Faithless (Mistress & Master of Restraint) (14 page)

“I can’t tell you
,” Wil quickly answers. “What I need from you is to know if a guy named Hunter ever comes around. We can’t have him compromising Cort. But he’ll go for Ezra first. It would take five minutes to figure it out after that, though.”

“Your partner?”
Bewilderment tinges my tone. “Why would he go after the guys? Wait a minute,
he’s
Ezra’s birth father,” my voice breaks in fear.

“
Gretchen,” Wil growls his sister’s name. “Of course she said what we’d been up to. Yes, my partner may go after Cort. But he will surely go after his son once he completely comes unhinged. I was assessing his mental status. Not good enough was my conclusion. Just keep an eye on the boys, because I can’t. My bosses don’t want one of their watch dogs slipping its leash and fucking up their game. Bad shit will happen. So I’m on Hunter duty until we can catch him. Hunter is a step away from needing a permanent solution.”

“Are they okay?
What don’t they know? You’re… you might have to kill him,” my voice goes up an octave.

“I can’t… I’m sorry, but I can’t. I’d tell you everything you’d ever want to know if you were my
partner, but you’re only one of the players. The Elders and their Heirs and Enforcers are the only ones who are privy to everything. I’ve already told you more than any of the other players will ever hear. If you love your sister and your friends, you’ll help.” Wil pins me with his ghostly stare. That look alone would make you do anything for him.

“Give me something,” I whine,
“Anything. I hate not knowing all the juicy secrets. I’m good at keeping secrets, honest. And frankly,” I reluctantly admit, “I’m lost.”

“If it came down to loyalty,
I know you’d choose to tell them. I can’t risk it. Love and loyalty are ruled by the heart, fear is ruled by the mind. Fear me and my employers more than you love those boys. One day, your fear of us will be outweighed by respect, and maybe a bit of affection. But until then, I can’t trust you. I’m sorry. I’m warning you, Faith. Fucking this up can hurt a lot of people. Keep Cort happy. Get to know his family. Keep an eye out for people who shouldn’t be around. Do it for your new friends.”

“Just tell me one thing,
” I beg, “What don’t they know?”

“Do they love each other?”
so much pain, longing, and affection fills his soft voice. Hearing Wil talk about love is a creepy experience.

“Yes, very much,
” I honestly answer.

“I don’t mean as the brothers they were raised to be or as best friends. I mean do they love each other romantically?”

“Without a doubt, they do. I think in the forever kind of way,” I softly murmur.

“If you love them, you won’t ever tell them. It woul
d destroy them. Promise me,” Wil demands.

“I promise,” I vow.
Wil eyes me for a few moments, looking for tells that I’m lying. “Eventually I will prove that my word is good.”

“
I hope so,” Wil whispers. “Ezra Zeitler’s birth father and Cortez Abernathy’s mother were twins,” he reveals.

“What?” I gasp in shock. “They’re… they’re cousins?”

“Yeah, this doesn’t leave this car. You gave me your word, and if you break it, your word will be worthless to me,” Wil warns. Something tells me that Wil finding you worthless is a very, very bad thing.

“I… how can we keep this from them? It…”

“That’s the points, isn’t it? If their mothers had wanted them to know, they would have told them. Now it’s too late. It would kill them to find out the truth. It’s technically not illegal in this state, and it’s not like they can make kids together. Besides, I think science disproved the whole sixth finger bullshit. Just don’t tell them okay?”

“I’ll promise if you make one for
me, too,” I demand. “Promise that they will find out someday. Promise,” I order Wil, holding his penetrating stare. I can’t stand my friends not knowing the truth of their lives. If they really love each other, they’ll survive it.

“I promise that I will personally tell Cortez Abernathy that he is related to Ezra Zeitler. It may be a few years, but I always keep my promises.
”

I have a feeli
ng that a promise from Wil is always kept. He’ll make sure he keeps it, one way or another, and no matter who or what is standing in his way.

~Chapter Eleven~

“You almost killed us,” Ezra yelps. “It… it’s only a car, not a space shuttle. And that was only a driveway, not a tightrope. How the hell did you manage to end up pointed the wrong direction?”

“I don’t like
foreign cars,” I grumble, trying to hide my mortification. I’m blushing to my hairline. My flesh feels flash-fried. After I lost control and put the car in the woods, I got it stuck. Ezra and I had to push while Cort tried to rock the car out of the ruts. “I almost killed your car. I’m pretty sure I hurt its engine, and gave us all a case of whip-lash. Can you please get me a pickup truck to practice with?”

“This
ain’t
West Virginia, babe. Do you see any pickups cruising the area?” Cort teases. “You’re going to learn. This was just your first time out. Don’t ask about Ezra’s first time,” he says as a double entendre, with a gigantic shit-eating smirk on his face.

“I don’t want any of those details,” I giggle, skipping
backwards from the garage. “Did he grind your gears and end up in your parking spot?” It’s getting easier to tease them.

When I see them touch, I pretend that they aren’t cousins. That secret is burning a hole in my soul. I want them to know, but I don’t want to hurt them. When either of them hugs me or is nice to me, it makes me feel all the more guilty.

“Oh… oh, no you didn’t… you so did not just go there.” Cort keeps pace with me, skipping forward while I skip backwards. Ezra ruefully shakes his head at me. “I’ve never had anyone in my
parking spot
,” Cort growls, stalking after me.

I would turn and run, but
I learned a few weeks ago, you can’t out run someone that has fourteen inches on your height. I’ve also learned their tells, particularly their facial expressions. Cort isn’t angry, he’s enjoying the ribbing.

“You sure like parking in mine,” Ezra taunts, with an evil grin on his lips and a devious sparkle in his eyes. Cortez busts out laughing, and finally Ezra’s pale face turns the same shade as my own- cherry red- the color of mortification.

“TMI! Oh, too much information. My ears are bleeding,” I cry, running up the driveway without looking where I’m going. “Ugh,” I grunt when I hit a solid chest. I blink my daze away.

“Why, hello there, little one,” Ez’s dad purrs. “I
t seems I’ve finally caught you.” He grins down at me, silently laughing. I’ve avoided him, scared to death he’d take out on me what my father took out of him. I’m a sixteen-year-old as of today; I don’t have a million bucks to give him.

“Sir,” I gulp. He’s only twenty-two, and he doesn’t look much older than the boys. But there is an air about him. It’s the same feeling I have around Wil. You do not fuck with Marcus Zeitler.

“Nice driving,” he says with a straight face, and then starts chuckling. “Did Cort tell you how Ezra had a head-on with the shrubbery, and then the front gate. Ez totaled the bushes, and then my two-hundred-thousand dollar car. It’s a miracle that I let him drive at all. Never, ever in his lifetime will he touch the
Spyder
.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Ezra scoffs. “I only put a ding in your car. You told me to drive.”

“I said to put it in reverse. You hit the gas instead of the brake, and careened into the gate. Big difference,” he snickers. “So Miss Faith Simpson, you’re leaps and bounds ahead of your friends.”

“What about Cort? Did he suck, too?”
Marcus seems like he could be a fun guy. He teases and jokes. He’s a real- I mean- he’s a very handsome guy. A sculpted jaw, tight black curls cropped close to his head, and huge honey-brown eyes. His skin reminds me of mine in the height of summer- healthy bronze- only it’s almost November right now.

“He sucks
, alright,” Ezra mutters underneath his breath, and it earns him a playful smack to the cheek from his dad.

“
Ez is being very disrespectful,” he gently chides his son. “Faith, don’t let him teach you bad behaviors. Surprisingly, Cort takes well to machinery.” Marcus winks at Cort. “His mother said that when he was a tyke, he used to chase the lawn guy around, begging to drive the lawn tractor.”

“I bet he got to, didn’t he?”
I smile at Cort, and he looks at the ground, blushing. Cort never blushes. I know he must’ve really done it. He probably still does, judging by the way he’s avoiding my gaze.

“Who could deny that face anything?” Marcus croons. “It’
s Cortez. He always gets what he wants, doesn’t he?”

Cort flashes us a crooked smile, and then turns up the wattage. He even bats his thick eyelashes and primps his black hair. Poor Ez looks like someone socked
him in the face with a rubber mallet. If this were a cartoon, Ezra would have tiny pink hearts floating above his head, his tongue hanging out, and his eyes popping from his skull.

Surprisingly, Marcus looks gobsmacked
, too. I snicker- must be I’m the only one immune to Cortez’s charms. Cort is adorable, though.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, birthday girl, but I think your friends have something planned for you.” Marcus
affectionately kisses both boys on their foreheads, and then gives me a friendly wave as he walks into the house. “Don’t be a stranger,” he calls over his shoulder, and then shuts the door behind him.

“Something planned?”
I turn to them, hiding my smile. No one has ever done anything special on my birthday.

“
Follow us to the woods,” Ezra ominously growls, sinisterly twisting his face. He beckons me with a long finger in a come-hither motion. For someone who has the coloring of a ghost, he can look downright evil.

***

“SURPRISE!” is shouted from a wide variety of voices within the trees. I can’t see anyone, but I recognize all the voices. We’re several hundred feet into the dark woods. A big, pink birthday cake is in the center of a folding picnic table, presents scattered around it. A tub of soda cans and bottles is next to the table. Tiki torches light the area from being total darkness. My friends and family hop out from behind the tall trees that make up the woods surrounding ShadowHaven Estates. Fate lets out a huge squeal and embraces me. I laugh at her because she making an ass out of herself, as usual.

“Happy sweet sixteen,” Fate giddily sings, rocking me back and forth in her arms. “I remember mine, but I think this is even better.” She tries to make a group of eight guests better than a huge gala of two hundred plus with a car and diamonds as gifts. But I will agree with her,
this is more my speed. It would be perfect if Daddy and Aunt Amelia were with us. At least everyone here actually gives a shit about me. It isn’t elitist bullshit.

“Thanks for coming,” I murmur into my sister’s ear. I give her a big squeeze and step from her arms. “You too, Regina,” I say to my sister’s best friend and the biggest source of town gossip.

“You were at my tiny party of four, seems only fair,” Regina teases, a big smile plastered to her face. Her party feels like forever ago. Regina, Ade, and Fate played Barbies with me all night. Regina had to be Ken, and she forced me to be Skipper. I was twelve, but it was one of the best nights of my life. We were idiots.

Regina pushes her reluctant companion
towards me, who’s all eyes for the Ezes. The boy is staring at Ezra like he’s a rockstar. “You begged to come,” Regina laughs at little Daniel.

“Happy Birthday, Faith,” the eight-year-old says in a voice as deep as a man’s. His eyes dart to my hand, expectantly.

“Finally, someone who’s polite enough to shake my dang hand,” I laugh as I take the boy’s soft hand in mine- cute, our hands are identical. The kid is even taller than me. Whitt squeezes my hand and flashes me his dimples and bright blue eyes. Sometimes I think someone dumped blond and blue-eyed in the water around here.

“Hey, kid,” Ezra greets the boy
by roughing up his feathery hair, and Whitt’s face lights up like Christmas from the attention. “Thanks for coming.” My hand is instantly released as Whitt follows Ezra around with a dopey smile on his face.

“Regina,” Cort turns on his charm and gets into her personal space.
He tries out his grin, the eyelash bat, the bedroom eyes… the whole nine yard- and he comes up empty. Regina just growls under her breath and Cort quickly retreats.

I snort at how ridiculous Cortez
looks. I should feel hurt, since technically Cort is my boyfriend. But it’s more like he’s my guy friend that wants to drill anything that has a heartbeat. He already has a soulmate, we’re all just cake.

“
Never gonna happen, stud,” Regina purrs. “You’re still a baby compared to me. I will say that we’re finally the same height, though.”