Broken Pieces

Chapter sixty-two

“What the hell?” Xander barked with incredulity.

My mind was spinning. These revelations were losing sense to me because I had no idea why Kyle would be the one sending messages to both of them.

I swiped my hand down my face and sighed heavily. I then understood what Kevin’s hacker had meant when he said more than one person sent me texts and that it wasn't all black and white.

“I-I didn't know you were the one sending messages to her because I'd never wanted to involve her but you did and when you did, I thought, oh well this person is kind of helping my end game…” Kyle shrugged like he was remembering how he felt when he made the decision and though didn't approve of it, it was what it was.

“I sent her the last one though because that was the only one I was supposed to send to warn her that I was going to release her story.” He shook his head pathetically. “All this time, I was also trying to help her find the other person too but fool that I am, I thought making my hacker work with yours would prevent you from finding out about me but I could find out about the other person — you.”

He paused as he turned from looking in Xander's direction to me. Xander looked livid but mostly confused. “Why would you want to do that? What have I ever done to you that you'd want to hurt me Kyle?”

Kyle's eyes snapped back to Xander's and this time I watched him look him in the eye with an hatred that seemed to shock everyone in the room.

Kyle seemed like a different person. He wasn't the nice, jovial, calm, carefree person we all knew. He looked like a bitter and angry man.

“You didn't just say that, Alex. You didn't just say that with hurt in your voice.” Kyle said slowly with a tight voice. Xander flinched at being called Alex.

“You and Devon took away my family's happiness.”

A small gasp stuck in my throat and I turned in time to see Xander absorb his words and pale. “That's why you were asking about Allison?”

Kyle didn't reply, he didn't have to. Xander swallowed audibly in the silence. “You know?” Xander's voice was small and wretched sounding.

“That you watched Devon bully my sister behind my back all these years without doing anything? Or that she ran away because of him?”

This story seemed personal between them and I felt a little like I and Caden were now intruding but I was still curious about why Kyle would want to risk all.

Xander scrubbed his face with his hands and muttered a curse as he groaned. “I always suspected she ran away because of him but I never really believed it. I'm sorry.”

Kyle gave him a disgusted look. “You should have told me when he was doing it. Devon was scary but friendship with him wasn't compulsory and not more important than my sister.” Xander tried to talk but Kyle held up a hand. “She kind of supported you saying it was never as bad when you were there and that sometimes you tried to help her but that when no one was there she knew what happened.”

Xander paled further. “Y-you h-have b-been i-in c-contact w-with A-allison?”

A sad look came over Kyle's face. “No I found it in a journal recently. You know it was ruled a case of run away because she had written down a note.”

I was enthralled by the way they both seemed to be mourning this woman. The thought that Devon was a guaranteed tormentor passed my mind. I just hoped he didn't use to beat her. I felt a grimace come on my face but I smoothed it out before anyone noticed.

“I can still remember us coming back from Wyandotte and going back to school but then hearing a week later that she ran away from home.” Xander had a tortured expression on his face and I tried to imagine them knowing they moved from my trouble to a new one. “She never claimed in the letter she was running from anyone or abuse, she just wrote that she felt caged in your house and wanted to leave. I also know that all I've ever seen Devon do to her despite all his evil was verbally abusing her and taunting her.”