I slowly lift my head and meet his stare, the sight of remorse in his eyes has my brows bunching. “Yeah?” I whisper.
“What happened to my sister wasn’t your fault.” His words hit me harder than a sledge hammer. I stumble backward and nearly lose my footing, but he snaps his arm out and circles my waist, pulling me flush against him. My palms land flat against his chest. I stare up at him with wide eyes. The heat of his body soaks into me like a warm balm to my battered soul. “I need to tell you something, but you can’t utter a word to your brother or father?—”
“The fuck do you think you’re doing, Tink?” At the sound of Xaden’s angry shout I jerk out of Meek’s hold and turn tosee him and thewholeStormsend hockey team standing behind him. Xaden’s glare could slice through flesh but it isn’t directed at me, it’s directed at… Meekan. I step back and dart my gaze between the two of them. The looks on both their faces is almost familiar.
They know each other!
“She’s talking to a friend, Devlin. Why don’t you and your little posse of wannabes take a walk?” It’s phrased as a question but we all know Meek wasn’t asking.
The sinister smirk that cuts across Xaden’s face sends dread rushing through me. He walks toward us with a swagger only he could pull off. I look to Cas, praying he will be able to defuse this situation but he’s looking at Meekan with as much malice as Xaden. Just before he can get to Meek, I dart in front of him and place my hands against Xaden’s chest, halting his movement. His eyes narrow as he looks from my face to my hands, then back again.
“You’re about to get burned by the fire you created, Tink,” he grits out.
I shake my head trying hard not to panic. “Xaden, he’s my friend,” I implore.
The asshole just scoffs, then bats my hands off, sending me stumbling back into Meek, who grips my hips. Xaden snarls, then reaches out and pulls me back into him. I gasp at the feeling of him pressed against my front. His arms banded around me like a lover’s caress. To anyone else this would look romantic. I tense in his hold when he shifts his hands so one is bent around my waist and the other grips the back of my neck.
“Get your fucking hands off her,” Meek snaps. I try to pull back from Xaden’s hold, but his grip tightens in warning so I stop fighting.
“Why don’t you take the hint and fuck off, Agent Di-Leo.” Xaden’s tone is laced with dominance. I feel Meek step closerto us and wish I could turn around and face him. As if Xaden can read my mind, he spins me in his hold so my back is to his chest. The bastard makes a bold move and pushes his hands into the front pockets of my jeans, then rests his chin on the top of my head. Meek darts his gaze between the both of us, clearly drawing the wrong conclusion but I know if I try and correct him, Xaden will lash out at me.
The look of betrayal in Meekan’s eyes when he looks at me hurts like a branding iron. “Don’t fall into this mess, Tor. Let them go down alone. I don’t want you to be a casualty in a war you know nothing about.” His ominous words settle inside me with a bitter taste. I have no idea what he’s talking about but I know he was about to tell me something important before Xaden interrupts us.
“Get the fuck out of here, Di-Leo, before I really lose my patience,” Xaden growls. Meek shoots me one last look before he turns and walks away. No one utters a single word or even moves until Meek is inside his car and pulling out of the lot. I try to break free of Xaden’s hold but the son of a bitch just digs his fingers into my legs, drawing a whimper from me.
“Heads up,” Caspian hollers a second before I see other cars pulling into the lot. When I see the candy-apple red RX7, my breath hitches.
“Get ready, Tink. Big bro is here and if you’re a good girl and play your part, I might just let you come to the game next week so you can see me destroy him and that pussy you’re in love with, while your daddy sits in the stands and watches.”
“Go to hell, you bastard,” I grit out through clenched teeth.
He scoffs. “I don’t fear hell, baby, because it can’t be worse than being with you,” he spits.
I hate to admit that his words pierce my chest like shards of glass. I don’t know what it is about Xaden Devlin that has mebeing so submissive and compliant, but he has a hold over me and I can’t explain why.
My attention is snapped back to the here and now when I watch the door to the RX7 open and see a mop of blond hair poke out over the roof. When he turns and sees me standing here, his brown eyes widen to saucers. The surprised look vanishes the moment the monster behind me rests his chin on my shoulder, then shifts his hands so they are around me in a possessive hold. My brother’s features grow taut with anger at the sight of me in the arms of his enemy.
CHAPTER TWENTY
XADEN
Fuck, this feels good.
The cocksucker slams his car door closed and storms toward us, like a raging bull ready to impale me on his horns. The threat of a fight in the air has me antsy and wanting to fuck. This is the type of shit that gets me off. The thrill of danger and murder is an aphrodisiac for me.
Cas shifts beside me, ready to intervene if he gets too close. Normally he wouldn’t do shit like that but he knows with Toren in my arms, my goal here is to get inside Masen’s head and drive him out of his fucking mind with thoughts of what I’m doing to her every fucking night. Before he can reach us, the little bitch Kellan darts in front of him and pushes him back.
“Let it go, Mase,” Kellan shouts but Masen is too far gone. To push him further over the edge, I turn my head, keeping my eyes on him as I place a kiss on Toren’s cheek. The bitch tenses but doesn’t push me away. If she does anything to fuck this moment up, she will regret it.
“Get fucked. I’ll let it go when that slimy motherfucker gets his hands off my sister!” he roars. Toren recoils into me, allowing me to tighten my hold.
“It’s okay, Tink. I won’t let that little pussy take you from me,” I coo.
“Fuck you, Devlin. Your beef is with me,” Masen snaps. “Get the fuck away from her now. She’s coming with me.” Toren gasps which just pisses me off.
“You waited this long to come for her? Why not come the moment your piece of shit daddy dropped her ass off on my turf, hmm?” I’m baiting the fucker and everyone but him knows it. Kellan looks to Toren with a pleading look, asking her to help him which just fuels my rage.
“You keep your fucking eyes off her. Push me, Kyle, and you’ll regret ever coming out of your mother’s snatch.”
