Page 116 of As the Rain Falls (Sainte Madeleine #1)

I glance over just as Caleb jumps out of the backseat. Maria’s driving, her feathered costume taking up enough space for two. He tugs his sleeveless shirt up, leaving it draped around his neck, and then spots us.

“Mateo?” He gestures wildly, grinning happily.

I know Mateo and Caleb used to be good friends.I also know that since things got worse for Cassandra, Mateo picked a side, and clearly, it wasn’t Caleb’s.

So, why is he grinning at us now?

Acting like nothing happened?

“ Puta merda. ” I hear Mateo groan under his breath. “Beckett, please don’t hit him.”

I snort a little, but my jaw tightens.

My mind flashes back to Cassandra sobbing in my arms because of what he did to her, and that simmering anger starts to boil.It was really just a matter of time before our paths crossed. Le Port is a small town, and for the first time, I am thrilled by the fact.

“Beckett?” I roll my eyes and glance back at Mateo. He takes one hard look at me, then groans something in Portuguese I don’t quite understand. “Seriously, man. Don’t hit him; it’ll just get you in trouble, and we’re here to have a good time.”

“Yeah?” I shift my gaze forward. “Are you having a good time, right now?”

Mateo gulps down, taking the water bottle when I hand it to him. My gaze shifts from him to Caleb, putting two and two together as the other steps closer, holding out his hand towards me like we’re friends.

Antony told me Caleb works at Silvio’s, didn’t he?

“You were out with him last night,” I state matter-of-factly. “Caleb gave you the free drinks, didn’t he?”

It’s why he doesn’t remember just how many he must’ve taken. Mateo never had to actually pay for any of it.

The curly-haired boy shakes his head.

“No, he put them on my tab. I’ll pay him back, I swear.”

I snort, finding his statement just a bit too innocent. “What are you now? Some kind of wannabe alcoholic?”

He gapes, shocked, “What? No! I never… I never drink.”

“Yeah, that checks out.” I close the door to the car, forcing him to lean against it. “Seems to me like you shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a fucking corner store beer.”

“Wait, Beckett!” Mateo tries to reach out and grab my arm, but I’m already turning my back to him and facing Caleb.

“Beckett Evans, my man!” Caleb drawls, lines creasing at the corner of his eyes as he finally reaches us. “I’ve been meaning to call you!”

I hum, curling my right hand into a fist.

“You have?” I say smoothly. “What’s up?”

“Nothing too terrible. Maria and I are headed to a pageant. She’s one of the runners-ups.” Caleb motions to his car, and I nod quickly, not sparing her a single look. “How’s Cassandra?”

And I don’t mean to do this, to start a fight in public, but my right arm flies before I can think twice. I swear, it’s only because he mentioned her name first.

My knuckles crash into the side of his face, making Caleb stumble back. Before he can trip over himself, I grab his shirt and yank him forward and upright.

Then, I hit him again.

Twice.

Same spot.

Maria calling out his name is what makes me stop.

“Caleb!”

“What the fuck?” He escapes my grip, clutching his face, trying to shield himself from me. “Yo, what’s your problem?”

Good.

He deserves to feel pain.

“What’s my problem?” I grit my teeth, grabbing him again, holding him close until we’re eye to eye. A red mark blooms near his temple, where my fist first landed seconds ago. “You’re asking me what my problem is?”

He lets out a breathy laugh, shifting to shake me off. “Is this about the pictures?”

I tighten my grip, watching as his eyes go round with fear because that’s exactly the kind of guy Caleb is. As soon as he sees someone a little stronger than him, a little braver than he is, he folds.

He’s all talk, no bite.

A real fucking coward.

“Oh, come… come on, man,” Caleb stammers when I don’t seem any more amused, and his voice is weak. “You’re tripping, right? I only showed them to Maria. We’re all friends, dude. Nobody saw anything.”

“Are we?” my voice drops. I smile at him, but there’s no warmth in it. I hate this guy. “See Mateo? That’s my friend. You and I just aren’t that close, Caleb. That’s your second problem here, man.”

“Beckett? Oh, sweet Jesus,” Mateo’s voice cuts through the haze. I hear his wobbly steps approaching me. “That’s enough.”

No, it’s not. It will be enough when I have every single picture Cassandra ever sent him gone forever.

Mateo might’ve fallen for whatever bluff Caleb managed to throw at him, but it doesn’t mean I’ll do the same.

“Where’s your phone?” I ask, already searching for it.

Caleb shoves me weakly, but I move fast, grabbing the nape of his neck and forcing him to bend forward. “You’re hurting me, man!”

“You’re not going to give it to me willingly, are you?” I flick a glance at Mateo. He’s gripping his curls, pulling them, looking torn. I hope he’s paying attention. This is the kind of garbage he chose to surround himself with last night. “Grab his fucking phone, Mateo!”

He hesitates at first, then sighs and pats Caleb’s pocket, looking for the device. Caleb stomps his feet against the ground and thrashes, but it doesn’t matter. I keep him put.

“It’s here.” Mateo hands me the phone. I take it.

“Are the pictures anywhere else?” I ask Caleb. He tries to shake his head, but with the way I’m holding him, he obviously can’t. “Words.” I press.

“No!” he answers, voice strained.

“Okay. Now, here’s what’s going to happen.

” I slip the phone into my pocket. “You are going to give me every password you have. Then, you are going to calmly walk back to your car and meet us after the parade at Angelina’s if you want to get your phone back.

I think you know where her house is, don’t you? ”

Mateo grimaces, looking like he doesn’t totally want to be part of this, but he doesn’t stop me either. He knows I’m doing the right thing, because deep down he’d be doing the same in my position. Any sane person would.

I taunt him, “You see, Caleb, I’m not going to touch what’s in your phone myself, but Cassandra will. She’s going to wipe it clean.”

Caleb coughs, “I have important stuff in there, man. School stuff.”

“Oh, you’re worried, huh?” I let him go, hands itching with the urge to punch him again. “You’re worried about what? Your fucking privacy ?”

He drops to his knees on the ground, breathing hard.

“I thought we were cool.” Maria rushes to his side, trying to get him to stand up. She looks a fucking mess, scared shitless because her boyfriend isn’t having the upper hand this time around. “Cass and I, I mean. She seems fine with what happened.”

Cass?

The nickname rubs me the wrong way.

Nobody calls her that but me.

My jaw ticks, lips parting to tell him to go to hell, but Mateo sighs loudly, stepping between us before I can say something.

“Shut the fuck up, Caleb!” he groans. “Just give him the password, okay?”

Maria hauls her boyfriend up, gripping his shoulder. She eyes me, unsure and impressed.

“We weren’t going to leak the pictures,” she tells me, and I’ve never hated a girl like I’m hating her right now. “I’m not that fucking stupid!”

“I don’t need you to defend me!” Caleb spits, violently throwing her off him. She stumbles back, her face falling. I take a step forward, ready to hit him for the way he’s treating her, but he turns to me and starts giving me the passwords. “I hope she’s fucking worth it to you!”

Always.

“What the fucking hell, hitting me for a girl half of the town has already slept with, anyway.”

I lunge forward, but Maria steps between us, forcing her boyfriend to walk away.

“Stop!” she yells desperately, looking back to make sure I’m not about to hit her. “We’re leaving now!”

I pull back, watching them rush back to his car, rage burning through me. It’s then that I realize just how much I need him dead. Him, then Nathaniel, in that exact, precise order.

Mateo roars behind me, “What the fuck was that, Beckett? You can’t just go around hitting people. First Nathaniel, now Caleb. You have to stop, man!”

I spin around, still breathing hard. “Stop? What the fuck is up with you? You’re Cassandra’s friend . Not his.”

He pales, uneasy. “I know that!”

“No, you don’t!” I press. “What about Angelina? You’re close. Do you even know what that fucking asshole did to her? And yet you’re defending the guy who treated her like some kind of—”

“You don’t get it. He’s dangerous , okay? People like Caleb can get you in a lot of trouble,” Mateo cuts me off, hands shaking. “Fuck, he can get me in a lot of trouble, too!”

“That didn’t stop you from getting drunk with him last night!” I point out, facing him off.

“I was just…” Mateo winces, regretting making his features look weaker, almost vulnerable. “I made a mistake. I wasn’t trying to betray anyone’s trust. When a guy like Santiago Garcia tells you to drink something, you don’t question it, okay? You just drink.”

“Well, you certainly just betrayed mine!” I narrow my eyes, considering his reaction for a second. My words are cold, unflinching. “What’s he holding over your head now? What happened after you got hammered?”

“Nothing!” Mateo answers, sounding just a little too nervous. “Nothing happened, I swear. I think I just asked Caleb to drop me home after his shift, and he did.”

“Are you sure of it?” I press, sensing he’s just saying things to get me to back off, but his story is inconsistent. “Because you don’t seem sure at all. At least, not to me.”

Caleb glances back then, and I swear to God, something flickers in his expression at watching Mateo and me fight. It’s malicious, the way his lips twitch like he’s holding back a smirk. As if this, the tension and us arguing, is exactly what he wanted.

I don’t have to ask them what the fuck is going on.

Whatever it is, it can’t be good.

And the thing is, I don’t have time for it. My priority now is my girlfriend.Everybody else can go to fucking hell.They don’t matter more than she does, not to me.

“I’m sure of it,” Mateo insists, too sick to realize that I’m seeing through his bullshit. “Everything is cool, man. Let’s just go back to the parade, okay?”

“Sure.”

I nod, but if I walk a little further away from him as we head back, it’s for a reason. I don’t trust him anymore, at least not entirely. He seems like a good guy, but I don’t like people who are wishy-washy.

I just hope he won’t bring Angelina down with him. Because if he does hurt her in any way, however small it may be, it’ll be really hard to brush it off.

In fact, I might not even be able to forgive him at all.