Shane (Damage Control 4)

“Hurt him.” Seth’s voice deepens, lifting the fine hairs on my arms. “What the fuck happened? What did you do?”

“I didn’t...” I sigh, too tired to do this over the phone. “We need to talk.”

“Fine.” He grumbles something I don’t catch, then, “Come on over.”

And hangs up.

Oh boy, this is already going swimmingly, I can feel it. Dropping my head on the wheel, I close my eyes.

Crap…

***

Manon opens the door, dressed in an oversized T-shirt which has to belong to Seth and pink shorts with bows. She shakes her long dark hair out of her eyes and waves me inside, her expression shuttered.

I used to hang out here a lot, at her apartment. Haven’t been here in months, even though we’re friends again. The rift I opened between us was too big to go back to where we were before, although I hope… I hope we can bridge it over in the future.

A lump in my throat, I enter her cozy living room, reminding myself I’m here for Shane, not me, and that the fury on Seth’s face can’t touch me.

He’s pacing a furrow into the carpet, dressed in loose draw-string pants and a white T-shirt, his hands fisted at his sides, his wide mouth set. Anger is emanating from the tense lines of his body in hot waves.

He turns and halts when he sees me. “Cassie.”

I force myself not to move, not to back down. “Seth.”

He jabs a finger at me. “I’m about to head over and check on my cousin.”

“Half-brother.”

“What he is to me doesn’t concern you.”

I flinch. I can’t help it. His anger stings like burning sand thrown in my face. “Can’t we talk?”

“We are. What did you do to him?”

Shit. Even prepared, I feel my own anger rise. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What do you think? Did you…?” He sighs, starts pacing again. “Look, he’s not Jesse Lee.”

“I know.”

“Do you?”

I glance at Manon who’s watching us with bright, frightened eyes. “Yeah.”

“So what? Did you touch him? Did you...? Oh fuck.” He runs his hands through his short dark hair, and I catch a glimpse of Shane in his face. “I should go, now.”

“Calm down,” Manon says, and goes to intercept him. She takes his hands. “Shane is okay. Cass wouldn’t be standing here, waiting to talk, if he wasn’t, right?” She turns to me. “Cass?”

“That’s right,” I manage to say, which is half lie. “I saw him less than an hour ago. Seth… What happened to him?”

Seth hesitates, then tugs Manon along to the couch and they sit down. I take this as my cue to follow suit, and I sit in the armchair across from them, folding my hands in my lap.

“You go first,” Seth says, wincing as if in pain. “Why are you here? What makes you think something’s wrong with Shane if you say he’s okay?”

The accusation is still there, a dark current under his words. I remember Manon telling me that back when I kissed Jesse against his will at Asher’s wedding, at first nobody believed him when he said he hadn’t wanted it.

Now I guess it’s my turn. I’ve done something bad once, so everyone expects me to keep doing it.