I tilted my head, my eyes daring him to explode.
“How many times does that make it, Jackson? Oh, right. More than you ever managed to get without lying or forcing.”
“Shut your fucking mouth,” he snarled, grabbing my arm violently and pressing two fingers viciously against my forehead. I gasped as his grip tightened around my throat, cutting off my air. His twisted smile grew as I struggled for breath, then he made a chilling gunshot sound, aiming an imaginary barrel at my head.
"Bang," he whispered cruelly.
Before I felt the blackness overtake me, Max’s hand shot out from behind me, gripping Jackson by the throat with terrifying force. A guttural voice, unrecognizable as Max’s, snarled, “Fucking walk away. Now.”
19
MAX
Ishouldn’t have walked away. The second Rhett opened his damn mouth about Heather, I knew I had lost control of myself, the situation, and Mackenzie.
I didn’t know what fucking game Rhett and Heather were playing, but I wasn’t in the mood for it.
Earlier, I was too busy trying to play hard to get with Mackenzie when Heather stepped in like she’d been waiting for us to implode all along.
“Hey,” she said, stepping in line with me before I could even open my mouth. “You heading to the lake?”
“Yeah.”
“You, okay?” Her voice was honey-sweet and fake.
“Fine.”
“You don’t look fine.” She tilted her head, all doe-eyed and manipulative sympathy. “Can I help you take your mind off her?”
That made me stop.
“Excuse me?”
Heather smiled, slow and knowing.
“I’m just saying… she’s not the only girl here. You’ve got options. I’m an option.” She reached out, her hand grazing my forearm. “If you want to forget about her, I can help with that.”
I yanked my arm away.
“I’m not interested.”
She blinked, taken aback. “What? I was just?—”
“I’m not interested. I’ve never been interested.”
Her expression hardened instantly, like she’d been slapped. “Wow. Okay. You don’t have to be an asshole about it.”
“Listen, I wouldn’t have to be an asshole if you’d stop trying. I’m with Mackenzie, so drop it.”
Heather’s face twisted with anger and humiliation. “You think she’s gonna choose you? She’s fucked up, Max. Jackson has been telling me all about her and her life. And you’re going to end up just like every other idiot who tried to save her.”
I stepped in closer, furious.
“Say one more thing about her,” I said. “I fucking dare you.”
She flinched, but she didn’t back down.
“She’s going to break your heart.”
