A High so Sweet (Thornes & Roses 2)

“N-no,” Kalyn says, “I would always wake up with a hangover, and I thought perhaps it was the shots from the night before, or…” Her voice cracks, and silence surrounds us, but Finn’s tapping on the keyboard confirms my brother is already working out how we can get our vengeance for Kaly.

He finally stops typing, then spins the computer around to face us. “Were these the clubs and houses you were in?” There are photos on the screen of some exclusive-looking places. The houses are huge. People filling up the space, all dressed in the finest designer brands and holding glasses of alcohol. I don’t doubt these were raucous, but what bothers me is that in each of the photos, there are men dressed in all black, as if they’re security.

Most times I’ve been to parties with celebrities, the bodyguards would spend their time outside. None of them were ever indoors. The reasoning was that if there was something to use as blackmail, it wouldn’t be seen by the staff.

“Yes,” Kaly whispers before taking a sip of the chilled water. “I remember a few of those. I just don’t know what happened. I recall arriving; all the guests would flock around us, mostly talking to Paulo. But after a few minutes of being there, my brain would go fuzzy, and I would wake up in bed.”

There’s one question I want to ask, I need to ask, but I know the answer will ensure I’ll be flying into a fit of rage and racing out the door to kill the fucker. But Kaly has to tell us.

“Were you ever in pain the next morning? Not a hangover, but physically,” I hiss, my hands fisting on the table, nails digging into my palms to attempt to appear calm when I’m anything but. “Was there ever any indication you were involved in…” I can’t finish the sentence because I know if I do, I’ll lose it.

“I-I…” For a long moment, all I hear is silence; it’s deafening. Kalyn’s focus is on the water bottle, her shaking fingers tugging at the label.

I’m so tense, my shoulders ache from being bunched up, and my arms are shaking from trying to rein in my anger. I could so easily kill.

“There were a few times I thought we’d done things the night before. He wasn’t always rough, or violent, but I knew something very bad had happened.” Her confession has me shooting to my feet. Finn is quick to react to me, his hand on my shoulder, gripping me so tight it hurts as his fingers dig into my muscle in warning. Then Kalyn whispers, “I’m sorry.”

The moment those two words hit my ears, I shrug my brother off and spin toward Kalyn, whose eyes are wide with shock when my palms hit the table. I lean in, getting my face right in front of hers. We’re inches apart, and what I see in those pretty almond-shaped orbs is fear. She’s scared of me. I would be too. But not for her safety, for that bastard who hurt her.

“Don’t you ever apologize for what you went through.” My words are filled with rage and venom. The violence that’s shooting through every nerve ending in my body twists around my lungs, squeezing the air from me. I’m ready for war with this bastard. “I have to know what happened to you, Kaly.”

“Cass,” Finn’s calm voice breaks through the cloud of pure forcefulness that’s surrounding me, and I push away from Kalyn. “Can you tell us?” He focuses on Kaly, and after a while, she nods.

19

Kalyn

I haven’t spoken about this to anyone. Not even a therapist. The fear of being judged, of having people know I’ve done something bad, made me want to hide away from the truth. But with Cassian and Finn, there is no hiding anymore.

Maybe, just maybe, they can help me.

“Eight months ago, I was in a very low place. Work had been so busy, I hadn’t had time to spend with my folks, and my dad was getting worse. The cancer had spread. But then, something happened,” I finally start, my voice is merely a whisper, but both men are now seated across from me, watching me intently. I don’t look at them because if I do, I’ll break down, and I won’t be able to confess my darkest secret.

“I wanted to go to an after-party to meet with a director, but I’d been feeling sick for a few weeks. I didn’t think anything of it,” I say while trying to keep my voice even, to keep the words from halting due to fear. “It was a busy time for me with both movies hitting the big screen. Paulo was there every single day, watching me. It felt like I was under more scrutiny, more than the paparazzi ever exhibited.