“He didn’t do anything. What is wrong with people? Has anything been said that the guy who was killed was blackmailing them?”
Nate stared at her. “No…but—”
“I know, I know, that doesn’t justify his death. I only meant that before they start crucifying Justin and Jordan for something their parents did, they should know this guy wasn’t a completely innocent victim.”
“They’re just trying to sensationalize it as much as they can,” Nate said. “Look, there they are now.”
Marley turned back to the TV. As Justin and Jordan exited the courthouse, they were mobbed on the steps by reporters shoving microphones in their faces. She stared at Justin’s face. She hadn’t seen him in a week. He looked tired. God, her heart ached for him. If only—
He doesn’t want to see you, Marley. Move on.
She sat back as tears stung her eyes. So much easier to think than actually do. Over the next few minutes as she watched the report, her anger reached a full boil.
“This is bullshit!” she exclaimed. “Whatever happened to unbiased reporting? I can’t believe they’re doing this.” She gestured to the screen, indicating not only the reporters, but the individuals who’d ‘stepped forward’ to give ‘interviews’ trashing the twins. Frickin’ idiots looking for five seconds of fame is what they were.
“Would I love to give them a piece of my mind—”
She sat up and looked at the door, then shot to her feet.
Nate’s gaze followed her dash across the room. “What? What are you—oh.”
She cast him one final glance before stepping onto the porch with a purposeful stride. The reporters who remained out on the street glanced up.
Usually, she refused to comment. She ignored them as she went about her business, and they went back to waiting. Now, fury simmering, she stood on the top step with her arms crossed and stared at the two men and one blonde woman. The dark-haired young man held her gaze. He tapped the other man without looking away from Marley, got up, and started across the lawn.
The woman reporter called inside her van before hurriedly following the dark-haired guy. Two others joined them with cameras.
“Ms. Wade?” the first man said hopefully.
Marley took a calming breath. “I want to make a statement.”
****
Justin watched Jordan weave toward the men’s room and wondered for the tenth time what the hell he was doing here. He looked at the half-empty pitcher of beer, then his full glass, and Jordan’s empty one.
It was the third night this week he’d let Jordan talk him into coming out with him. The third night he’d watched his brother drink himself into oblivion. The second night he would drag Jordan’s ass home. The first night, Colton had had the thankless job of dragging both their sorry asses home.
He’d have to remember to thank his friend. It wasn’t a fun job, and he didn’t want to do it on a regular basis, either. Yet he worried about Jordan and the habit he seemed to have formed rather quickly. It was the only reason he didn’t just leave.
A valid reason that also answered his earlier question. He was here because he couldn’t let his brother sit here and drink alone like some miserable, pathetic, drunken idiot. That, and, sitting at home left him way too much time to think about Marley.
Only the people around the bar didn’t look at them like pathetic idiots. Each night, when they realized who’d come through the door, there was a moment of dimmed conversation. Then the whispers started, quick glances snuck over shoulders, outright stares. The immediate mood near him and Jordan became accusatory.
And because he and Jordan were carbon copies of each other, except in their style of dress and a slight difference in haircuts, no one really knew which of the two had been arrested that night. They only knew one of them had been. So they stared at the both of them like they were evil reincarnated.
Justin didn’t give a shit, except for the fact that he saw it bothered the hell out of Jordan. It made Justin want to stand up and yell, “It was me. Leave him alone!”
But that would only draw more attention, so he remained silent and soberly endured their stares as Jordan drank. He’d tried to talk Jordan out of coming tonight, but his brother had insisted only people who had a problem drank at home alone. Justin didn’t believe that, but the look on Jordan’s face kept the truth unvoiced.
Jordan had enough to deal with right now without his brother accusing him of being a drunk, no matter where he drank.
Justin glanced toward the bathroom again, wiping his thumb through the condensation along the side of his glass. His gaze skimmed the room and then caught on the television screen above the bar. Thinking he must be imagining things, he blinked and refocused through the dim light. Nope, he wasn’t imagining a damn thing.
Marley’s beautiful face filled the screen.
He rose from the booth and made his way closer to the bar without taking his eyes off the TV. A spot cleared at the bar as he approached, but he ignored that, motioning for the bartender to turn up the volume. After a moment, and a dark scowl from Justin, the guy complied.
“…earlier today,” the news anchor said.