BooksBarbecue
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Chapters (48)
  1. Foreword
  2. Preface
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. About the Author
  45. About the Author
  46. Also by S.L Gray
  47. Off the Record
  48. Book 2 in Co-op Corrupted Duet

She looks at Tate like her brain is still working through the fact that there’s another one of me standing in front of her, but not me at all because we are not the same, and she sees it instantly.

She sees it in the way I’m still gripping the railing, still coiled tight, still standing too close to the stairs like I could drag him back up if I had to. Her lips part, her brows still furrowed, her voice coming out softer now, half-formed, still catching up to her thoughts. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Fuck.

I knew that was coming. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hit like a goddamn hammer to the chest.

Tate huffs out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, Carter. Why didn’t you tell her you have a twin?”

I grit my teeth so hard my jaw aches. I can’t answer that, not right now. Not while Tate is standing right here, watching me like this is his own personal highlight reel, waiting to see what I’ll do with the fact that I just got caught in a half-truth. I inhale slowly, force my voice to stay even, steady. “I— uh it just… never came up.”

Haven tilts her head, expression sharpening. “Never came up?” she repeats, like she’s trying the words on her tongue, testing them, seeing if they sound as ridiculous to me as they do to her.

I don’t answer because there is no fucking answer that’s going to make this sound better than it is.

Tate pushes off the banister, stretching like he’s already bored of this conversation. “Well, guess it’s out now,” he says, his voice teasing, but I know him too well.

That makes me want to shove him straight back up the stairs and lock the goddamn door. I exhale hard, rolling my shoulders, forcing my expression to stay blank. Haven is still looking at me, still waiting for more. But I don’t have more to give her, not yet.

So I do the only thing I can. I turn to him, voice flat, firm. “We’re good here.”

Tate’s brows lift slightly, amused at the dismissal, but he doesn’t argue. He just smirks, shrugs, and makes his way back upstairs without another word. The second he’s gone, the silence he leaves behind is so fucking loud. Haven is still sitting there, staring and waiting for something I don’t know how to give her.

13

Haven

I stare at the spot where Tate disappeared, still trying to wrap my head around it. Carter has a twin. Same face, same frame, same dark brown eyes that make you forget how to think. But that’s where the similarities end.