Back Before Now
Chapters (123)
  1. PLAYLIST
  2. CONTENT NOTE
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. REMI
  6. 2
  7. FOSTER
  8. 3
  9. REMI
  10. 4
  11. REMI
  12. Before…
  13. 5
  14. REMI
  15. Now…
  16. 6
  17. FOSTER
  18. 7
  19. FOSTER
  20. Before…
  21. 8
  22. REMI
  23. Now…
  24. 9
  25. FOSTER
  26. 10
  27. REMI
  28. Before…
  29. 11
  30. FOSTER
  31. 12
  32. REMI
  33. Now…
  34. 13
  35. FOSTER
  36. 14
  37. FOSTER
  38. Before…
  39. 15
  40. REMI
  41. 16
  42. REMI
  43. 17
  44. REMI
  45. Now…
  46. 18
  47. FOSTER
  48. 19
  49. FOSTER
  50. Before…
  51. 20
  52. REMI
  53. 21
  54. FOSTER
  55. 22
  56. REMI
  57. Now…
  58. 23
  59. REMI
  60. Before…
  61. 24
  62. FOSTER
  63. Now…
  64. 25
  65. FOSTER
  66. Before…
  67. 26
  68. REMI
  69. Now…
  70. 27
  71. FOSTER
  72. Before…
  73. 28
  74. FOSTER
  75. Now…
  76. 29
  77. REMI
  78. Before…
  79. 30
  80. REMI
  81. Now…
  82. 31
  83. FOSTER
  84. 32
  85. REMI
  86. 33
  87. FOSTER
  88. 34
  89. REMI
  90. 35
  91. FOSTER
  92. 36
  93. REMI
  94. 37
  95. FOSTER
  96. 38
  97. FOSTER
  98. Before…
  99. 39
  100. FOSTER
  101. Now…
  102. 40
  103. REMI
  104. 41
  105. FOSTER
  106. 42
  107. REMI
  108. 43
  109. FOSTER
  110. 44
  111. REMI
  112. 45
  113. FOSTER
  114. 46
  115. REMI
  116. 47
  117. FOSTER
  118. EPILOGUE
  119. FOSTER
  120. Later…
  121. ALSO BY C.G. BLAINE
  122. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  123. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dev sighs and tips his face up. “She’s never acted like we got close to any line. Even on Halloween, she bit right back at us and joked around. If she ever felt…” He audibly exhales. “Fuck. I don’t know.”

“Well, we know Christian’s talked to her legs from the beginning. You had her licking you for a shot.” Colton kicks off the wall. “Foster’s been a prick since moment one. Felix is Felix.”

I glance at our drummer, slumped in a chair and looking at nothing. Other than his thumb tapping his thigh, he hasn’t moved. Damn, I bet his demons are circle-dancing around the flames right now.

“Anyone touch her?” Christian hates the implication of the question. I hear it in his tone, but he needs to ask.

“No,” Dev says, and Felix slowly moves his head side to side, gaze remaining unfocused.

“Foster.”

My eyes shift to Colton, my jaw about to crack and knee bouncing. When I give him nothing else, his eyes close, head falling forward.

“The bathtub.” Not a question. He saw her attempting to hide. “It was consensual.” Another statement, but I nod when his head lifts because it needs answered. It deserves an answer, even if we’ve been ordered not to use the words sexual harassment and assault. Two of the other three focus on me, then he says, “Any other times?”

I nod once.

“The bruise she’s been covering up is from you?” This from Christian, referencing the mark they’ve all caught glimpses of but no one’s called out.

A nod.

“Oh, shit.” Dev shoots me a concerned look.

“My advice is we not do any of it anymore.” Christian directs it toward everyone but looks straight at me. We all know if I’m the only one who’s touched her, the likelihood of whatever the fuck is happening involving me skyrockets. “Regardless of who and what caused this, we’re all responsible moving forward. We need to remember Remi’s not one of us. She’s here for Mac and Erickson, and now they’ve sent the wannabe. Anticipate him jumping on anything he views as inappropriate and running to them. To cover all our bases, assume his definition includes everything he considers a threat to what he wants.”

Colton pops his neck, a mask in place when he locks eyes with me. The stare reiterates the warning about Remi and Xander. I nod, having been force-fed what I already knew and, for some fucking reason, tried to ignore.

* * *

The tension looms over all of us, the darkening sky serving as a dark cloud as we return to the bus. Christian’s already on his phone, wandering off, when Colt charges ahead to board first. He’s in security mode, reappearing before I reach the stairs with a nod.

“You’re good,” he tells me.