Page 27 of The Devil’s Detail (The Greystone Family: Greystone Brothers #2)
Carter
It’s happening again. Someone else I thought was getting close to me for me is trying to scam me. And I’m a generous guy.
As John leaves, I stand behind Jackson and watch with trepidation as he dissects that contract like a seasoned lawyer, writing the damning words on a notepad.
One hundred thousand dollars.
He looks up at me and I nod. “That is the figure I agreed on.” But then he writes another word.
Annually.
I gasp. “I never agreed to that.” I lower myself carefully into the chair, feeling enough of a fool as it is. I don’t want to seem like a total idiot, but I watch in horror, as he writes:
Guarantor for Rental.
Four appearances minimum per year.
Promotion of the positive effects of his workout regimen.
“Due to Ash’s hard work.” My voice rises to a falsetto I haven’t heard since puberty. “That treacherous little fart.”
“Carter, he's got you down for a full PR campaign, including personal photos of you and him together. Do you know which photos they are?”
I shake my head. “I never agreed to any of that. What is he thinking?”
I sit, completely numb, my mind ping-ponging to the friend I know, and then to this…
This joke of a contract. It’s like amateur hour, and I was nearly the jester.
He obviously thought I was the back end of the donkey.
He’s treated me with contempt, literally tried to scam me, and I can’t wrap my head around it.
Tears fill my eyes. Why does this always happen? Can nobody like me, for me? I’m not sure how long I sit there, I can’t compute anything. Tea is put in front of me, sandwiches, cakes. Ash and Jackson force feed me for what feels like hours.
“Carter, let's go for a walk.” Jackson stands next to me and rests a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “You’ll feel better if you’re moving, and you can shout and scream at the waves, or me if you want. I’m sorry, Carter. So fucking sorry.” He tugs me from the chair, and I go without resistance.
We walk for miles in total silence, only the waves and the cries of the sea birds overhead break the quiet.
But it’s not quiet in my mind. It’s noisy, so fucking loud, full of white noise.
But I can’t get any sounds out of my throat.
It feels like it’s constricting with each mile we walk.
I also don’t know what to say. I was embarrassed that Jackson thought me an idiot in the first place.
Well, now he’ll think I’m a total dunce.
But I trusted John. I’m only guilty of being a trusted friend and trusting him to be the same. He was a friend—a long-time friend. Steadfast with me through all sorts of things And now he’s shit on me like everyone else in my life. Taken from me, tried to steal by stealth.
The joke is, had he been honest about what he really wanted, I would have gladly given him more. But not now.
I swing from disbelief to sadness to frustration to anger… and finally, to hysterical laughing. But throughout all of it, Jackson remains at my side. A solid, calm presence.
It’s nice to have him here. I probably would have gone insane if he hadn’t come with me.
He hasn’t pushed me to talk. He hasn’t offered any platitudes.
He’s remained silent when I’ve asked rhetorical questions.
He knows I don’t want any answers. He just continues to mirror my walk.
His shoulder brushes mine, and when I feel his fingers brush mine, I’d give anything to be able to take his hand.
But that won’t happen. And it just impresses on me once again that I’m alone. Again. Nobody can help me, nobody wants to. My anger is taking hold, but I need to keep a lid on it. Ash and Jackson are worried enough. If I start to lose it, they’ll be babysitting me into next year.
I should be happy that at least he’s here. But at what cost? My dignity for sure. He’s seen how stupid I’ve been. How naive. He’s seen me at my lowest. And if he didn’t want me before, he definitely won’t want me now. And I think I’m more annoyed about that than fuckin’ John the con.