Shane's Fall (The Escort Series Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

overdose. And it was all because Shane had been too much of a coward to stand up for his big brother. He’d let his parents push his brother away and then cover up the truth about why he was gone.
    “It wasn’t your fault,” Gabe said softly. It wasn’t the first time his friend had said it, probably wouldn’t be the last either. And it did nothing to ease the guilt that ate away at his insides.
    “What are you doing here?” Shane asked.
    “Haven’t seen you in a while. You missed the last three family dinners.”
    “Right, family dinner,” Shane drawled, emphasizing the word “family.” None of them were actually family, but they had started the tradition of meeting on Sunday nights a couple of months ago at Riley’s insistence. It usually rotated between Logan and Savannah’s house and Gabe and Riley’s new apartment. He’d never offered to host it at Paige’s place since she and his friends didn’t mix well and he was barely living in his own apartment, which he was still hanging onto for some reason he was hesitant to identify.
    “It’s not the same without you there.”
    Shane wanted to tell Gabe that it wouldn’t be the same if he was there – how could it ever be the same now that he’d fucked his best friend’s sister? How could he explain that just looking at her tied him up in knots and knowing everything she’d been through, suffered through alone, would make it impossible to ingest anything, let alone keep it down? “Gotta say man, you’re starting to sound like a bit of a girl,” Shane joked but there was no laughter behind it.
    Gabe wasn’t taking the bait. “We’re all worried about you.”
    “Don’t be – it’s all-”
    “Good, I know,” Gabe finished for him. “It’s all good.”
    Shane could hear the disappointment in his friend’s voice. “You heard from your mom?” He felt Gabe tense next to him and he glanced over at his friend who had gone pale. Gabe’s mom was a mess, she’d been a junkie for more than half of Gabe’s life and he had spent most of his time bailing her out of jail and getting her into rehab. She’d even resorted to stealing from him, but instead of turning her in, he’d stuck by her.
    Gabe had even taken up escorting just so he could get enough money so he could keep paying for the rehab she would always end up leaving early. His friend had hated every second of being paid for sex. He’d even confided to Shane and Logan that he found no physical pleasure in the act. Riley’s appearance in his life had changed all that and he was out for good. Shane had never seen his friend more relaxed and happy. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Shane said, feeling guilty for putting that darkness back in his friend’s eyes.
    “She raped me.”
    Shane froze, sure he had heard the whispered words wrong. “What?”
    “Wow, that’s the first time I’ve said that.” Amazingly, Gabe relaxed and sat up a little straighter.
    “What are you talking about?” Shane stuttered, unable to grasp what his friend was saying.
    “My mother raped me,” he repeated carefully, as if still testing the words.
    “Oh my God. Oh my God!” Shane jumped off the bench and took several clumsy steps away and willed the bile to stay in his gut which was now churning. “When?” he managed to ask in a strangled tone.
    “I’m not a hundred percent sure when it started, but I think I was around thirteen.”
    Shane couldn’t support his weight anymore so he dropped down to the grass next to his brother’s tombstone. “I’m sorry Gabe, I didn’t know…we didn’t suspect…” Shane said, motioning to Michael’s headstone.
    “You couldn’t have known Shane. We were kids. It’s not something that most people can even conceive of.”
    Things started clicking into place for Shane. “The escorting…” he breathed in horror. No wonder his friend had hated it. “Oh God!”
    Gabe rose from the bench and then sat down next to Shane. “Shane, do you know