Page 35 of Tell No Lies

Brandon sat down next to me and remained silent for several minutes. He ran his fingers through his hair until it stood on end. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes before turning to me. “I’m sorry you felt trapped at home, but this was to protect you, not punish you. You should have told me where you were going. You never should have gone with guys you don’t know well enough to know they were taking you to a sketchy party. You shouldn’t have put yourself in that situation, but you know all of this … now. You’re responsible for those actions, but you’re not responsible for the attack. I want you to know that.”

Tears rolled down my cheeks at his words. I agreed with every word he’d said, except the end. This was all my fault.

I began shaking when I felt his arms tighten around me. I didn’t deserve to be comforted while Carter was somewhere in the hospital hurt and alone.

“Mr. Tate?” A doctor stood holding open a set of doors on the other side of the room.

Brandon stood and nodded to the doctor as he approached. I watched them talk quietly. Brandon’s head dropped. The doctor patted his shoulder twice before turning back through the doors.

Brandon turned back to me and nodded, signaling me to meet him.

I stood and slowly made my way across the room. I crossed my arms over my chest, caving into myself. “Is he alright?”

“Yeah, they just finished up with him. They’re letting us see him as soon as they put him in his room.”

I nodded and waited with him until the doctor returned. The seconds felt like hours while I stared at the door, willing it to open. Finally, the doctor opened the door and waved us in.

I always hated hospitals. The smell of chemicals and cleaners mixed with the lack of color. Nothing about being there was soothing. How were people supposed to recover in a depressing place like this?

We were led through a maze of hallways before the doctor stopped and ushered us into a private room.

Seeing Carter lying on the bed asleep with wire and tubes attached to him knocked the air out of me. Brandon helped me to the chair at the side of his bed before walking around to the other side.

“We have you listed, Mr. Tate, as the next of kin. Is that correct?”

I watched in confusion as Brandon nodded in response. “Yes.”

The doctor stared down at his clipboard before looking back at us. “It appears Mr. Blackwell suffered several wounds from the knife. None of the wounds were too severe, and they were treated with stitches.”

“Then why is he asleep?” I blurted it out without thinking.

“We gave him some medications so his body could rest and recuperate. He’ll be ready to go home in the morning.”

Relief filled me. Carter was going to be all right. I reached toward the bed and took his hand in mine.

This was all my fault. Brandon knew that, and Carter would agree.

I didn’t notice Brandon stand from the chair across from me, so I jumped when he put his hand on my shoulder. When I met his eyes, I saw worry and fear.

“Let’s get home. We’ll come back in the morning and bring him home.”

There was nothing I could say to justify me staying, so I stood and followed him out of the room.

He was killing me with his silence. He was stoic as he drove me home and led me to the elevator and into our home without a word.

Once we got to the kitchen, he nodded toward the island, so I took a seat on one of the stools. He leaned against the counter across from me and folded his arms as he let out a sigh.

I could hear my heart beat in my chest. The room was so still.

“I was never trying to punish you, Aubrey. I’ve been trying my best to keep you safe. If you needed to get out, why didn’t you just ask me?”

I tried to interrupt, but he held up his hand to silence me.

“Do you not trust me? Have I done something to make you feel like you can’t come to me for anything?” The guilt he was pouring on me was torture, but he didn’t stop. “Leaving without telling me and going to a stranger’s party is one thing, but doing it when you know someone is following you, when you know you’re in danger, isn’t something I can understand. If you’re bored, call the girls, call Mike, call Diane, anything! I know you couldn’t have known something like this would happen tonight, and you didn’t mean for it to happen … but your selfishness put Carter in the hospital.”

He was still looking down, so he didn’t see the tears rolling down my cheeks. I knew every word he’d said was right, and there was nothing I could do to make it up.

“I’m sorry I have to do this, but your actions leave me no choice. You’re grounded. Until we find out who’s after you, I want you home. School and dance. That’s it.”