Page 159 of Always: A Legacy Novel

He hated Derik.

“I fucked up. It’s really bad,” she repeated in a whisper.

Cross’s hands pressed harder on her cheeks, like he was silently willing her to calm down. “Why do you keep crying? Just … Jesus Christ, tell me what the fuck is wrong so I can fix it, okay?”

He couldn’t fix this.

She just needed someone safe.

He was safe.

“Catherine, tell me,” Cross hissed.

“I was out with Deirk this weekend—a house party. I got really messed up. I don’t remember a lot. He’s got pictures of me, Cross, like that. All these pictures, and he’s trying to use them to get me to do whatever he wants. I screwed up, and it’s bad. It’s really, really bad.”

“Is that it?”

Catherine’s gaze darted away.

Cross didn’t miss it.

“Is that all it is, Catherine? Just pictures. Just a messed up night. I need to know if that’s it.”

“Cross—”

“It’s not, is it?”

Catherine’s tears started all over again, and her throat closed around the words clawing their way out. “I think he slipped something in a drink—I only remember some stuff, like the pillow and the blankets, and trying to speak. And I was messed up in the morning, and not hangover bad, but something bad.”

Cross was holding her so tight, it was starting to hurt. His gaze blared with fire and hate and violence. “Do you remember saying yes to him?”

“I never said no.”

“You don’t have to.”

Cross let go of Catherine’s face, and in a blink, he was gone. Catherine immediately bolted out from under the low hanging willow branches, but Cross was already jogging across the parking lot.

“Cross, wait!”

He didn’t hear her.

Or he chose not to.

Catherine couldn’t keep up, and her continued shouts went unanswered.

“Cross, please!”

Inside the school, her shouts reverberated through the hallway. Heads popped out of classrooms, and a friend of Cross’s was right behind her before she even knew what was happening.

Catherine only saw the flash of Cross’s leather jacket dropping to the floor a second before he tackled Derik from behind.

One punch … two …

One skull cracked into the floor … two …

One curse … two …

“Cross, please,” Catherine cried.