Page 50 of A Reputation Dark & Deadly

After Peyton returnedto her dorm in order to change into a t-shirt, jeans, and a hoodie, she got into her car and drove the Old Newport. Logan had called her and wanted to get together for dinner but she told him she had plans with friends and would meet him afterward. She hated lying to him, but in the end, she hoped it would be for a good cause.

The sky was overcast but rain had yet to fall. Peyton was surprised by Southern California's weather the past week. Typically, Southern California didn't get hit with this much rain at once, but considering she loved the rain and it was definitely needed, she wouldn't have minded if the sky opened up and spilled. It also made everything smell clean and fresh. There was something special about the pavement and the way it looked just after the rain. And, as odd as it sounded, the darkness that typically followed the rain made the world seem more quiet, more romantic. She loved curling up underneath her covers with her kindle during the rain and she wanted nothing more than to meet Logan at his place so he could put on a fire and they could do just that. And she would, once she finished up here.

It was just after seven when the Jail officially closed, but it looked like it had been empty even before then. She couldn't exactly blame people when it looked like it was going to pour at any second. In fact, as Peyton looked at the gated entrance of the Jail, her stomach clenched together. Since it had been daylight savings time the past weekend, it was already extremely dark and the dark grey clouds didn't add to it. There was something ominous that surrounded this place. It was almost as though Alvin Herbert was standing in front of the gates himself, waiting to keep her out and tell her no. Get out. Go away.

Peyton pressed her lips together. Her car was off and parked and she was watching the entrance through her windshield. She had no idea why she hadn't gotten out yet. She was waiting for something. Someone... She just didn't know what that was, she didn't know why she wasn't there yet. Taking a breath, she pulled down her sun visor and flipped open the mirror. When her eyes locked her reflection's, she started to talk to herself, hoping to motivate herself.

"Just get in there, Peyton," she murmured. "It'll be over soon, Brandon and Logan won't be on silent terms, and you can go home to Logan with a fire and a late dinner."

Peyton's brows perked. Home? She felt her cheeks flush at the surprisingly romantic and uncharacteristic notion. Logan was home. She didn't deny it, however. She wanted to get home as quickly as possible.

"Then get out of the car and just do it," she muttered to herself.

With one last nod at herself in the mirror, Peyton closed the visor and stepped out of the car. She pulled on her hood, hoping to keep her ears and head warm, and locked her car before walking over to the entrance. Her body was tense, as though she was prepared for anything, for the shadows to jump out at her and suck her life out.

Of course, she might have been reacting a tad dramatically.

She reached the entrance of the gate without anything happening to her, but she couldn't see Brandon anywhere. Which meant she was stuck waiting out in the cold for a duration of time for Brandon to get this over with. All he wanted to do was apologize, right? So that meant that she wouldn't have to go in because she wouldn't be out in this cold for a long time. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her sweater and glanced around. There was no movement in the shadows, no one making any noise as they approached. That didn't necessarily mean she was completely alone, and Peyton felt her heart beat with slight unease at the fact that she had told Karla she would be there when the jail closed and Brandon still wasn't here.

Maybe this was a ploy to make her feel like an idiot. Maybe Karla was going to tell Logan, that she never arranged this with Brandon in the first place and it was all part of her plan to simply just try and take Logan for herself. Not that that would work - even if Logan got frustrated enough with Peyton to break things off with her, Peyton doubted he would immediately turn to Karla for comfort. Besides the fact that Logan was not the sort of guy to be comforted, he had made it perfectly clear just how he felt about Karla. And Peyton acting idiotic wouldn't change his feelings for Karla. So if that was Karla's game, it wasn't going to work.

However, it might change Logan's feelings for Peyton. She was going behind his back to see someone he did not want her to see. In fact, Logan made sure Peyton knew just how much he did not want her to be around Brandon at all, especially after finding out what he did to her. Logan broke his brother's jaw just so Brandon knew to stay away from her. Even if Brandon was trying to make things right, this whole endeavor guaranteed nothing. Actually, no, Peyton had a good idea that being here, listening to Brandon apologize and even forgiving Brandon wasn't going to make things right between Logan and Brandon.

"So then why are you here?" she murmured to herself.

Peyton perked her brow. That was a fabulous question. One she didn't quite have an answer to.

You don't need to be here, the voice pointed out. You shouldn't be here. Nothing is going to change between Logan and Brandon. This isn't your fight so stop making it yours. Stay out of this family drama.

Peyton nodded. The voice was right. She turned on the heel of her foot, ready to head back to her car, when a voice called out her name. At least, it was a muffle that sounded like her name.

She turned to look back at the entrance gate, her eyes narrowed, her body prepared. And then, from the shadows, a figure emerged, tall and lean, with broad shoulders and brown hair. When his eyes found Peyton, they twinkled.

Peyton had to clench her teeth together to keep from reacting to Brandon's facial injury. It had only been a week since the incident so his jaw was still wired shut, which meant he couldn't talk well.

Other than the bruising surrounding his jaw and his face, he seemed well enough to function. Clearly, he was here at his job so he was able to do things he normally would under typical circumstances.

Surprisingly enough, Brandon gave Peyton a small smile even though the gesture itself seemed to cause a strain on his facial muscles and he flinched in response. His hands reached into his pockets and he pulled out a chain with multiple keys. She recognized the old school metal ring of keys from their first meeting, while he had been giving her and Logan a tour of the jail and adjacent courthouse. He used one of the long silver keys to unlock the padlock and shifted his shoulders so he could pull out the chain from the lock and the gate could spring open.

Before she stepped through, Peyton waited to see what Brandon was going to do. He was reaching inside his jacket, and for a moment, she stiffened, unsure of what to expect. After what seemed like ages, he pulled out a small notebook with a spiral at the top and flipped it open. He reached behind him and Peyton assumed he grabbed a pen from his back pocket and proceeded to write something in the notebook. After a moment of scrawling, he offered her the notebook. Tentatively, she took it, her eyes dropping down so she could read his message.

Thanks for coming.

Peyton nodded, handing him back the notebook and looking up at him. "You're welcome," she murmured. "Thanks for arranging this."

Brandon nodded once and stepped back, giving Peyton room to step through the gate. Again, Peyton hesitated. Every muscle in her body was attempting to pull her back to the parking lot, back to the safety of her car, but she ignored the feeling. She had already come and it was almost over. After a few minutes, she could go. He couldn't have to say much anyway, considering he could barely speak.

So Peyton walked through the gates. She wasn't sure why but her brain made a note that he did not relock the gates. An easy exit, should she be compelled to run in any way.

"We can just talk in my office," Brandon managed to get out. He glanced behind him in order to lock eyes with her and gave her what came off as a grimace but was probably a smile.

Peyton pressed her lips together. She knew she wasn't smiling back at him but it was the best she could do.

Brandon's office was close by, in the same building as the ticket booth was adjacent to. They walked past two doors before Brandon opened a wooden door and stepped aside so Peyton could walk through first.

The office was small and almost empty. Besides a poster of the Los Angeles Dodgers hanging up behind his desk, there were no personal touches around the office. There were no family photos, no books sprawled across the desk. Not even his desktop computer had a personal background photo. Instead, Brandon used the lush forest picture that came with the computer.

Brandon walked behind Peyton and around his desk to get to his seat after closing the door behind him. He slid into his computer chair and offered Peyton a seat across from him in an old nineteen seventies lobby chair that looked as uncomfortable as it was ridiculous. The gold and red pattern screamed ugly and there was no curve in the back of the chair to offer her own back support.