Cole stiffens beside me.
“Don’t,” I whisper to Beck. “Don’t you dare.”
But he’s already pacing, running a hand through his hair. “Is he why Calista slapped you? Her and Toby showing up everywhere to make trouble? All of it started when he came into the picture.”
Cole steps forward then, before I can stop him.
“You think I wanted any of that?” he growls. “You think I don’t know exactly who’s to blame for the shit Calista pulls?”
“That’s the thing,” Zane snaps. “Every time she causes chaos, Ella ends up in the crossfire. Our sister. Not you. Not your ex. Ella.”
Cole’s voice drops to a warning. “I already know that. I never wanted her to get caught in the middle.”
Jace’s face darkens. “Then stay away from our sister.”
Cole doesn’t move. “She’s not a child.”
“She’s our responsibility,” Zane barks.
“No,” Cole counters, voice steady but furious. “She’s a grown woman who makes her own choices.”
The moment he says it, Beck lunges. Not a punch, not yet, but a lightning-fast step that sends every muscle in Cole’s body snapping to tension, ready to counter.
I jump between them so fast Beck nearly collides with me.
“Stop!” I yell, palms out, one hand on Cole’s chest, one on Beck’s arm.
“Ella—move,” Jace tries reaching for me.
“No,” I snap. “I am not moving, and none of you are touching him.”
Zane looks at me with frustrated betrayal. “Why didn’t you tell us, Ella?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I say, heat building behind my ribs. “Maybe because I knew you’d react like three pissed-off bulls in a china shop?”
Jace shakes his head, voice low. “We would’ve protected you.”
“I don’t need protecting,” I shoot back.
“You do when the man you’re with comes with a psychotic ex-wife attached,” Beck spits.
Cole starts forward again, but I slam a hand into his chest.
“Don’t,” I whisper. “For me. Don’t.”
He stops. Barely. His breath is hot against my temple, jaw flexing under my fingertips.
Zane’s voice breaks in again, quieter but sharper. “Ella, she slapped you. Because of him.”
“No,” I say fiercely. “She slapped me because she’s a terrible person. Because she wanted to hurt someone, and I was there. That’s not on Cole.”
Jace gestures angrily toward the construction site. “And what about this? All this work? You two hid a relationship long enough for him to secure the biggest contract of his life. Tell me that doesn’t look—“
“Don’t you finish that sentence,” I warn, ice cooling every inch of me. “Cole didn’t get the job because he slept with me. He got it because he’s good. Because he’s the best.”
“He should’ve told us,” Beck mutters.
Zane steps forward, voice deep. “She’s our sister, man. Why would you do this?”
