Black Promises (Blackwoods College)

His nose scrunched up. “That’s not what I mean. I want you to set her up with me. And if she were to disappear—”

“Disappear?” I asked incredulously.

“—If she were to disappear, you’d cover for the both of us. Do you understand?”

Calvin’s gaze burrowed into me and I felt like an ant beneath his boot. He had the power to belittle a person with his gaze and it was striking the way he utilized it to get what he wanted. I sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out as my mind worked circled.

I spent half my life getting beaten so Robyn didn’t have to. I protected her because it was the right thing to do. She was a decent person—maybe one of the few real, uncorrupted souls I knew. She went through her fair share of abuse and trauma at the hands of her father, but she came out of it with a strange, buoyant lightness.

Calvin wanted her for something twisted and wrong—something I might regret.

But I needed his help, and I trusted him.

“Will you hurt her?”

“Yes, but only if she asks me to.”

“Will you let her go if she wants to leave?”

“Eventually, yes.”

I banged a fist against the door. He had me trapped and he knew it. I’d never agree to something like this without talking to Robyn first under any other circumstances—but Calvin had me.

I needed him badly.

“All right. I’ll do what I can.”

“Thank you.”

“If you kill her, or hurt her, or mistreat her—”

“I don’t intend on doing any of that.”

“I don’t care how much money your daddy makes, Solar. I’ll find you, and I’ll kill you. I’ve done it once and I can do it again.”

He smiled at me. “I believe you.”

I left his house and sat in my truck.

I thought I was a monster. My hands were covered in blood, and my dreams revolved around fucking my partner in crime—

But Calvin was something else.

Something worse.

Oh, god, Robyn, what the hell have I done?

24

Cora

I woke up to pounding on my door.

It was Sam. He stared at me, breathless and practically glowing. “It leaked.”

He didn’t need to explain. I knew what he meant. “When?”

“I saw it online just now. And it’s on the news.”

“Are Mom and Dad watching?”

“Mom is, I don’t know where Dad’s at.”

“I’ll be down in a second.”

He practically skipped away down the stairs.

I got up and dressed. I checked my phone—no messages from Jarrod.

But there didn’t need to be any.

He did this.

I was sure of it. The police wouldn’t have leaked this information on their own, not until they made an arrest at least.

This was all Jarrod. I had no clue how he managed something so audacious, but he pulled it off, and I had to admit that I was immeasurably impressed.

I headed downstairs and poured coffee. Sam and Mom sat in front of the television, staring at the news anchor standing outside of Dr. Silver’s house talking about the murder, the investigation, and above all, the leaked memos showing that the supposedly fine, upstanding member of the community was in fact a serial pedophile and molester.

I stood behind the couch, sipped my drink, and tried to savor this moment.

Instead, I only felt bitter and drained.

For so long I wanted the world to know the truth about that man. He ruined me, ruined Sam, and ruined so many countless other victims. We existed in the dark, ignored and brutalized, and now the world would finally hear the truth that’d been tossed aside so many times.

My mom didn’t look back at me, and I didn’t need her to.

I should’ve gloated. This was my vindication. She called me a liar back then, and this was proof that I was telling the truth. She should’ve been horrified—and probably was—but it didn’t matter.

I felt hollow and exhausted.

I sat down at the kitchen table and sipped my coffee, looking out the window.

Sam joined me. Mom stayed on the couch.

“She’s crying,” he said softly, too quiet for her to hear. The news kept going on and on about Dr. Silver.

“That’s sad.”

“I think she feels terrible about, you know. Not believing you.”

“She should.” But my anger wasn’t there. Normally, it would’ve glowed hot and bright, but it was only a quiet, defeated smolder.

I got my revenge already. I watched Dr. Silver die in that forest.

Everything else was just desperation.

“I can’t imagine how she must feel. All these years, she was convinced you were making it up. And now she knows.”

I sighed and leaned forward. “What good will it do?”

“I don’t know. I guess it won’t do anything.” Sam leaned forward and reached out, grabbing my hand. “Will you forgive them?”

“Not Dad.”

“But Mom?”

I looked at the back of her head. Her shoulders were shaking slightly.

I pulled away from him and stood. I walked over and sat down on the couch, then shifted closer. Mom’s face was smeared with tears, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy. She must’ve been crying for a while. She stared at me and her lips curled down. She looked so old, so frail, and so filled with sorrow.