Bradford Bastard (Bradford Bastard 1)

I watch him a little closer, understanding dawning and making me feel sick. “Why would he need me to submit an alibi?” I ask. “Why can’t he just get the person he was with to supply one? If he’s innocent, he shouldn’t have any issues with proving he had an alibi. There were heaps of people there that night, someone would have seen him. Unless … he doesn’t have an alibi. Did he …” I suck in a gasp, my eyes going wide. “He did it, didn’t he? It was Colby, and you want me to lie and let him walk free just so you can claim another winning case.”

“Brielle,” Mom snaps, her eyes wide with horror and embarrassment. “Apologize right this instant. How dare you accuse Orlando of such practices. I am appalled by your behavior lately. I don’t understand why you keep acting out like this.”

I scoff, ignoring her as I step closer to Orlando. “If Colby Jacobs walks because you do something to falsify information, I will make sure the whole world knows about it.”

With that, I turn on my heel and storm out of the room, my stomach clenching with the realization that for the past six months, I was dating a man who could potentially be a rapist. I’ve slept in his bed, defended him, and tried my best to love him. I partied with him, let him use my body, all while blissfully unaware of the real man hidden behind the mask.

Breaking through my bedroom door, I rush through to my bathroom, getting there just in time to drop to my knees in front of the toilet and hurl into the bowl.

My head hangs as I violently throw up, not knowing what to do.

What if it’s true? What if I got so drunk that I don’t remember Colby slipping away that night? What if I’ve been blind to it just as Tanner had suggested, and because of my inability to know what’s going on around me, his sister was attacked, drugged, raped, and left for dead?

Fuck.

Chapter 22

BRIELLE

Tanner slinks into third period English looking as though he hasn’t slept all weekend. I’m not surprised, I haven’t slept either. It’s been a shit weekend. What started out amazing quickly turned to a steaming pile of horse shit.

I’m so conflicted, so torn over what to believe.

When Tanner stormed into my room, I was so busy raging at him for having no regard for my privacy or the way he’d hurt me that I barely took a chance to truly think over what he was talking about. In that moment, his accusation was insane. I couldn’t comprehend what he’d said because it was so alien to me, but I’ve spent the last two days going over that night six weeks ago.

Most of it is foggy. I remember arriving at the party and having a few drinks. Erica and I danced, and I even draped myself all over Colby like a bad smell. Despite wanting to break up with him, I was still throwing myself at him. What can I say? I’m a horny drunk. Colby had a guaranteed screw at the end of the night, and he knew that, so it doesn’t make sense for him to have attacked Tanner’s sister.

On the other hand, Tanner was so sure. The conviction in his tone scared me and the desperation in his eyes haunts me, but nothing hurts more than the way he walked out of there. I don’t understand this pull between us. I don’t know what it is or how it even happened, but the thought of him walking away like that, truly despising … fuck, that aches.

Even now, watching as he walks into the room and looks anywhere but at me … it hurts. I just want to throw myself at him and wrap my arms around him, feel his body against mine and tell him that everything is going to be okay. At some point, we’re going to have to talk.

I showed up early this morning, tried to catch him before going in, but he wouldn’t talk to me, wouldn’t even look at me. He thinks I’m defending Colby, when in reality, I think I might believe him. I think he did it, and I’m terrified of what that means for me. If it’s true, if he attacked Tanner’s sister, then part of that blame rests on my shoulders. I should have been more aware, should have kept track of him. Should have given him what he needed in order to keep him away from others.

Fuck, how pathetic do I sound?

The fire in Tanner’s eyes tells me that he’ll do whatever it takes to destroy him. Colby has worked so hard to be the best player that Hope Falls has ever seen, and something as serious as a rape charge would destroy everything he’s worked for. Even if he is proven innocent—which could very well happen considering he has a lawyer like Orlando—the gossip would spread, and he’d never recover. Any chance he has of getting a football scholarship would be gone and he’d be stuck in Hope Falls for the rest of his life.