I hold his stare, not willing to play his little game.
“You answer the fucking phone. Take this as your last warning. Now… fuck off.”
One of the goons grabs the bag while the other drags me from the room before throwing me out of the door. The bag follows, colliding with my back as I stumble, trying not to hit the floor.
“I’ll be in touch,” Donny bellows before the door is slammed shut so hard the floor beneath me vibrates.
Snatching up the bag and the piece of paper with the address that fluttered to the ground a few feet away, I march from the building, not giving his henchmen guarding the door a second glance as I make my way out to the parking lot.
Dumping the bag in the footwell, I shove the key into the ignition and turn it a couple of times to get the heap of shit to start.
Conner is probably right—we should just accept the car James has offered us time and time again since we moved, but everything feels wrong about accepting anything from that prick.
Pulling my cell from my pocket, I go to open the GPS, but I make the mistake of opening the messages from Conner.
“Motherfucker,” I grunt, staring at image after image of him and Hadley having fun together.
Anger swirls in my belly that I forced that to happen. She should have been smiling at me like that, not him.
My free fingers wrap around the wheel with a painful grip as I scroll to the last image. It’s a selfie of the two of them with Conner kissing her cheek.
It’s not the first time he’s put his lips on her, but I was there when it happened last time. I had some kind of control over the situation. Now, with me in the Heights and them in the Bay, anything could be happening. And if it does, it’s all my fault, because I left her horny as fuck after our time in the bathroom.
“Fuuuuck” I cry, slamming my palm down on the wheel. I need to get back before it’s not just her cheek that’s felt that motherfucker’s lips.
Reversing out of the lot, I follow the GPS instructions to the other side of town. I make the drop—it’s easy and quick enough—before I find myself heading back to the bay.
Cole: Where are you?
My eyes keep flicking to my cell to see if he’s responded, but the message goes unread. I know I probably shouldn’t go straight to them when I’m feeling this angry, this out of control, but I need to know that he hasn’t stepped in and taken my place, relieved Hadley of the tension I instilled within her earlier.
When I pull up at the house, Ace’s bike is in the driveway, but there’s no way to tell if Hadley and Conner are here. Taking the stairs two at a time, I reach for Conner’s bedroom door first. Without thinking, I throw it open, half expecting to find them rolling around in his bed.
“Fuck,” I breathe, relief filling me when I step into the room and find it empty. “Fuck,” I repeat, lifting my hands to my hair and pulling. She’s driving me crazy, and it needs to stop.
It needs to fucking stop.
I make a pit stop in my room to change my shirt before heading out to the pool house. The main house seems empty—even Ellen isn’t in the kitchen, although I do find some cupcakes sitting on the side, one of which I steal as I pass.
I know someone is inside before I even look up. The bass of the music fills the backyard. Glancing up, I find the pool house illuminated, and as I step up to the doors, the four of them are hanging out with beers in hands and smiles on their faces.
They look happy. Too fucking happy.
I drag my eyes from Ace and Remi to the other ‘couple’ taking up residence on the small beanbag. Hadley is crushed up against Conner, her bare legs thrown across his lap where he’s drawing circles on her upper thigh as they talk.
My chest heaves as I fight the need to go racing in and rip her from him. He has no right to touch her like that. No right to touch what’s fucking mine.
That thought hits me like a fucking truck, stealing the air from my lungs and making me stumble a little on my feet.
I’m about to take off, needing to unleash some of the anger that’s coursing through my veins on something other than my brother, but just as I’m about to turn away, she looks over her shoulder.
Our eyes connect and hold as something crackles between us.
Her lips part, although I’m not sure if it’s in shock or because she wants to say something. Apologize for cuddling up to Conner, maybe.
He must sense something has changed, because after a second, he follows her stare and finds me.
“Get the fuck in here,” he barks. I don’t hear it over the music or through the door, but I can read it.