Chapter Text
SHELTON
…
As Ben stood up and left the room, Tory cast one more pained glance at her father before getting up and scrambling after him.
Kit cast a glance over his shoulder. “What’s that about?”
I shrugged. Glanced at Hi, silently imploring him not to tell Kit. For his part, he just stared out the window, watching the storm.
Kit stood up. “I should go talk to the police,” he said. “Ask them if they’re ready to take statements.”
He wandered out, shaking his head.
Hi stood up and shut the door. “He’s telling her.”
“This is bad,” I said hollowly. “Ben could be charged if she says anything.”
“That idiot.” Hi slammed a fist on the table. “What did he have to go and do that for?”
“He could have told us.” I glanced out the window as an entire bush blew by. “Jesus Christ. Is he gonna tell Tory why he did it?”
“That he unwittingly worked with a mass murderer and almost got hundreds of Charleston’s finest killed to impress her?” Hi shook his head. “Straight people.”
Despite everything, I snorted. “What, you wouldn’t have done that for me?”
“I don’t have to.” Hi grinned at me. “We’re already dating.”
“Do you think Ben and Tory know, and they’re just not saying anything, or are they just that oblivious?”
“They’re just that oblivious.” Hi tilted his chair back. “God. This is going to be a disaster in trial.”
“What are we going to do?” I asked.
“Testify,” Hi said, dropping his head to the table. “Try to avoid gossip at school. They owe us now, the jerks. Maybe they’ll leave us alone.”
“No, I mean about the pack. What are we going to do? How do we deal with this?”
Hi shook his head. “I’m not mad.”
“You’re not?”
“No.” He lifted his head to look at me. “Look, we know Ben would never have done this intentionally. He’s a fucking moron who’s too socially inept to actually try to communicate with Tory by normal means, but he’s in love with her. He screwed up, but he didn’t want any of this.”
I processed that. Found I agreed.
“I don’t think Tory’s going to be so understanding,” I hedged.
Hi shrugged. “It’ll take some time,” he said. “We just have to be patient. You know how stubborn they both are. It’ll pass.”
Kit appeared at the door, Tory and Ben in tow. Both of their eyes were red, and Tory looked like she’d just seen a ghost, freckles striking against her pale skin.
Ben had closed himself off, I could tell. I glanced at Hi, who looked dubious about his own statement that it would indeed pass.
“You knew,” Tory said under her breath. “Both of you.”
“We found out about five minutes before you did,” I told her. “There’s no grand conspiracy, Tor.”
“Ben’s turning himself in.”
Hi avoided her eye. “I thought he might.”
“He doesn’t have to do that!” Fresh tears jumped to her eyes. “There’s no point! He isn't responsible for this!”
Hi and I exchanged hopeful glances. Maybe Tory had forgiven him. Maybe they’d kissed or something. Worked their shit out.
“Are you…forgiving him?” I asked cautiously.
Her expression clouded. “I don’t know. I can’t think about this right now.”
“Did he tell you why he—”
“Victoria Brennan?”
A police officer poked her head out of a room. Tory stepped forward. “That’s me.”
“Come on in.”
The rest of us dropped into chairs to wait. Ben took one across the far corner, staring deliberately into space, walls up and not speaking. Kit followed Tory inside, intent on not leaving his daughter’s side for the next four years, probably.
I was sure Hiram and I would be getting similar treatment from our families.
Hi elbowed me. I glanced over at him.
“I’d have done it for you,” he said quietly. “If I was that much of an idiot.”
My eyes rolled, but I hid a slight smile.