He didn’t look at me. His jaw was tight, his gaze fixed somewhere far past the tree line.
“Max. Please. Look at me.”
His head snapped up. Eyes sharp.
“I fucking hate him.”
I grabbed his elbow, not even glancing at Heather who watched us like a vulture. I pulled Max into the woods until the shadows swallowed us. He immediately grabbed my hand as we walked further into the dark.
Once the trees hid us, I turned, facing him head-on.
“I know. He’s a bastard,” I breathed. “But I’m not fragile. I don’t need you fighting my battles.”
I didn’t want him to get hurt. But I also didn’t know what to do if he found out the truth.
“You shouldn’t have to do this alone, Trouble. He acts like you’re his. I don’t like it.” The raw intensity in his voice made me hesitate. He ran a hand through his hair; that part of him that was slowly clawing out was trapped again.
“Max, I?—”
“You matter,” he cut me off, rushing his words. “You’ve always mattered. And I swear, every time he touches you, talks about you, I want to rip his hands off.” He sighed in frustration but kept going, stammering, fidgeting as if he was about to burst out of his skin. “These are new feelings for me, and I don’t know how to control myself. I want him to see there’s not a single part of you he can claim anymore.”
His honesty hit me hard.
Jackson’s words lingered. His reminders of where I came from, who I was, seeped into my mind like a shadow of dread. That doubt slithered beneath my skin, gnawing at my nerves, as an icy dread took hold. In my head, I almost heard Agent West’s voice echoing, ‘Get rid of him.’
An unsettling chill ran through me as I scanned the dark, twisting edges of the woods. I could feel my father’s eyes burning into my back, watching, waiting. Was I being watched now?
My gaze flicked to Max. A reckless, impossible thought coiled within me: we had to play Jackson’s game. In his twisted game, he believed he was king. I needed to crush him with a true opponent, and that opponent’s gaze was locked on me—fists clenched tight, eyes burning with a darkness I’d never seen before, as if something evil had awakened within him.
I was noticing cracks in his armor. The strong, dangerous Max—the one struggling to break free—was about to emerge. There was a shadow within him I hadn’t met, yet he was still the only person who made me feel truly safe. I trusted him with my life.
“So, how do we win?” I asked, nerves buzzing.
Max blinked. “Win?”
I nodded, stepping closer. I could feel his tension spike the closer I got to him.
“Jackson thinks he owns me. Like he’s figured out a code, like he’s won a game he’s been playing for years. But what if…”
Max arched a brow, sharp and impatient.
“What if what?”
“We prove him wrong?” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat.
He studied me. A war waged in those fierce eyes.
“I need you to be my boyfriend,” I said softly. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
“What?” His voice was sharper, more aggressive than I expected.
“I mean, fake boyfriend. Just for the summer. To get Jackson off my back. Then we go back to… whatever we had.”
I shrugged, trying to look casual, but my fingers clenched my arm.
He mulled it over. I could almost see the gears in his brain grinding.
“You think that’ll work? Us faking it? You think Jackson will back off because I say you’re mine?”
