He drags me halfway across the street and I plant my feet. I feel her before I look up, before she steps into the streetlight, before her eyes meet mine across the empty street.
Six
THEN | SISK
Jax catches my arm right as I’m about to slip out the side doors.
“What are you doing?” I snap, twisting out of his grip.
“I need to talk to you.”
“Then talk.”
We’re right by the exit, people brushing past behind him, doors opening and closing. He glances over his shoulder, like he doesn’t want an audience.
“Kinda hard to get you alone these days.”
I frown. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Ivan,” he says, already irritated. “He’s glued to you. Tell me you haven’t noticed.”
“We’re friends, Jax. And it’s usually just lunch. You don’t have to make it weird.”
“Whatever.” He runs a hand through his hair, pacing like he’s trying not to say something worse. “Look… I think you should be careful with him.”
That makes me pause. “What? Why?”
He looks at me then, really looks, like he's trying to decide how much to say. Up close, his eyes are stupidly blue. There's a small cut on his lip I hadn't noticed before, like he got it recently.I need to stop staring.
“His fingers.”
I blink. “His—what?”
“The black stains,” he says, quieter now. “Same as the girl in the video.”
“You think?—”
“Too much of a coincidence, don’t you think?”
“He told us what caused it,” I say. “The chemical. Silver—something. Maybe the girl?—”
“Stop covering for him.” His voice cuts in, low and sharp. “He lied.”
I press my lips together, heat creeping up my neck.
“All of it is shady as hell.”
I cross my arms. “Ivan is nice. Maybe if you actually tried getting to know him, you’d see that.”
Jax takes a step toward me. “Just?—”
We're staring at each other, and then out of nowhere, his hand comes up and brushes some hair off my face.
I freeze. “What are you doing?” I snap, stepping back and knocking his hand away.
His hand drops like it didn’t mean anything. “You had?—”
“I’m not asking you to fix it,” I cut in. “If you want answers about his fingers, go ask him,” I say. “I don’t think he lied.”
