“You torment me for ten years, fuck me silly for the past two months, and make me fall in love with you. Then, if that’s not enough, you almost get me killed because of your asshat dad, and you think you can just walk away because you think it’s the right thing to do?”
“I don’t give a fuck about what’s right.” At least that was true. If I cared about what was right, I wouldn’t be having thoughts of running away with her and stealing her future forever. “It’s safer this way.”
“Says who?”
“Says my brother who is lying in the hospital fighting for his life because of me!”
Fuck. I didn’t mean to yell at her. I didn’t care that I had just revealed my real relation to Keenan.
I wanted the blow to be as soft as possible. I did enough damage to her.
A part of me knew it wouldn’t be easy, but my mind told me she would only be happy if I were out of her life permanently.
“So you’re going to walk away from him, too?”
No, just you, baby.
Keenan’s blood tied him to me and to the danger that followed me. There was no reversing it.
“If that’s what it takes,” I lied. “He’s still out there.”
“Because you chose to save your brother’s life!”
How did she know?
It was dark. Dust was everywhere. Those moments when I couldn’t find her in the dark were the scariest of my life.
No, she couldn’t know.
“You love your brother, Keiran…” She moved closer, making me feel like cornered prey. “…and you love me or else you wouldn’t care.”
Love? Did I love Lake Monroe?
Oh, fuck no.
I couldn’t.
It wasn’t possible.
I shook my head in denial and turned to go.
My back erupted in pain as something hard and round hit and bounced off it. Before I could determine the source, she was on me, pushing with desperate hands. Tears clouded her vision before trailing down her face. I wanted to kiss every single one away. I wanted them gone. I wished I’d never made her cry.
“You don’t just get to walk away.”
She beat on my chest, and though her hits weren’t strong enough to do physical damage, I felt every single one and fuck if it didn’t hurt.
“You don’t get to leave.” All I could do was move back from the onslaught of Lake at her weakest and most vulnerable.
“You can’t,” she whispered out of breath. Her body trembled uncontrollably. I needed to stop her before she hurt herself.
I lowered my lips until they were centered right above hers. I would miss kissing those lips.
“I… don’t… want… you.”
I went too far.
I pushed her away.
Literally.
I had to watch her fall and know I couldn’t do anything to break her fall. The laughter that sounded around us brought forth a murderous rage. I had to leave before I made things worse.
As I turned to go, I spotted Quentin standing nearby, watching silently. I locked eyes with him and silently sent him an order.
Help her.
Chapter Two
Keiran
November
I’m going to wring her fucking neck.
Of course, it probably wasn’t the poor fuck’s fault whose neck I currently had my hands wrapped around. He just happened to be in my line of fire when I grew sick of smelling her, feeling her, and seeing her stupid fucking eyes taunting me in my head when I couldn’t have her.
Fuck.
I squeezed harder.
“Inmate 960, let go of the other inmate, now!” I heard the command loud and clear behind me, but couldn’t care less. They were all scared to come in here so they talked shit behind the safety of the bars. Pussies.
“Come on, young blood, you don’t want to give them a reason to keep you in here. Keep it together,” the gruff voice of a well-respected, older inmate said.
Right, I was locked up again.
Only this time, I wasn’t in juvie.
I was heading to the real deal if this shit stuck.
Prison.