Page 13 of Luke

“Why didn’t you just tell us?” Catherine asked.

“I didn’t know how.” He shrugged. “I had taken it too far and decided to find a way to stop him on my own. My mother passed while everything was happening with you and April,” he told Cade. “At first, he was pissed that I wasn’t there to help with that and give him information, but then he changed his tactics. He went to Ashley, told her I had stopped paying for mom’s treatments. It took a while to convince her that he was just a manipulative liar. We were so caught up in the grief of losing Mom.”

He cleared his throat and shook off that memory. “He called and emailed me often when he first went to jail. After that, well, I gave in and went to see him, hoping to sever things once and for all. It didn’t work. He was going to get Ashley kicked out of school with lies about her, completely damage her reputation before she had a chance to build it. It would have wrecked her. I agreed to help him again.”

“Marcus?” Ryker asked.

“Yeah. I hated him but I never thought he would do what he did. I had no idea he was that unhinged. I just helped him get a date with Catherine. From there, I had nothing to do with it. The last time I visited him, he wanted me to break you two up and get some other guy to date her. I refused.”

“We know about that,” Cade said.

He didn’t question that. “I’ve been trying to put things in motion so that if he follows through with his threats, it won’t work or at least won’t be as bad. I’ve got information on everyone he contacts from jail and what they do. Some of the people are in pretty high places. I just need to drag things out for a little longer for Ashley to graduate.”

“Except that won’t stop it.” Cade stood. “The threat will change, but it won’t go away. I assume that Ashley is our sister too?”

“She is,” Luke confirmed.

“Then she will likely end up in the same situation he put Catherine in,” Jake added.

“I’m trying to prevent all of it. I have dirt on everyone he talks to, and I’m hoping that when he makes his move, I can blackmail them to stop it.” Luke had been working hard to gather it.

“Shit,” Cade swore.

The room went quiet as everyone took in the information. Luke studied the floor, the wall, anywhere but the people he’d just told all the terrible things he’d been involved in with them.

“Luke,” Paisley whispered. She was standing beside him and he hadn’t even noticed. She slid her hand into his, squeezing.

“You being here puts them at risk,” Cade said.

Luke was surprised his tone was more concern than admonishment. “That’s right. We already talked about needing to move out of here to some place better maintained.”

“Oh, you can use my house.” Catherine stood and swiped the wrinkles out of her pants. “Ryker and I were just talking about what to do with it. I lived there less than a month before I moved in with him.”

That close to Ryker probably wasn’t a good idea.

“It’s not a bad idea. I can keep an eye on you from there and they will have someone nearby if they need us,” Ryker said.

Shocked, Luke finally looked up at everyone. What he saw had him choking back emotion in his throat.. Sympathetic looks were all he was getting. Ryker and Cade had their fists clenched but they didn’t seem to be sending that energy his way.

“You’re not angry?” he asked.

Jake answered for everyone this time. “Angry that you didn’t bother to tell us. We would have helped, Luke.”

“You can’t do this again,” Evan added. “You have to be honest with is, even when it’s bad. You’re our friend, and we will always help you.”

Catherine walked over and gave him a hug. “You’re family.”

Cade shook his hand. “We can talk more later, but I don’t hate that you’re my brother.”

April laughed from behind him. “High praise indeed.”

Paisley squeezed his hand again.

“You ready to move?” He turned to her.

She didn’t answer as Catherine launched into all the reasons she had bought the house and why Paisley would love it. Everything was a blur as the weight he’d been carrying was finally gone. He had support this time and didn’t have to do everything alone. It was freeing.

“Come meet your niece,” Cade said, pulling him into the living room.