Since my mom’s sex tape went viral, Finn has been my constant shadow. Not wanting to let me out of his sight even for a minute, just to make sure I don’t go off the deep end.
“No, brother. I mean, I’m leaving Asheville.”
“The fuck are you talking about?” he barks out, surprised.
“This shit is just too much for my mother to take, Finn. You know it’s always been hard for her here, but now…” I don’t have to finish that sentence for him to understand the hell my family has been dealing with for the past week.
You can’t throw a rock in this town without hitting someone who has seen the infamous sex tape of Naomi Price riding some unknown man. Of course, my stepfather tried to tell the world that he was the one in the video, having a private moment with his wife. But did the world care about the blatant disregard for their privacy? Hell no. Instead, my mom became the butt of every lewd joke and slandering gossip that this town can’t seem to get enough of.
She hasn’t been able to leave the house once since it happened. Not that she would have anywhere to go if she could. Most of her philanthropy projects have come to a standstill. No one is willing to accept help from someone who they feel could tarnish their efforts. They’re fine with taking my stepfather’s money, but not my mother’s time. Scarlett’s uncle even asked her to stop coming to Sunday service for a while until the dust settles. Apparently, her presence makes people uncomfortable.
Fuckers, the lot of them.
“Where are you going to go?”
“Home. Back to New York,” I explain with a lackluster shrug.
“But this is your home,” Finn replies as if I’ve just run over his puppy.
I fucking love this motherfucker.
“Not anymore, Finn. Too much bad blood around here. My mom needs a break from all of this. I need one, too.”
“But what about us? What about The Society?”
“I think me leaving Asheville is exactly what they planned for all along. So, they’ve won. I’m out.”
“Fuck that!” he yells, throwing his jacket on my kitchen island.
“Finn—”
“No, man. Fuck them and their games. You can’t let them do this to you.”
“It’s too late. It’s already done. And besides, this is just temporary. I’ll be back,” I lie.
Who knows what will happen once we go back to New York. I sure as fuck don’t. All I know is that my mother can’t live as a recluse in her own home, afraid of the ridicule she’d meet if she showed her face around town. I’ll never forget how inconsolable she was those first few days. Even my workaholic stepdad stayed home with her. While Finn and Scarlet have tried their best to help me through this, Dick has stepped up and made sure to remind my mother that she is the center of his world and that he will destroy whoever did this to them.
Like he could.
Once that fucked-up video was leaked online, not even Dick—with all his billions—could eradicate it from people’s memory. Sure, his lawyers went DEFCON 5 on everyone who shared, retweeted or posted the thing, but the damage was already done.
“I swear, when I find out who these fuckers are, I’ll wring their necks,” Finn growls with such animosity, I almost believe he would be capable of following through on his threat.
“You’re a lover, Finn. Not a fighter,” I joke, trying to ease the tension in the room. “Just take care of Stone. Make sure those assholes don’t go after her again.”
“What about Scarlett? What if they go for her?”
I bow my head in shame.
“Are you really going to leave her to the wolves? Alone?”
“She won’t be alone. I need you and Stone to watch out for her. Will you do that for me, Finn? Just until I know what my next move is.”
“It’s not the same thing, and you know it,” he reprimands, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I do, but I still have to go. My mom sacrificed everything for me. What kind of son would I be if, the one time she needed me, I wasn’t there to help her? Scarlett will understand. I just need you two to be my eyes and ears while I’m gone. Can you do that for me?”
“Yeah, asshole. You know I’ll always have your back.”
“Thank you.”
“So, you’re really doing this?” he asks again, kicking the air at his feet.
“I am.”
“Fuck. I’m going to miss you like crazy,” he says before jumping in front of me and pulling me into a bear hug.
“You’re going to crush me, you big gorilla.”
“Not my fault you’re a puny bastard.” He chuckles, and I can’t help but laugh right along with him.
Leave it to Finn to put a smile on my face when my life is in shambles.
“You want me to come with you to tell the guys?” he offers with a sheepish grin.
I nod and reply, “Gotta tell Linc at least.”
“You know he’ll support whatever decision you make.”
“I know he will,” I retort as I run my hand over my face, recalling the alternative he gave me before shit got so screwed up. “You ever think we should have done things differently that night?”
“Every fucking day,” Finn admits on a whisper. “But if it didn’t happen, then I would never have met Stone.”
“Three people died, Finn, and you’re thinking about your dick?” I taunt him because only God knows when I’ll get the chance again.
“Fuck you,” he quips back, throwing his middle finger in my face. “I know they fucking died. And don’t remind me of the little one. It always messes with my head. But Stone is my life, East. I can’t regret that. Not ever.”
I want to roll my eyes at his romantic view of such a bleak incident, but then my mind travels to Scarlett. That night was one of the most horrific experiences I have ever had to face in my life, but it won’t hold a candle to the aching pain I will feel when having to say goodbye to the only woman I have ever been in love with.
This part is going to suck.
I slip into her house, knowing she’ll soon be back from her show at The Brass Guild. A wiser man would have gone there instead to say his goodbyes, but the love-struck fool that I am needs to be alone with her one more time without any distractions nearby.
When she finally gets home, I have the lights shut off in the living room, leaving only a small flare in her fireplace to illuminate our surroundings. No longer surprised with my breaking and entering, Scarlett takes off her shoes and walks over to the couch, sitting down beside me as I continue to stare into the flames.
“When I was a kid, I used to love striking matches to see the flame burn and extinguish itself. Did I ever tell you that?”
“No,” she replies softly while pulling her legs up beside her on the couch, nestling her head on my shoulder.
I pick up one of her arms and lightly pepper it with gentle kisses, starting from her wrist and moving toward her elbow.