Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 120186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Of course, Saint is here because she can’t ever be more than a few feet away from him.
“What?” I throw my arms out to the sides. “Let’s have it. Tear me apart. Tell me how disappointing I am. Come on.” I point at my chin. “Right here. Give it to me. We both know you want to.”
I wish he would. The way he looks at me now makes me crave the satisfying sensation of his fist against my face. That, I can handle—I’ve handled it dozens of times before.
Anything, so long as he’ll stop looking at me the way he is now. Like he’s too tired to kick my ass. Like he’s too tired to deal with me.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He shakes his head, his jaw tight. “Do you have a fucking brain in your head?” he snaps.
“Do us a favor and spare me,” I drawl. “You being in charge now doesn’t erase the shit you’ve done over the years. You’ve got a pretty short fucking memory, Calder.”
“Sure,” he scoffs. “Turn this around on me. Act like I have anything to do with any of your fucked-up choices lately.”
“Why stop at lately?” I snort. “I’ve been making fucked-up choices all my life.”
“No shit,” he snarls. His fists curl at his sides. “There is something I’ve been wanting to tell you for weeks, but I kept hoping I wouldn’t have to.”
“Oh, here we go.” I roll my eyes. “Perfect Calder has something to say.”
“You dumb son of a bitch.” He takes me by the lapels and shoves me against the wall hard enough to send a handful of framed photos crashing to the floor. Then he stops and releases me. “I’ve been on your side through all of this. You’ve gone too far tonight. I know you’re going through shit. I understand.”
“You don’t understand a thing.”
“I understand,” he insists, glaring at me while his jaw works and his fists tighten and loosen rhythmically. Like he still can’t decide whether he wants to crack my skull. “You know what else I understand? You’ve turned into a fucking pussy.”
“Is that supposed to hurt my feelings?”
“I don’t care what the fuck it does,” he snaps. “But I would hope it opens your eyes a little. All you did was humiliate yourself in there. No one else. How do you think Sawyer and Levi will feel when they hear that shit?”
His words are worse than a bullet in the belly. I grit my teeth and open my mouth to fire back when Saint steps between us. “Stop! Both of you! You’re both acting like children right now. We didn’t come here to fight.”
I swallow my words, Levi and Sawyer at the front of my mind. Then Elena. Shit. My mouth is ruining things all over again. She takes my silence as permission to keep talking. “Allie was worried about you. And so am I.”
“You’re wasting your time on him,” Calder sneers. “He’s too busy feeling sorry for himself to listen.”
“And as for Allie,” I spit. “She can go straight to hell and take her concern with her. She doesn’t give a shit about me or any of us.” I don’t add that I did this for her anyway. They wouldn’t understand.
“She was upset. Just ran out. You didn’t think announcing that you’re taking her legacy would have an impact? She was practically in tears. I know you were targeting Emma. I get it. But you hurt Allie more with that little show.”
A bitter laugh bursts out of me. She has the nerve to stay mad at me. “She fucking turned tail and ran. Not that I’m surprised. It’s what she always does when things get hard.”
I blink, and I get a sizzle in my chest like I’ve been struck by lightning. She turns into whatever a person needs in a given situation, or she runs.
“What was she supposed to do? Hang around while you humiliate her?” Saint scoffs. “How could you be so cruel?”
But I barely hear her trying to process this new puzzle piece that is Allie.
“Don’t you know?” Calder asks. “He learned from the best. He soaked up every lesson our father delivered like a sponge.”
That brings me back, and I’ve had about enough of this. “I don’t need shit from you. Or anyone. Just stay out of my business. This is between Emma and me.”
Tears fill her eyes. Great. “You know, I was worried about you, too,” she whispers before looking up at Calder. “I’ll be in the truck.”
“I’m right behind you.” Calder looks me up and down and sneers like I’m the shit on his sole. “Get your ass together,” he mutters. “Because there will come a time when no one here cares to help you anymore.”
“I didn’t ask for your fucking help.”
He doesn’t react. He only walks away, shaking his head. I’m alone again.