Landon's Obsession: An Endless Series: Book 3 (Series 3) (29 page)

     Nadia said something else but my ears were buzzing. My
brother…drugged a girl…his looks of panic last night at my mention of
Maya…Maya’s terror at seeing me…something hadn’t been adding up.

     My ears went suddenly quiet, and Nadia’s sympathetic
and angry face came into sharp focus. “Did he say who?” I demanded as murderous
rage combusted inside me. My cup went flying and I grabbed Nadia’s arms.
“Nadia, did he say who!?” I shouted.  

     Eyes widening, she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Landon.
He didn’t say.”

     Suddenly, Nadia was ripped away and Seth was yelling at
me, but I wasn’t hearing him, or anything. White noise took over my head and
emotions exploded through me that I had no control over. I lost it.

     Grabbing the nearest piece of furniture, an outside bar
table, I flung it. I don’t know where it went because I was grabbing the next
object, a bar stool. “I’ll fucking kill him if it was her. I’m going to kill
him anyway, but if…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. I could only lift the bar
stool and smashed it down on the deck.

      Distantly, I heard voices calling out to me, but I was
out of my mind with rage, and grabbing up another stool. It all made sense now;
Maya’s terror and hurt expression, Kris’s alarm and panic at what Maya might
have said, the fact that Maya had been perfect up until that point, but had out
of the blue slept with my brother who she barely knew.

     My brother had drugged and raped her.

     I bent over and roared as fury and pain, unimaginable
and encompassing, exploded through me.
God
, she’d been raped. I’d walked
in after it had happened. She’d been passed out in a chemical stupor as I’d
stared down at her. I’d left her there, walked away, to let him abuse her for
however long he kept her there.

     She’d been innocent and I’d treated her like shit under
my shoes.

     The memory of her calling me two days later flashed in
my head. I’d seen her name on my cell phone screen and I’d almost ignored it
but anger had made me answer.

    
“Hello”

    
There had been a pause after my cold greeting
that had only increased my anger.

     “Landon?”
Maya’s voice had sounded whispery, hoarse,
and hesitant.

    
“What?”
I’d answered frigidly.

     There had been another pause.

    
“I need talk to you.”
She’d finally responded.

     
“I’m busy. In fact, I’ll be busy for the rest of my
life.”
I’d sneered the words.

     More heavy silence had filled the space.

    
“Wh…what do you mean?”
Her tone had gone even
more whispery and hoarse.

    
“I mean that we’re done. The thrill of the chase is
over. I had you, it was okay, but I’ve already moved on to someone who actually
knows how to fuck. Maybe I’ll see you around and if you’ve learned anything new
I might consider trying you again.”

     I hadn’t waited to hear her reply. I’d hung up.

     Maya had probably been calling me to tell me what my
brother had done to her and instead I’d heaped more humiliation and pain on
what she’d already endured. I was just as bad as Kris. No…I was worse, because
she had trusted me, she’d loved me. She hadn’t admitted it out loud but I’d
seen it in her face and she’d almost disclosed it out loud. And I’d treated her
like trash.

    
Oh, God
, was it possible to survive this degree
of pain and shame.

     “Landon!...Landon!...What the hell is wrong? Talk to
me.”

     I heard the voice as if from far away…Nic. I couldn’t
answer though, because my throat was too closed up. I could barely get any
breaths in and out.

     “What the hell happened?” Seth’s voice.

     “I have no idea.” Nic again.

     “Do you know what Nadia was talking to him about?” Seth
once more.

     “No.” Nic.

     My fucking brother, that’s who Nadia was talking to me
about…my brother. I straightened up…I needed to find Kris so I could kill him.

     Turning, I strode past the guys who were looking at me
in extreme concern as they attempted to clean up the mess I’d made. Opening the
French doors I marched through the kitchen, where the girls all congregated
staring at me the same way. I ran up the stairs to my bedroom and punched my
door open making it slam against the wall. Stomping to my dresser I went to
grab my car keys and…Fuck! I didn’t bring my car.

     I swiped one of the vases off dresser in frustrated
fury. Then I remembered there were spare cars in the garage. Grabbing my wallet
I dashed down the stairs and out the front door toward the garage. Snagging the
set of keys to my old Mustang I was just about to climb in when Nic and Seth
ran inside.

     “Where are you going?” Nic asked taking a stance in
front of the car.

     “Get the hell out of the way!” I snarled.

     “Not until you tell me what’s going on. You look like
you’re on your way to kill someone.”

     “I am, now get the fuck out of my way.” I stormed angrily
around the car to get in his face. He did not want to mess with me right now
because anyone was fair game for my anger.

     Nic backed away with his hands up. “Okay, okay.” I knew
he wasn’t afraid of me; he was just trying to calm me down. Only that wasn’t
going to happen.

     Breathing heavily I turned only to find Seth now
blocking my way back into the car. “Seth” I growled.

     He held up his hands as well, and just then Evan, Noah
and Blake came barreling into the garage.

     “No one is stopping me from hunting him down and
killing him so unless you’re going to beat me into submission and tie me down I
suggest you get out of my way.” I declared frostily. I looked them all in the
eye so they knew I was serious.

     Seth’s arms lowered. “We don’t necessarily want to stop
you, but you appear a little…overemotional to be driving.”

     I laughed darkly, in no way amused. “Pedestrians aren’t
going to be my victims today, just my brother.”

     Blake stepped forward. “Do you even know where he went,
Landon?”

     My fists tightened at having to hunt for the son of a
bitch. “There are only a few places he would have gone.”  

     Blake took another step forward. “How about if I drive
while you call those places?”

     I knew they wanted to go with me to try and defuse me,
but I didn’t care as long as we went now. Once I found him no one was stopping
me from killing him. “Fine, let’s go.” I strode around to the passenger seat.

     “I’ll go as well. I can help make calls.” Evan
declared. He climbed in the back as Blake took the front. Two seconds later
Noah also climbed in the back. I shook my head. If they thought numbers were
going to hold me back they were mistaken.

     Blake started the car and we were on our way. Immediately
I began making calls to the most expensive and likely establishments he would
have gone. One after another said they didn’t have anyone by that name. Each
negative response escalated my rage.

     Where in the fuck could he have gone!? Maybe they’d
gotten the room under the other fucker’s name. I didn’t know the asshole
though, so that route was closed to me.

     I tried calling Kris but the cocksucker wasn’t
answering any of my call.

     My only other option at this point was actual footwork.
So I had Blake stop at several hotels allowing me to go inside and question—bribe—the
desk staff to see if anyone could remember the two fuckwads coming in last
night.

     But again, one after another was a fucking dead end
because the staff had switched up for the day.

     Storming out of the fifth hotel I slammed my fists down
on the hood of the Mustang. “Fuck, fuck, fuuucckk!” I shouted in frustrated
anger and slammed my fists down several more times. I was making a scene but
didn’t give a shit. I eventually stopped, resting my fists in the dents I’d
made.

     “What do you want to do, Landon?” Noah asked. I didn’t
look up but I could hear the disquiet in his tone. I sensed Evan and Blake
watching me with the same concern and anxiety.

      His question was a good one. What did I want to do
now? I could keep running around like a chicken with my head cut off, or could
I do something constructive. It would take longer for my fist to meet his face,
but this way wasn’t working.

     I took a step back and stomped the grill of my car.
“Let’s head back to the beach house.” I growled, climbing back in the passenger
seat. Noah, Blake, and Evan followed. “You guys can stay for the rest of the
weekend, but I’m heading back to Charlottesville as soon as we get back.” I
announced.

     I stared down at my fisted hands noticing that I’d
broken the skin on two knuckles, and they throbbed like a bitch. I deserved to
feel worse. After I killed my brother someone needed to stab me in the gut so I
died slowly and painfully. Maybe Maya could do it.

     More pain engulfed me.
God
…
Maya
! I needed
to talk to her. Prostrate myself at her feet and tell her how sorry I was. I
wasn’t going to ask for forgiveness because I didn’t deserve it, but she
deserved to know that I was a fucking asshole. She probably knew that already,
but I needed to stand in front of her so she could spew out whatever hate she
held toward me. I could only hope my apologetic submission would give her
something, some sort of healing.

     I hit the dash as another uncontrollable wave of wrath
crashed through me. Within me an incessant storm raged, one minute I felt
overwhelming rage at my brother, but then devastating pain and shame battered
me as I thought of Maya. I was nearly psychotic with the deluge of emotions.

     When we got back to the beach house everyone decided to
head back to Charlottesville; except for Nadia and her siblings. I knew they
were all concerned about my behavior, and while I would have liked to tell them
I was fine, I wasn’t, and I couldn’t even fake it.

     I called Marie and got the number to the real-estate
company she was using to find a house. I didn’t call the number because it was
the weekend and if anyone answered I didn’t know what I would have said.
Instead, I called my parent’s and told them I was heading that way in a few
hours and I needed to talk to them.

     What I needed to say to them needed to be said in
person.

     I took the Mustang after assuring the guys that I was
okay to drive. They didn’t believe me, but they also couldn’t stop me. Three
and a half hours later I strode into the living area where my parents were
seated. “Has Kris gotten a hold of either of you today?”   

     They both frowned at my abrupt entrance and sharp tone.

     “What the hell had happened, Landon? You were
completely irrational on the phone,
telling
us to be at the house
because we needed to talk.” My father asked.

     “Kris is what happened.” I snarled. “Have. You. Heard.
From. Him?”

     Father’s frown intensified. “Landon, what is going on?”

     My parent’s were sitting across from each other on
separate sofas and I strode forward to stand between the arm of each of them.
“I’ll tell you what’s going on; Kris is a fucking rapist.” I yelled.

     My mother gasped and paled while father jumped to his
feet. “What the hell are you talking about?” He boomed.

     “Kris admitted to drugging and raping a girl last
night.”

     Father gaped at me speechless, while mother went even
whiter.

     “He told you he raped a girl last night?” He finally
asked slowly.

     I swiped my hand through the air. “No, he didn’t do it
last night, at least not that I know of, but who knows how many girls he’s done
this to. I’m talking about four years ago.”

     His face strained, he took a deep breath. “He confessed
to raping a girl to you last night?”

     I paced away, the torrent of pain and anger too much
for me to stand still for long. The long drive had been complete torture when
all I’d wanted to do was hit and smash things.

     “No, not to me. Kris came to the beach house last night
drunk off his ass. He and one of his friends snuck into one of the girl’s
bedrooms. She was asleep but woke up in time to hear him making offensive
comments about her thinking she was asleep, and then she heard him say
something about drugging and having sex with a girl.”

     “So he didn’t admit to raping her. Maybe he was talking
about using drugs and then having sex?”

     I heard the relief in his voice and spun around angrily.
“I wouldn’t doubt that he has done that, but no, I know who he raped.”

     He gaped at me and I heard a gasp from my mother.
“Who?” He asked.

     “Maya.” I growled the name out in anger and pain.

     He shook his head in confusion and denial. “Maya? Who’s
Maya?”

     “My girlfriend four years ago. The only girlfriend I’ve
ever had.” I shouted.    

     His expression cleared and his eyes widened. “Rita’s
daughter? How do you know this, and why didn’t you say something back then?”

     I rubbed at the excruciating agony in my chest.
“Because I’m an asshole. I looked at something with my eyes and not my heart.”

     He frowned, looking confused. “What are you talking
about?”

      “Four years ago I walked in on Kris and Maya in the
pool house. They were naked on the bed, passed out. I jumped to the obvious
conclusion, but I shouldn’t have. Maya wasn’t like that. She was sweet,
innocent, a damn virgin for fucksake…” I bellowed, and then turning away I
whispered… “And she loved me. She wouldn’t have had sex with Kris of her own
volition.”

     My mother spoke up for the first time. “Landon, what
you’re saying sounds like hearsay and conjecture…and probably wishful thinking.
While your brother has had his problems he wouldn’t have done that. Who is this
girl claiming to have heard him say this?”