Page 4 of Twisted Truths

“We haven’t spoken since my wedding day.” His hands tighten on the steering wheel. “He moved to Rafters Falls not long after.”

“What happened?” I’d been at training camp when he’d married Paige. Ziggy never told me of any dramas at the wedding.

Levi shrugs. “The usual Dalton bullshit.”

I wait for him to expand, but he doesn’t, and I don’t push. Dalton will never win Father of the Year; he’s pretty much fucked up the lives of all of his kids in one way or another.

The outer limits of the town come into view, and my chest tightens once again. I should have been here for Zara when she needed me. Instead, I was selfish, allowing Levi to save her from herself while I stayed in the States and chased my dreams.

On our way out to his father-in-law’s property, we pass the petrol station I worked at when I was sixteen, the police station, Doctor Cole’s Family Practice, the Whitmore General Store, then Town Hall before turning down the road that leads to Barrenridge High School.

It’s four on a Tuesday afternoon, and as we pass our old high school, I spot the footy team practising out on the pitch. There’s a heap of cars still parked near the gym, prompting me to ask, “Who’s taking practice?”

Levi took over when our old basketball coach retired two years ago. Last year they won their first State Title since I graduated.

“Grant.”

My eyes widen. “Petty?”

His jaw tightens as he nods. “Principal Hargrove hired him as assistant coach this season.”

Grant Petty was our point guard … before we all hit puberty. While we were all growing taller and filling out, he remained short and stout. Petty by name, petty by nature, his jealousy consumed him, and it became his life mission to try and bring us all down. I don’t know what he thought he’d achieve by getting us kicked off the team, but he was always lurking, always reporting us for anything and everything.

I’m still convinced he’s the one who ratted us out for tying Levi to the basketball post, because I know for a fact Levi wouldn’t have said a word. While he may not have appreciated all the hell I’d given him back then, he wasn’t a nark, and he knew how to hold his own.

“I can’t believe Hargrove would do that.”

“No idea. Petty’s youngest brother is on the team. I think he thought if he was the assistant coach then his brother would get more court time.”

I shake my head. “Is his brother any good?”

Levi shrugs. “He’s not bad. He’s quick and agile, but like his brother, he won’t get much taller.”

Our conversation ends when Levi pulls up to the front gate of his father-in-law’s cattle farm, and I climb out to stretch my legs and unlatch the gate. Once Levi drives through, I close it again and walk back to the car. We’re quiet for the five-minute drive up to the homestead, both lost in our own thoughts.

The front door flies open when Levi pulls up. I’ve barely stepped out of the car when a petite blonde flies into my arms, burying her head in my neck as sobs wrack her small body.

“I’m so sorry, Nash,” Paige cries. “It’s horrible.”

I pat her back awkwardly and clear my throat, desperately holding back my own emotions. “Thanks, Paige.”

“I can’t believe it. It’s not fair.”

My eyes sting with unshed tears, but I blink them away. I broke down when Levi called me with the news, but while the pain and guilt are still churning away inside me, I’m now fuelled by my anger and a fierce determination to seek the truth.

I will find justice for my family.

Ziggy didn’t do this.

Chapter Two

HADLEY

Ikeep my head bowed during Ignatius Solomon’s sermon, folding my hands tightly in my lap to hide the shaking. My breathing is shallow as I fight to remain calm.

No one knows.

I’m safe.