White Lies (A Twisted Fate 1)

Francesca clutched the key to her chest again.

Please pull through this, Carson. I’m begging you.

Coming to me, Francesca asked, “Can we go out to see it? I need to have him closer to me. Will you come?”

I wanted to be there for Francesca. “I’d like that.”

Trent touched my shoulder. “Let me make a few arrangements while you finish getting discharged. We’ll go to the beach house from here and return before it gets dark.”

“Thank you, Trent. That will work.”

Bennett added, “I’ll come, too. There’s something else Carson wanted Francesca to have.”

Her eyes danced with excitement. Over breakfast, Bennett had asked if he should give her the engagement ring. I knew Carson would have wanted Francesca to have it to know how he felt until he was able to tell her himself.

The security guard let Marissa and Rosie in as Trent left. This was a busy place today. They’d frequently stopped by along with my other friends. Each time so far, I’d either been with Carson or asleep.

“How are you?” Marissa asked with concern.

Each one gave me a gentle hug. None of my friends knew about the baby yet. “I’m hanging in there. There’s no change in Carson, but I’m hoping for the best.”

I had to stop before I cried. Between the emotional stress and the hormones, I was a basket case.

Marissa gave me an understanding look, and Rosie grabbed my hand. “I know, sweetie. We’re here for you.”

“Thank goodness Francesca wasn’t in the car, too. Have they found any leads?” Rosie gave me a gentle squeeze along with a sympathetic look while waiting for a response.

Francesca took a seat beside Bennett, looking at the key chain. She had reached her limit for talking. I understood.

I shook my head. “Nothing yet. It appears to be a hit and run.” That was the answer I had been instructed to give anyone who asked for now. Trent wanted to keep everything on a need-to-know basis. However, this was planned.

“I hope they catch that motherfucker.” Marissa’s sternness startled me for a second.

I echoed the sentiment. “Me, too.”

The nurse walked in. “Ms. Russo, I have your discharge papers.”

Finally, I was leaving.

In the back of the SUV, we rode in silence with Trent at the wheel. There was one car in front and another at our back. Bennett rode in the car behind us with Francesca. I was grateful to have some time to myself, not needing the silence filled.

I hadn’t heard from Tack. My stuff had been taken to my house after the accident. The offer to stay at the Whitmore Hotel had come afterward. Tomorrow I would ask to get some things, including my phone. From the rose delivery on my tray every morning, I knew Tack kept tabs on my wellbeing. It was the only way we had to communicate since people stayed close to me almost every second of the day.

Not too long ago, Carson and I made this same drive. It was to give me comfort. Now, we made the same drive to give Francesca comfort. The world certainly came full circle sometimes.

I focused on good memories of our childhood as scenes from the car wreck tried to overwhelm me. He had buckled. Why hadn’t the buckle held? I thought back to our conversation after seeing Carson for the first time in the hospital.

Trent walked into the room. “It’s good to see you awake. We’ve all been worried about you.”

“Thanks. It’s good to be seen.”

He came further into the room. “Is now a good time? I assume the police will be here shortly. I want to prepare you for their questions.”

After my visit with Carson, I was emotionally raw. “Umm… yes.”

He sat next to Nonno in jeans and a blue T-shirt. There were dark circles under his eyes. “We’ve been going over every detail. At this point, I believe the best story to give the cops is that it was a hit and run.”

Nonno agreed. “I can do that.” My voice was barely audible as I remembered Carson talking about how much he loved his baby.

After a few minutes, I looked at Trent. “What have you found so far?”

Regret shone in his eyes. I hated it. “We can’t find any traces of the vehicle except for the description Andre gave us. Whoever it was came from over the hill and left the same way until they got to the dirt road on the other side. From there, we can’t find a trail. We’re looking at all rentals, traffic cams, anything we can think of.”

“So, we have nothing.” I needed to talk to Tack to see what he knew. Hopefully, he would reach out to me.

“I won’t stop until we figure this out, Willow. I swear it.”

Trent had that determined look in his eyes that told me he was a man of his word.

Pulling up to the beach house brought a smile to my face. I remembered the night Carson brought me here to get away after Alex died. He’d burned so many marshmallows it was a miracle he hadn’t burned the house down.

When he woke up, I was going to roast him all the damn marshmallows he wanted.

“All is clear, Willow.” I looked at Trent, and he continued, “We’ve done an internal and perimeter sweep. I have a man stationed in the study on the main floor and two upstairs. I’ll be outside on the front porch. Francesca has asked for a few minutes by herself.”

“Of course. I’ll wait here.”

Bennett walked Francesca to the front door. She sobbed as she took it all in for the first time. I totally got it. The beauty had overwhelmed me.

Carson was going to wake up. He had to. I glanced out at the ocean to give Francesca a little privacy as she walked around. I imagined beach playdates here. Kids buried in the sand. We had a beautiful life ahead of us as soon as Carson came back.

Francesca walked in while Bennett stayed on the front porch. I wasn’t sure when she wanted me to come or what she wanted me to do, but I was here. However she needed me.

Life was cruel, making us

suffer as we had. How much loss was one person supposed to withstand?

My mother.

My father.

Alex.

And now, potentially, Carson.

Please come back to us, Carson. Please.

I knew the importance of remaining optimistic, but a piece of me was gone until he came back. For my entire life, he’d always been there.

Bennett gave me the ten-minute signal and walked in. Trent stayed nearby in full-force observation mode. There were a few security guards around. Hopefully later, Trent and I would be able to talk more in depth. With the constant interruptions, we’d kept our conversations more surface level.

Looking up at the second level, I remembered Tack coming to my room. I needed my phone. Once I heard his voice, my nerves would calm.

When ten minutes had elapsed, I walked to the door with Trent not far behind.

The house was just as I remembered it as I walked through and saw the fireplace we had sat in front of for hours, talking.

I paused. We were going to have more of those moments.

Beyond the living room, I walked to the open patio doors.

Bennett was on the back porch with Francesca. I gasped at the sight. Carson had recreated their night from Italy. It was painfully beautiful to see Francesca clutching a velvet box to her chest. I touched the gauze curtains that swayed in the wind at the door.

It would have been perfect for them.

A night to start the rest of their life.

“Carson was going to propose to you that night,” Bennett said to Francesca. “I’m certain he would have wanted you to know how much he loved you by me giving you this. He was so excited about the baby and finding his true love. That morning he called me and said this was the first day of the rest of his life.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. Bennett kept going. “I told him how proud I was of him.”

Francesca opened the box. “He has to pull through, Bennett. He has to.”

Everyone’s future hung in limbo. Francesca needed Carson’s strength. The baby needed a daddy. I needed my brother… my best friend. Life was not the same without Carson here. In fact, a hole—a Carson-sized hole—grew inside me while he lay immobile on life support.