Gage hadn’t believed Rex then. It was only after he found out who I was and didn’t give me a chance to explain anything.
Explain what?I might’ve got my facts twisted, but I always knew there was bad blood between our families. I’d just hoped we’d be able to work through the problems together.
I want to crawl into a dark hole until I’m over it all, but my sister’s not going anywhere until I answer her. “It turns out I’ve fallen for Axle Reynolds’s son. What a cosmic joke.”
She doesn’t answer right away, and finally I can’t stand the silence any longer and squint at her. She’s frowning, as though she doesn’t understand.
“It’s not your fault. If he’s blaming you for what our dad did, then he’s a dick.”
I really want to agree with her. Idoagree with her. Except…I don’t.
“It’s complicated.” I scowl because that’s so lame, even if it is the truth. My head thumps so bad I can’t even figure out whether the fact I fell for the son of the man I thought killed my dad is worse than what really happened.
Ava hugs her knees. “It’s always complicated,” she says, like she’s an expert on impossible relationships. “The question is what’re you going to do about it?”
I glare at her because—what the fuck? “Well, I’ve tried getting smashed out of my head, and that didn’t work. What d’you suggest?”
“Imean”—my sister gives me a look as though she thinks my hangover’s affected my brain—“is it over between the two of you, or was last night because you found out the truth?”
I give her a bitter smile. “He said if he sees me again I’ll wish I never crossed him.”
Ava sucks in harsh breath. “What a piece of shit. How can he blame you for what happened? You’re better off without him. I supposehetakes responsibility for all the shit his dad did, huh?”
I bite my lip. My sister looks so fierce, defending me, but strangely the more she attacks Gage the less I agree. After all, I was the one who went undercover so I could get close to him, even if I wasn’t in full possession of all the facts.
Her words fade to a buzz. Through the pounding that’s trying to mash my brain to a pulp, there’s a disjointed sense of unease.
Was Gage more furious because ofwhoI was, or because I hadn’ttoldhim who I was?
Get real, Amy.
There’s no difference. What am I thinking? I’m grasping at straws, that’s what. And why do I care what he thinks when it’s obvious there’s no chance we could ever get back together. He made that clear, and I need to face the fact that I can’t—won’t—be with a guy who puts his club first, second, and third.
Ava finally runs out of invective, and we stare at each other. I clear my throat, which feels like it’s full of sand. “You remember Rex Abbott?”
“Abbott was the Wolves president, wasn’t he? Didn’t think his name was Rex.”
It’s strange how three years makes such a huge difference when you’re a kid. I remember so much more of our life with the Wolves than Ava does.
I sigh because I have no idea where I’m going with this. It’s done and nothing can change it, but I can’t seem to stop obsessing over why Rex dragged me into this. “He must’ve known the truth. Why did he set me up?”
She frowns. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. You know that, right?”
“How much coffee d’you think I need before I can drive?”
…
It’s late afternoon when I park opposite Rex’s apartment block. He doesn’t live far from the diner, but the area’s real dodgy and I wouldn’t want to be here after dark, which means I have less than an hour.
For the first time ever, I called in sick to work, and even though I had a vat of coffee, my head still pounds like hell.
Rex didn’t askwhywhen I texted him for his address and said I needed to see him. It’s almost like he expected me to contact him. I huff out a breath, hunch my shoulders against the cold wind, and cross the street.
He’d better have a damn good reason for lying to me.
Inside the building, the walls are covered in graffiti and the whole place stinks of pee. I wrinkle my nose and make my way up the dirty stairs to the third floor. Maybe coming here wasn’t such a great idea.
I bang on his door, and after a few minutes he pulls it open. He looks worse than ever and alarm stabs through me. Maybe I should get him to hospital or something.
