

Logan snorted again.

Mason sighed. “Nothing he can’t charge us with, too.”

“My sons,” James bit out, standing up again. He gestured to both of them. “Such saintly examples.” He turned to Mason, his neck becoming red. “You’re fighting again?!”

And the pleasantries were over.

Mason jerked forward, but Logan was on his feet as well. He said, “Dad.”

“Will you never learn? You’re almost a senior in college, Mason! You’re doing the same shit you were doing when you were a freshman in high school!” James’ voice rose louder and louder. His hand curled in a fist, and he shook it in the air. “What’s your excuse this time? You blamed me for the divorce back then. Well, you can’t anymore. I’m not whoring around, as you like to say. I’ve been faithful to the same woman since—” He glanced over, and his eyes found mine.

In an instant I was back there, back to the first time Analise told me we were leaving my father. I felt the same emotion I had then. Nothing, because it was all too much.

His voice quieted. “I’m sorry, Sam.”

I closed my eyes, hanging my head.

She had been on the floor, sitting in between boxes already. Two empty bottles of wine had lay next to her, and I knew she was only starting.

I barely heard myself as I said, “I remember feeling like I was suffocating when she told me we were leaving him.” I’d never known it, but there were words I needed to say to this man, and right now he was listening.

Now was the time.

I took a calming breath. “You were the catalyst for all of it. I mostly blamed my mom. I knew she was the one who went after you. And I knew I’d find out Jeff was cheating on me, and I should’ve lost my two best friends, because it turns out they’re really shady assholes. But I blamed you for ripping apart my family because you were stupid.” I frowned, biting the inside of my lip for a moment. “I still think you’re stupid.”

Logan covered a laugh.

James’ gaze had fallen to the desk.