Bad Boy - A Stepbrother Romance Read online

Not with her usual heavy eyeliner and mascara...with bruises.

  The skin around her eye and cheekbone was a mixture of black and deep purple shades, and she faltered and stopped as she saw my shocked face.

  “I’m sorry for coming here like this, and I’m sorry for having him arrested,” she tearfully choked out, looking right at me before turning her attention to James. “I just had to do it. I had to show you who your son really is. I couldn’t let him….couldn’t let him do this to another woman someday.”

  With that, she looked back at me with a sympathetic stare, and James’ eyes narrowed. “You’re a liar. Finn didn’t do a thing to you.”

  Luckily, he hadn’t caught what Candice had been implying—that she didn’t want Finn to touch another woman, namely me. She’d seen us with each other at the mall the other day, and Finn’s hand had been on my shoulder, so she’d obviously put two and two together and figured out that we were an item…unlike James, who still had no idea.

  “I’m not lying,” she said. “I thought if I came here, you’d be able to see for yourself. Please, you have to believe me!”

  James crossed his arms. “Fine. You have exactly two minutes to tell me what my son supposedly did, and then I’m going to have security escort you out of here.”

  Candice nodded and blew her nose on a tissue before sniffling and speaking again. “He…he came to my house earlier this morning. Said he wanted ‘one last ride’ from me before he completely moved on with this new girl he’s been seeing,” she said, giving me another pointed look. “I was shocked, because he’s been rejecting me for the last few months and telling me he wants nothing to do with me anymore. So I said no. I said I wanted to talk first. But he wouldn’t accept it, and he started getting angry. He shoved me up against the wall and put his hands around my throat. Then he started trying to take my pants off, and I kept struggling. That’s when he hit me in the face and gave me this.”

  She gestured towards her black eye before continuing. “He almost had my underwear off when my doorbell rang. It was just a delivery man, but Finn got spooked and ran out the back door. I ran to the front door and begged the delivery man to call the police, and when he saw my face, he called 911 straight away. By then, Finn had already gotten away through my backyard.”

  My blood ran cold at her words. That lying, cunning little bitch. Finn hadn’t done this. She was setting him up because she was insanely jealous and couldn’t handle the fact that he’d dumped her, and heat flared in my cheeks as I stared at her. I knew Finn had a violent streak in him, but he wasn’t abusive. He would never beat up a woman. He only ever hurt people to defend others from them, and I was glad James knew that as well as me.

  Once upon a time, I probably would have believed Candice. I would have fallen for her lies hook, line and sinker, but that was before I really knew Finn. He was a difficult person to get to know, because he often made terrible first impressions on people and hid many of his good traits below the surface, but he was still a good person.

  That much I knew for certain.

  I knew what I had to do. I had to stick by him, defend him and most importantly of all, I had to be brave like he was and help get him out of this situation. After all, who’d been the one to support me and save me in the past few weeks when things had screwed up? Yeah, that’s right—Finn. Especially today, after what I’d told him about my mother and father.

  I owed him for all the times he’d been there for me, and I was going to pay that debt by saving him now.

  ***

  “Thanks for coming. I’m so glad at least one person from your family believes me. Not that you guys are a real family, I guess.”

  Candice blew her nose, and I plastered on a sweet smile before reaching across and patting her hand.

  Before she’d been escorted out by security earlier—courtesy of James, who was still standing by Finn—she’d handed me her phone number and begged me to call her so we could ‘talk’. It had taken my best acting skills to go through with it, but I’d gritted my teeth and called her, pretending to be sympathetic, and she’d invited me to her house. Right now, we were sitting in her lounge room, and she was at it with the waterworks again.

  Crocodile tears, all of it.

  Poor Finn was sitting down at the police department in custody, and he’d been there for four hours now despite James’ best attorneys being on the case.

  “You’re totally right,” I said. Not. “We’re not a real family. Finn isn’t my real brother, and James is probably having his marriage to my mother annulled anyway. So I don’t owe the Graysons anything. I just want the truth, and clearly, you’re the only one who’ll give it to me. I know James would say or do anything to protect his son, so he’s not reliable.”

  She gave me a watery smile. “Yeah. When I saw Finn with his hand on you at the mall the other day, I knew he was probably trying to sleaze onto you, and I figured it was none of my business. But after what happened today, I knew I had to warn you. I knew I had to make sure he couldn’t do to his new girlfriend what he did to me.”

  I nodded slowly. “I understand. Thank you. I honestly had no idea Finn was like this at all. I just…I just can’t believe I fell for his charms.”

  There was almost a crack in her demeanor as I spoke. A smug smile crossed her face for a split second, but she managed to change it to a grimace instead.

  “He’s so convincing, isn’t he?” she said.

  “Yeah, totally,” I said, putting on my best airheaded voice. “So when he did this to you—it was this morning, right? I’m just trying to figure out where I was at the time…I feel like I could’ve somehow stopped him from going out.”

  Candice nodded. “It was just after ten o’clock, I think, but I’m not sure of the exact time. Don’t worry, it’s not your fault; you couldn’t have stopped him.”

  I gritted my teeth, trying not to explode right then and there. Anyone who knew Finn knew he took a morning jog at Kings Park around ten, so he hadn’t been anywhere near the hotel or anywhere else he’d usually be, and thus he had no real alibi. I was sure there were a few traffic surveillance cameras on the streets near Kings Park to prove that he’d been in the general vicinity of the park at that time, but Candice’s house was on one of those streets…so if Finn had been captured on any of those cameras near her place, that didn’t exactly help his case.

  Damn. For such a crazy bitch, Candice wasn’t as dumb as I’d initially thought. She’d really thought this plan through. Unfortunately for her, though, I was determined to catch her out. Even the smallest of things could trip her up.

  “I still can’t believe he did this,” I said, pretending to shudder. “I’ve seen him beat up guys before, but I never thought he’d do this to a woman.”

  “Same,” she replied. “It was so terrifying. He’s so much bigger than me, so I honestly thought I was going to die.”

  If that were true, she might’ve known how I’d felt as a kid all the times my Dad had hit me, but she didn’t. She was lying, and I knew it.

  I forced myself to give her another sympathetic smile, and an idea suddenly occurred to me. “This is probably not much solace, but if it’s any consolation…it could’ve been worse. He fractured his right hand during the fire at the Crown the other week, and he’s wearing a brace on it, which I’m sure you saw when he came here this morning,” I said. “So he could’ve only hit you with his left hand. Like I said, I know it’s still horrible that he hurt you, but if he’d hit you with his right hand, it would’ve been worse because he’s right-handed, and that arm is much stronger.”

  I was lying through my teeth, but Candice bought every single word.

  Hook, line and sinker.

  “Um…yeah,” she replied, only faltering for a split-second. “I completely forgot about that hand brace he was wearing. The beige-colored thing, right?”

  “Uh-huh,” I said. “And he drew that stupid thing on it with a black marker pen; that weird-looking symbol. He saw it on some gangster movie an
d thought it was cool.”

  She nodded vehemently. “Yes! I saw that too. Ugh, he’s such a stupid prick.”

  I smiled again, but this time there was no sympathy. Only coldness.

  “Candice, he didn’t fracture his hand at all,” I said. “He wasn’t wearing a brace today, let alone a brace with marker drawings on it. You’d know that if he’d actually been here, so you’re completely full of shit, like I knew you were. He was never here, and he never touched you, did he? You gave yourself that black eye to try and get him in trouble.”

  Candice’s smile faded as I spoke. Her eyes widened, and then her mouth began to open and close without any words coming out. Yes. I’d rendered her completely and utterly speechless.

  “Oh, and by the way,” I said, nonchalantly pulling my cell phone out from where I’d been holding it behind a cushion. “I just recorded this conversation, which makes you look very suspicious…and now I’m emailing it to myself so I don’t lose it. There we go. Sent. So anyway, I’ll be taking it to the police, and once they hear it, I’m sure they’ll be far less inclined to believe your story.”

  I was pretty sure that my recording wouldn’t actually be legally admissible in our state due to the fact that both parties involved had to give consent to being recorded for it to be admissible, but I was also quite sure that Candice didn’t know that little fact. She didn’t seem like the type to watch or read police procedurals, and I’d binge-watched several seasons of a cop drama last year when I’d been on summer break.

  “I…but…”

  She stuttered at me, trying and failing to construct a coherent sentence, and then her eyes narrowed. “You fucking bitch. So what, you’re going to have me arrested now?”

  I shook my head. “I’m not a completely terrible person like you, so I’ll give you one chance. Go to the station, retract your statement and tell them you lied. I’m sure they’ll be far more lenient with you if you do that. If you don’t admit it, and they find out you lied from this…” I dangled the cell phone in the air. “Well, let’s just say it’ll probably be much worse. Turn yourself in, Candice. If you’re lucky, you’ll just get community service. Anyway, you have two hours to do it, or I’m giving them this recording.”

  For a minute, I honestly thought she’d physically attack me, but she remained seated, seemingly frozen to the couch. I stood up and slid my phone back into my bag, and then I looked right at her, one hand on my hips as a triumphant smile played on my lips.

  “I hope you’ll think twice before trying to mess with anyone’s man again. You obviously thought I was too much of an innocent good girl for it to even occur to me that you might be making this whole thing up…but I’m not. In fact, I’m pretty sure I just proved that I can be a total bad bitch on occasion. As for you….you’re just a bitch.”

  With that, I turned and strode out of the room.

  I would’ve never had the confidence to say or do anything like that to anyone in the past, but Finn’s general attitude to life finally seemed to have rubbed off on me. I knew I could be confident now, like him, and there was no way I’d ever let anyone treat me or anyone I loved like crap ever again.

  For a wonderful moment, I forgot all about the earlier trouble with Mom and Elijah, and a smug smile quirked my lips up as I stepped out of the house. I could hardly stop myself from giggling as I got into my car and drove away. It had been so easy to catch Candice in a lie; even easier than I’d thought it would be. She’d played right into my hands like a complete fool, and as a result, I’d made sure that Finn would be vindicated.

  Any minute now, Candice would be turning herself in, and Finn would be walking free from the police station.

  Any minute now, he’d be back in my arms, just in time for Christmas Day tomorrow.

  Merry Christmas to me…

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Finn

  After the fucking horrific Christmas Eve we’d had, Christmas Day had to be magical. It just had to be.

  Rory and I had spent most of the day at the hospital trying to celebrate the day as best we could with Adelina and my father, and although that was difficult considering the circumstances, we’d all still managed to make each other laugh as we shared stories and gifts.

  I had one last ace up my sleeve, though; a place I hadn’t shown Rory just yet. I’d been saving it for a special day, and knowing what a horrible holiday season she’d been having, I knew I wanted her to see it as soon as possible.

  When we finally returned to the hotel from the hospital, I made Rory promise to meet me outside my room at nine P.M. She was right on time, all bundled up seeing as it was freezing outside, and I bopped her slightly-reddened nose as I came closer.

  “Hey, Rudolph.” I grinned at her, and she stuck her tongue out at me.

  “Hey. Where are we going?” she asked. I’d only told her to dress up in warm clothes, nothing else.

  I took her hand and started walking towards the elevators. “Somewhere you’ve never been. But it’s a surprise,” I said.

  “Not for much longer.” She smiled at me, and it felt so fucking good to see her happy. For a moment yesterday, I’d honestly thought she’d never smile again, but here she was, proving me wrong yet again.

  I guess the awesome way in which she’d stood up for me and gotten me out of the police lockup yesterday afternoon was enough to make her smile for a while. I still couldn’t believe how easily she’d pulled it off, and I’d never been more grateful to her than when I found out that she was the reason Candice had retracted her statement and admitted she was lying.

  Rory. She was the absolute fucking best, and I wanted to keep that smile on her face every minute for the rest of her life, whether it was Christmas or not.

  I ushered her into the private elevator and pressed the top floor button, and Rory looked at me with surprise. “Shouldn’t we be going down?” she asked.

  I shook my head, my eyes sparkling with mischief. When we stepped out of the elevator, I headed straight for the emergency exit, pulling Rory along with me.

  “Finn, where are we going?” she asked me again, and I grinned at her as I pulled down the emergency stairs. They were creaky, but they were checked regularly to ensure that they were still safe.

  “We’re going to the roof,” I finally said.

  “Huh? You’ve already taken me there before,” she said. “You said you were taking me somewhere I’d never been.”

  “This is a different part of it. It’s the old rooftop garden,” I said. “You’ll love it, I promise. Come on!”

  I helped her climb the stairs and followed behind, leaning in closer to her when she hesitated on the steps. “Don’t worry, I’m right behind you. I’ve got you.”

  Rory relaxed and started climbing the stairs, newly excited. I followed suit, and soon, we came to a hatch in the ceiling. I produced a key from my pocket and unlocked it. The cold hit us first, and then the wind.

  We climbed outside and there we were—on the roof. This particular part was always closed off as security had deemed it too dangerous for guests, but I’d made sure to keep the key, even though I’d never intended bringing anyone up here. It felt perfect bringing Rory, though, and I knew I was doing the right thing.

  “Come with me,” I asked her, extending my arm to her. She took my hand without hesitation and followed me towards the edge of the building, where my Mom had set up a fern and herb garden years before she died.

  It was insanely cold but still beautiful. The city beneath us was lit up with lights, beautiful and sparkling under our feet, and the sky was a dark inky blue, with so many stars it looked as lit up as a Christmas tree. Usually we couldn’t see many stars here in the city, but tonight was different. A minor Christmas miracle, perhaps.

  “It’s so beautiful up here,” Rory said as she trailed her hand over a particularly tall fern before looking up at the sky.

  I hugged her close. “I’m glad you like it,” I said. “This place…it’s special to me. I used to come here
a lot, when Mom was still with us, and Kristin, too. She loved this place so much, Rory. We used to spend hours here, even though we weren’t supposed to.”

  Rory squeezed my hand and smiled at me, encouraging me to go on.

  “I’m glad you brought me here,” she said. “It really is special. Why did Kristin like it so much?”

  It felt really nice to hear her saying my sister’s name. I was going to love sharing this story with Rory, and Kristin would’ve wanted me to tell her, too.

  “She was pretty sick at the time,” I said. “And she loved this place, because it’s so beautiful, yet so dangerous at the same time, if you step too close to the edge. So she used to say…she liked being here because she felt like she was breaking the rules. And in her short life, she didn’t exactly get to break a lot of them.”

  I could feel the lump in my throat growing, but I wanted to keep talking.

  “Kristin would tell me that she’d be my sister forever. She used to say that even when she was gone— and she knew she would be, as hurtful as that was—I’d still have her right here.” I touched my heart, smiling at Rory. “Maybe that’s why I never saw you as a sister after our parents got married. Because Kristin fills that space in my heart.”

  “I’m glad.” Rory smiled through the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “I’m glad you still have her in there. How do you see me, by the way?”

  “Well,” I said, deciding to tease her a bit. “I guess I see you as a woman, a friend, and a sexy Santa’s helper…”

  She giggled, and I pulled her closer to me, kissing the tip of her nose. “I see you as Rory Villanueva, and one day, if I’m lucky….Rory Grayson,” I whispered against her lips.

  Her face turned hot as I stole a kiss. I hadn’t even needed to tell her what I just had—Rory already knew she’d never been a sister to me, despite our parents being married. She was just Rory…the love of my life.

  Besides, our parents had practically only been together for five minutes, anyway...

  Something wet landed on the top of my nose as I kissed her, and I broke away from her, looking up at the sky. “Rory!” I said, grinning widely. “Look up.”