Impacted (Conflicted Encounters #2) (28 page)

"Thank you. Now, let's go."

We met with my mom down in the lobby. "Hey," I said when we approached. Her eyes were red like she had already been crying. Scarlett rolled her eyes behind her.
 

"Hey, baby," she said as she wrapped me up in a hug. I stiffened momentarily until Kallie glared at me and I returned the hug. This woman was making me be nice to everyone today. "I can't believe this is happening. My baby girl is getting married."

"Mom," Scarlett whined.
 

My mom turned to Kallie. "Thank you for all of this," she said to her, tearing up again.
 

"My pleasure, Mrs. Brooks. I love your kids very much." My mom wrapped her up in a vice grip hug, and I laughed at her from behind my mom's back.
 

"You ladies go and get pampered, now. We got shit to do," Caleb said as he started to shove them down the hall.

"Caleb, watch your mouth," my mom scolded. It may have been years since she's seen him, but I guess the mother in her never left.
 

"Sorry, ma'am," he muttered.
 

Once the girls were out of sight, we took off in a sprint out the front doors. We were without a doubt the rowdiest and loudest guests in the resort. The receptionist laughed and shook her head as we flew by her and raced to get to the Jeeps. Logan and I both were first in a driver's seats.
 

"You're with me," I pointed to Adam. I was pretty sure Logan would throw him from the moving vehicle. He nodded and climbed in before we took off.
 

We drove up the road and turned on to a dirt path that was part of a national forest. We drove by it on the way to the coffee plantation but didn't have time to play. The path was up hill, covered with nasty rocks and deep holes. Logan pulled to the side and let me lead the way. I maneuvered around the boulders and inched the Jeep up the hill. Adam gripped the roll cage like his life depended on it.
 

"You hurt her, I will kill you," I told him when we reached some smooth land.
 

"I won't," he assured me as he rubbed his aching hands. His knuckles were actually white.
 

I spotted some smoke rolling through the tall pines we were surrounded by. I continued on the path before we came to a clearing in the forest. The ground was covered in black rock and smoke. I parked and Logan pulled up next to me.
 

"Volcano!" he shouted over to me, pointing to the sign. I saw a brochure for it in the lobby but didn't realize we were so close.
 

We all got out of the cars and followed the walking paths around the area. The air smelled sweet and smoky. Smoke and steam rolled of the rocks. We walked around, following the railing to a platform, looking over the volcano. It was gigantic and surreal to actually see a volcano. It was something I had only seen in movies.
 

I would need to bring Kallie up here. We had two days after the wedding before we left and we figured Adam and Scarlett would be locked away together. I looked at my phone and realized we should head back to meet up with the girls. Adam was quiet as usual on the walk back to the Jeeps. I wondered if he felt left out because we had all been friends growing up. He was missing out on a lot of inside jokes and history.

"So, do you have any family coming in today?" I asked on the drive down the mountain.
 

"Um, no," he shrugged. "I don't have any family left and no friends good enough to make the trip. Scarlett is the closest person to me."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said. I was trying not to think it had anything to do with him being a liar.
 

We made the rest of the drive in silence. Logan got stuck once and I had to push him out of the hole. I debated telling him we knew about the gambling. It was obviously a problem if he felt the need to lie about it. It wasn't as if Scarlett would see gambling as morally wrong. There wasn't much she would frown on. But lying was one she would. He would know that if he really knew her.

We pulled up to the hotel and parked the Jeeps before heading in. My mom and Scarlett were sitting at a small table drinking coffee. Scarlett jumped up and ran into Adam's arms when she saw him. He picked her up and spun her around as Logan glared at them. I wasn't sure why he had such an issue with Adam when he still didn't know what Kallie and I knew.
 

"Everything is all set," Kallie announced as she joined us.
 

I grabbed her and pulled her into me. "Missed you," I said before deeply kissing her.
 

"You too," she whispered as she slowly pulled away. "I was thinking we could walk the beach before dinner."

I instantly pictured her naked on the sand beneath me. "We'll meet you guys later," I called to anyone that would listen, never taking my eyes off hers. I started to tug her out the back doors behind Adam and Scarlett, who were heading to the pool with my mom.

"Jacob Scott?" someone called behind us.
 

Adam stopped dead in his tracks, making Kallie run into his back. I reached out to balance her and looked back at the speaker. Two men dressed in back suits stood in the lobby with a confused looking hotel manager. Adam slowly turned to face them.

"Mr. Scott, please come with us."

"What are you doing?" Scarlett asked him. "They aren't talking to you."
 

Adam's eyes closed tightly as he took a step away from her. Her eyes went wide as she stared at him in hurt and confusion. Kallie and the guys were watching the scene, looking as clueless as I felt. The two men were approaching us, and Adam had yet to say anything.
 

"You have the wrong person," Scarlett started to say. "This is Adam, not Jacob. Right?" She looked at Adam with begging eyes.
 

"I'm sorry. This is Jacob Scott. Adam Night is an alias, along with several other identities he stole. He is wanted for identity theft, embezzlement, credit card fraud, and laundering," the man explained as he flashed an FBI badge at us.
 

"No," my sister whispered. Kallie wrapped her arms around her before her knees went weak.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he turned to the men to cuff him.
 

I heard the crack before I saw what was happening. Adam hit the floor with his hands to a bloody nose and the officers backed away as Caleb started to pull Logan off Adam.
 

"You mother fucker!" Logan yelled as he tried to break free. I stood in front of Logan and pushed him back. As much as I wanted to break the guys face, we couldn’t start a scene here. I didn’t want us to be kicked out of the hotel.

"Was everything a lie?" Scarlett asked in tears from where she sat on the floor with Kallie.

"I'm afraid so, ma'am," one of the men nodded. "This man is a con artist. He assumes new identities and lives, and then gets a job where he embezzles the money and leaves them bankrupt. Unfortunately, you were part of his facade to look like a normal guy, with a normal family. Did he tell you he owned a fast food franchise?"

"Oil change," she clarified.
 

"Ah, you're getting creative, Mr. Scott. I'm glad you got on that plane or else we never would have tracked you down," he said to Adam.
 

"I can't fucking believe this," my sister whispered.
 

"Mr. Brooks?" I turned and one of the officers handed me a card. "Your sister is going to need to give a statement at some point. Have her call when you guys get back to the states."

"Get him out of here," I growled at the officers as I struggled to keep Logan at bay.
 

They nodded and told him his rights as they walked him out the doors. I looked down at my sister. She was devastated and sobbing into Kallie's shoulders. Kallie was holding her with tears in her own eyes. My mom joined them on the floor, crying as well. I swallowed down my anger and hurt. My three girls were sitting here crying all because of that asshole. I wanted to kill him.
 

I stepped away and released Logan. His eyes were hard and his jaw clenched. Caleb looked just as angry. I really hoped they kept him locked up or he was in a whole different world of trouble. He would prefer life in prison compared to what the three of us wanted to do to him. Logan looked down at my sister, and I flinched. I hadn’t seen her cry since the day my dad walked out of on us.
 

Logan reached down and lifted Scarlett into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder as he started down the hallway. I reached down and offered a hand to Kallie and my mom to help them up.
 

"Did you know?" I asked Kallie.

"No," she shook her head.

"Honey, give me your contacts," my mom said to Kallie. "I will make the calls. You go be with her."

Kallie nodded, dug in her bag, and handed my mom a folder. "There's not many coming in today. Brent and his guest. I never got a response from her dad. We have a small band and the tiki hut rented out."

My mom nodded and left with the info. Kallie looked up with a lost and hurt expression. My chest tightened, and I pulled her into my chest.
 

"I was hoping we were wrong," she whispered.
 

"Me too, baby. Me too."
 

"I have damage control," she said. "Caleb, need you."
 

Caleb pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on. He still looked furious, but slightly calmer. Kallie informed the hotel staff the wedding was off and told them she wanted the ceremony site taken down immediately. We helped the staff fold up the few chairs and take down the flower-covered arc they had setup on the beach. Kallie didn't want Scarlett to see it and be upset.
 

Kallie was somber as she collected the flower arrangements and rolled up the aisle. I know she worked hard on making this ceremony perfect and romantic, and now it wouldn't happen. When the evidence of a wedding was washed away, she stopped at the front desk to talk to the receptionist. The woman wrote down notes as Kallie spoke and nodded her head.
 

"What was that about?" I asked when she came back to Caleb and me.
 

"We need breakup supplies," she smiled. "Let's go see how she's doing."

We knocked softly on Logan's door. After he called for us to come in, Caleb used his room key to get us in. Logan was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching Scarlett as she looked over the ocean. We all took a seat in the room and waited for her to make a move.
 

"I feel so stupid," she finally said.
 

"No," Kallie urged as she jumped to stand by her side. "He fooled us all. He fooled a lot of people, Scar."

"I'm sorry," she cried, and then put her head on Kallie's shoulder.
 

"Don't you dare," Kallie said to her. "We love you and just want you happy."

"But you did all this for nothing."

"No, not nothing. We still have time here and we’ve had fun so far, right?" My sister nodded. "Come on, we are gonna get drunk, eat ice cream, and talk shit about boys in Hawaii."

My sister gave a teary smile and kissed Kallie on the cheek. "You guys are the best."

"Can we maybe skip the trash talking boys?" Caleb joked.
 

"We'll see," Scarlett teased back.
 

Logan got up and answered a knock at the door. Room service wheeled in a car with fruit, bottles of liquor, a case of beer, and tubs of ice cream. I laughed at how prepared Kallie always seemed to be. I would have no idea what to do with my sister if she wasn't there.
 

We pushed together the two king beds in the room and ordered Terminator to watch. Scarlett wanted something where people got blown up. The five us laid on the makeshift bed, with Scarlett in the middle of Kallie and Logan, Caleb stretched across the bottom, and me in the middle, rubbing Kallie's feet.
 

We ate all the ice cream, drank a case a beer, and the girls killed a bottle of wine. My mom even showed up with a few pizzas the kitchen made for us. Scarlett was still upset, and we could see it, but on the outside she smiled and even laughed a few times. I squeezed between her and Kallie, putting arms around them both.
 

"Love you girls," I said as I stretched my feet out and kicked Caleb.

"Love you, too," they both said at the same time.
 

"What happens tomorrow?" my sister finally asked while we all sat on the balcony to watch the sunset over the water.
 

"Whatever you want," Kallie told her.
 

"Ever hear of those trash the dress parties?" she asked with her signature, wicked grin.
 

"Yes," Kallie said with suspicion.
 

"Let's do it. And I want to have the reception," she said with determination.
 

"You sure?" Logan asked.
 

"Yeah. It's not like I will ever wear the dress, and I can't return it. Kallie put a lot of work in it. We should party," she nodded.