Page 32 of The Merger

“Can you grab her some clothes? Something to sleep in, and something for work in the morning.”

“Why doesn’t she just go to her apartment? You know, where all her stuff is?” he asked.

From everything I’d ever heard Colter doted on his baby sister, Waverly. Would he excuse her actions and take her side against Sabrina? “There was an incident. She needed somewhere to go, and I offered.”

“Did your brother hurt her?” he snarled.

“Yes, but not in the way you are probably thinking.”

“Stryker quit beating around the bush and tell me what happened.”

If he was going to defend Waverly, I’d rather Sabrina never know about it. Perhaps it was better for him to find out from me, in case he said anything that would hurt her.

“I drove her home from work and walked her up. She was going to change and then we were supposed to get dinner. Instead, we walked in on Waverly and my brother fucking like animals in the living room.”

I heard something crash over the phone. “Damn her!” he shouted in the distance.

There was a thud as if the phone hit the carpet. I waited a few seconds, then Jana’s voice greeted me. “I think Waverly has finally done it. I don’t know if Colter will be able to keep helping her with how cruelly she treats everyone he cares about. I’ll grab some of my clothes for tonight, and tomorrow Colt and I will go grab some of Sabrina’s things.”

“Fuck that,” he shouted. “Put me on speaker.”

I heard her press some buttons and then his voice came through the line more clearly. “Sabrina is not going to be kicked out of her own apartment. I never should have pushed her to let Waverly live with her. I’d hoped if they spent more time together they’d grow closer, but I can see now that Waverly isn’t capable of normal human emotions. Tell Brina I will fix my mistake.”

I exhaled in relief. Colter must have heard me and released a sad-sounding laugh. “You thought I was going to turn my back on Sabrina, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” Hearing her voice, I looked up and saw Sabrina standing in the doorway listening to my conversation.

Too late, I realized that putting my phone on speaker was a huge mistake.

“Oh, Brina,” Colt said in a sad voice. “I’ve made too many excuses for her for far too long. First, she came after Jana, and I let it pass. Then she made a scene after baby Grace was born, and now she’s betrayed you in probably the worst way possible. You know you’re welcome to come and stay with us, right?”

“No,” I snapped. “I’m sure we both appreciate it, but Sabrina is my wife, and we need to sort some things out.”

“Stryker—“ Colt began, but he was interrupted by Jana.

“No, Colt, he’s right. I’ll be there shortly with some clothes, like, less than twenty minutes. There’s no traffic right now, and I’d already put some clothes aside because Colter has a shopping addiction, and I refuse to support his illness. Hang in there Sabrina,” she said.

“Thanks, Jana,” Sabrina choked out.

“We’re family. See you soon.” The line went dead.

“You told Colter?” she asked.

I couldn’t tell if she was pissed off at me for overstepping, or if the flat sound of her voice was just a lingering effect of the emotional shock she’d been in for nearly the last hour.

“I’m sorry, but I needed to take care of you. My brother hurt you, and yours has the ability to fix it.”

She shook her head. “Your brother didn’t hurt me.”

My fists clenched. Even now she was defending him. “I saw the look of devastation on your face. You don’t need to stand up for him.”

Her head shook again. “You’ve got it wrong. It wasn’t him that hurt me. I expected him to do something like that. Maybe not at first, but certainly after the last time I saw him. It was Waverly that hurt me.”

She looked away from me, and I could see her struggling to control her emotions. Her voice trembled when she spoke. “My relationship with my sister has always been strained, but I thought deep down she loved me. I was wrong.”

Her pain struck me in the chest. I joined her on the couch and wrapped my arms around her. I didn’t know what to say to her. Words seemed insufficient to heal the hurt Waverly caused.

Sabrina looked up at me, her blue eyes brighter because of her unshed tears. “You really haven’t been with anyone for five years?”