Only three people in this world scare me: my dad, Alessa, and Micah. Anyone else I would have put down for talking to me like that without a second thought.
I sit there and stare at nothing, trying to figure out how to fix this because I am going to.
No matter what it takes.
Chapter 18
Gage
I’m going to kill Ryder in the most horrific way I can think of for making Les cry. She doesn’t cry, ever. We’ve been in this room for thirty minutes, and even though she’s stopped crying, her face is red and splotchy, her eyes puffy, and her occasional little sniffle is killing me. She hasn’t said a word, just stared out of the window on the seat she’s sitting on, her knees tucked to her chest. Leo and I tried to talk to her, but we finally just sat back and let her do what she needed to, letting her know we were there for her.
“He said he didn’t want to be in my life anymore,” she says, finally breaking the silence. I lock eyes with Leo, and he looks torn apart too. “Twenty-five years, and he just throws me away.” I can hear her tear up again. I want to rip his heart out and stomp on it, just like he did her.
“I don’t think he meant it, Baby,” Leo says, and my head jerks to him in surprise. “He’s here for a reason.”
She turns slowly towards him. “You’re taking up for him?”
He moves to sit at her feet. “I’m not saying what he did was right, and he deserves his ass kicked for that. All I’m saying is, I think you should talk to him.”
I raise my eyebrow at him when he looks at me and shrugs.What the hell?
“I can’t right now,” she says, turning back to the window.
“That’s fine, Pretty girl,” I assure her. “Eventually, though, right?”
“What’s the point? What’s the point in any of this?” she asks.
“What’s the point in what, Baby?” Leo asks, and dread sinks into my chest.
“Anything!” she explodes. “You live, you die. What’s the fucking point of all the hurt in between?” She stands from the seat. “There is no point.”
She goes to leave the room, and I jump over the back of the little couch, sliding in front of the door, blocking it so she can’t leave. Her eyes narrow to those tiny, scary little slits.
I hope she isn’t armed.
“Move,” she warns, her tiny fists balled up. I know what she can do with those fists.
“I can’t do that, Pretty girl,” I tell her, and her whole body stiffens.
“What?” she asks in a deadly voice.
“We need to work all this out,” Leo says, standing up from his seat.
She whirls on him. “Okay. Let’s do that.”
“Not like this, Baby,” he begs. “I don’t want you to say something you don’t mean.”
“Let’s go back to the house,” I suggest. “Get some wine. Hang by the pool. Then we can talk when you’re ready.”
“I don’t need to talk,” she argues.
“Sorry, Pretty girl. I call bullshit.” I hold my hands up when she glares again. “Let us take care of you.”
“I also don’t need someone to take care of me,” she says, and I watch as her eyes harden. What happened to make her shut down? I hate it.
“There is nothing wrong with needing someone,” Leo comments, walking up behind her. I warn him with my eyes that her punches hurt like a motherfucker. “Let me and Gage take you home. We will talk, and we can take care of you. Let us do that for you.” He’s talking to her like she’s a wounded animal, taking slow, measured stepstoward her like she might attack at any minute. Maybe he read the sign in my eyes after all.
“Fine,” she says fast--too fast. “Let’s go.” She goes to grab the door handle, but I block her again. I grimace, waiting for her to punch me right in the balls. “What is your deal?! I said I’ll go. Now let’s fucking go!” Her voice rises with each word, betraying what her eyes try to hide…pain.
