This time I enunciated every word, giving Axel the nastiest glare I could muster. “Give him his money back. Now.”
Axel’s eyes drifted to my biceps. Since I wore a casual t-shirt, they stuck out beneath the hems. I was no bodybuilder or anything, but I wasn’t so small either. I was guessing Axel was trying to decide whether or not fighting me would be worth it.
In the end, I guessed not. Axel shoved his hand in his back pocket and snatched out a twenty dollar bill. But before he handed it over, he made a big show of ripping it in two. He threw the pieces in the air and let them flutter to the floor.
“There’s your money,” he said. “Now go away before I call security.”
I picked up the torn cash and gently took Skylar by the arm, ushering him away from Axel without another word.
5
Skylar
It was hard to breathe, but as the moments passed, it gradually became a little easier. Still, my body trembled like a brittle leaf. Facing Axel had been harder than I anticipated.
And without Rafael’s presence, it might have even been impossible.
I swallowed the lump in my throat thinking about what might have happened if he hadn’t been there. Even after I told him to wait in the car and made it clear I didn’t want him following me, he came anyway. I wanted to think he was an asshole for disobeying my plea, but…
Rafael was biting down on his lip, like he wanted to stop himself from exploding. He drove in silence, his knuckles jutting out as he gripped the steering wheel hard. We’d left Axel’s apartment complex ten minutes ago, and I didn’t know where we were anymore. I wasn’t sure if Rafael knew, either. He might have just been driving aimlessly.
I fiddled with the torn bill as Rafael finally turned into a half-empty parking lot. The car slowed, then stopped. He thrust it into park, then slowly turned to me.
“I’m gonna be honest with you,” Rafael said with a sigh. “I knew you were lying to me earlier.”
“Lying about what?”
He raised a brow. “About not being in danger.”
I scoffed. “How could you have possibly known that before it happened?”
“I don’t know,” he grumbled. “I just had a feeling. Maybe it’s because, apparently, this new Skylar just loves getting himself into trouble.”
I bristled at his comment. “I’m not a different person. People make mistakes.”
“Sure,” Rafael conceded. “But people as conscientious and thoughtful as youdon’tgo making stupid mistakes on purpose.”
I felt my hackles rise at his double-sided remark. Was this what they meant by abackhanded compliment?
“I didn’t think I was in danger,” I said simply. “I didn’t know Axel was going to fly off the handle like that.”
Rafael suddenly reached out and grabbed my wrist, forcing me to look at him. They were deeply clouded with concern.
“Skylar, do you even realize how scary that was? Who knewwhathe was going to do to you! If I wasn’t there, what would’ve happened?”
His touch felt warm and solid, like the only grounding thing in my life right now. But at the same time, I felt the urge to pull away.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, glancing away.
“Look. I know we’re not close. I’m just a friend-of-a-friend, and an alpha to boot, and I know how much you hate those--”
“I don’thatealphas,” I interrupted. “And I don’t hate you.”
The corner of his lip quirked upwards. “Oh, good. I’m glad for that, at least.” He put his serious face back on. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, you don’t have to tell me your whole life story, but can you at least trust me enough to tell mewhyyou’re getting yourself into these sketchy situations?”
I winced. He was getting straight to the point, huh? I mulled over my response, wondering what amount of truth and lie I could weave together, and how much of it he would believe.
Rafael gently squeezed, and I realized his hand was still touching me. “And if you can’t tell me, you should tell someone else. Why not Jake? Or your roommate, Kaden? Aren’t they both your friends?”
