Crave Me (The Good Ol' Boys #4)(79)

She didn't even look up at me when she whispered, “You looked fine to me, Austin. I left you with your friends and family. Where you belong.”

“Baby…” I coaxed, moving her chair that she was sitting in to crouch down in front of her on the balls of my feet. “Let me explain.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Explain what? That you’re a f*cking liar. That you have lied to me for over two years now.”

“I would never lie to you,” I simply stated.

She looked me dead in the eyes. “I recall you saying ‘I don’t have anything to go home to.’ Sound familiar?”

“I don’t.”

“Then we have two very different definitions to that statement, Austin.”

“Briggs, listen to me. My family, my friends and I… f*ck… it’s complicated. What you saw today... There’s a lot you don’t know.”

“No shit.”

I jerked back. “It’s not like you’ve been a patent of f*cking honesty, Briggs. Or should I call you Daisy Martinez. Your uncle might appreciate that," I snapped.

“My name is Daisy Mitchell. Not Martinez. He was my mom’s brother.”

“Was?”

She scoffed. “Yeah, Austin. Was… You want to share sad stories? I’ll go first. I’m a f*cking orphan. The only reason I didn’t tell you Martinez was my uncle is because I didn’t want you to stop looking at me the way you do. You haven't looked at me the same since you found out. You don’t know this life. You don’t know what I’ve seen. What he’s capable of. When people realize that I’m related to him, it changes the way they look at me. The way they treat me. The way they act around me. You really think a woman would have been respected the way I was if they didn’t know I was his niece.”

I took a deep breath, knowing she was right.

“I’ve lived a very f*cked up life. My parents were killed in a car accident when I was six. I still dream about their dead bodies in the car. I still see all the blood, their bodies mangled, glass shattered everywhere. I still remember the last thing I told them, telling them I hated them.”

A single tear fell down her face. I just sat there shocked as shit with what she had just revealed, knowing she wasn't even done yet. Never in a million years did I expect her to say those things.

She held it together, never once making me think she was that broken over the last two years.

“I still hear my own voice, yelling at them, begging them to hold me. To comfort me. Pleading with them to wake up. Not understanding why they wouldn’t. I still remember waking up in a hospital next to me a man I’d never met before. A man with cold, dark eyes and no soul with an expensive suit. A man who never held me, never told me he loved me, never consoled me when I woke up screaming in the middle of the night.”

Her tears fell freely now, one right after the other.

“The first time I saw someone murdered, it was on my fifteenth birthday. It was my uncle’s gift to me. What a sick f*ck right? He killed the driver of the car that took away my life. Right in front of my eyes. His blood is on my hands now. To this day I still feel his brains and skull all over me,” she wept, her breathing becoming erratic.

“Baby.” I reached out for her, and she harshly pushed me away.

“Oh come on, Austin… I’m just sharing my sad story. It’s what you’ve always wanted, right? For me to tell you my truths,” she bellowed, her voice breaking with each word.

“Esteban was my only friend, and he wasn’t even a friend. He was paid to protect me. He took my virginity, the same night my uncle took the little bit of innocence I had left.”

“Jesus Christ,” I breathed out.

“My uncle found us. He beat him within an inch of his life. His men dragged him out of the room. For the last five years I didn’t even know if he was dead or alive. I’ve been a Martinez since that night. Daisy Mitchell died with her parents in the car.”

She shook her head, willing away the memories. Knowing it was no use. They were etched in her soul as much as my scars were carved on my skin.

“Your favorite tattoo, Austin… I got it done a month after I became a Martinez. I dropped out of school and started dealing drugs. I saw the world through his eyes. And I f*cking hated it. I walked into the parlor already knowing what I wanted. I had it all drawn out. The pin up girl, Austin, it’s me. I have an angel and devil on my shoulders. My uncle and my mom,” she bawled.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I immediately pulled her into my arms, holding her as tight as I could. Trying to keep her heart from breaking into pieces right in front of me.

“Shhh…” I murmured. “Shhh… You will never be alone again. You won’t ever be scared again. I’m here, baby, and I’m not going anywhere. We’re best friends, remember?” I added, trying to lighten the mood.

She shook her head, pulling away from me. Looking deep in my eyes.

“You have enough best friends, Austin. I witnessed your relationships today. So don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“Briggs, I—”

“How long, Austin?”

I frowned, not understanding what she was implying.

She didn’t falter.

“How long have you been in love with your best friend? How long have you been in love with Alex?”