He rolls up a slice of turkey and takes a bite before chewing thoughtfully. “You know, you might get a lot further along in life if you’d be a little nicer.”
“Nicer? Next thing, you’ll be telling me I should smile more.” Before he can do that, I speak over him. “I’m not the one who started this. All I’m interested in is keeping myself safe from the two of you.”
He stares at me for what feels like a lifetime before nodding slowly. “Don’t let me stop you. Take your sandwich. Keep yourself safe from me.”
I can’t honestly believe he thinks he isn’t a threat. Not after the way he’s treated me all this time. Not after what he did to me.
“I will keep myself safe from you and your crazy family.” I’m not sure how yet, but I’ll find a way.
“Nix told me. My dad finally showed you his… other side.”
I was wondering if Colt knew. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Nix told him. Thinking about that situation has me reaching for my neck. James left some nice finger-sized bruises on the tender skin under my ears. I gently rub the spot, wondering if Colt can see it in the dim light.
“Is that what you call that?”
“What would you call it?” His eyes zone in on my neck before they darken. His jaw ticks, and his lips pull up in a tiny snarl. Is he mad that his dad touched me? More likely, he is mad that he wasn’t there.
“I guess the other side fits… deranged, insane, and unstable would work as well.”
“I don’t care what you call it. It is what it is, and there is no changing it.”
It is what it is?What kind of bullshit answer is that?
“We’ll see about that.” I make a grab for the food and stop just short of running down the hall, walking as fast as I can and jogging up the stairs. I keep an eye on the hall but don’t see him emerging from the kitchen before I reach the second floor. I guess he’s in the mood for a brief truce.
I hope he doesn’t think I’m going to let my guard down.
CHAPTER18
At first, I don’t know what pulled me out of a deep sleep. I only know I woke with a start, my head leaving the pillow, and my heart in my throat. The chair is firmly in place in front of the door, so it’s not that.
Another round of pounding against the door makes me sit up. So that’s what woke me. This time, it’s not enough to bang. “Hey! Let’s go! You’re holding us up here,” Colt barks.
“What are you talking about?” I throw my legs over the side of the bed, fuzzy-brained the way I normally am when I’m ripped from sleep.
“Let’s go! You’ve got work! And you’re going to be late.”
Work. Yet another thing I have no control over. How am I supposed to know when these two want to go for a workout if they don’t tell me beforehand? How can he accuse me of running late when I don’t operate on a schedule in the first place? This is too bizarre.
There’s no time to argue about that right now, not that I would. This job is all I have at the moment, and even though I don’t understand the circumstances, I don’t want to ruin things. That, and I’d rather not give my stepbrothers another reason to make me miserable.
“I’ll be right there!” I grab for the first clean things my hands fall upon in my dresser, then rush to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face before running a brush through my hair. The whole process can’t take more than five minutes, but the way Colt and Nix act when I run downstairs, you would think I kept them waiting for two hours.
“Sorry. I didn’t know you wanted to go this morning.”
Nix rolls his eyes and pushes away from the door, where he was leaning as he waited. “You can assume we’re going to go most days.”
“Could you maybe give me the heads-up the night before so I know what time to be ready? I don’t want to hold you guys up,” I add before they can blow up at me.
“Whatever. Let’s go. You already have me behind schedule.”
I know better than to ask exactly what schedule he’s talking about. I don’t think I’ve ever met two such self-important people.
It’s mercifully quiet in the truck, almost eerie. The guys have their little muttered conversation, but it’s not about anything important. I think they’re talking about sports, something I have very little interest in. They can talk about anything they want so long as it’s not me.
During the whole way, I have to fight to keep from staring at the back of Nix’s head. He’ll know I’m staring, and it will only make him mad. Nothing about his attitude toward me reveals anything about what happened yesterday. Maybe in his mind, it never happened at all. I can’t believe anybody could just forget something like that, no matter what he says.
It’s easy for him to say. He’s not the one who saw his life flash before his eyes. I have to take a few deep breaths to slow the sudden panic threatening to grip me. Every time I so much as brush up against the memory, my body reacts like I’m back in the moment.