Page 53 of Break Me

That hurts worse than I expected. I let go of Mouse and turn just as Knox steps out. Our eyes meet.

“See ya later, kid,” Mouse says and walks away.

“Don’t,” Knox says immediately. “Not now.”

“Why?” I ask, my voice sharp with everything I’m holding back. “You could’ve stopped it, but you let them take everything from him.”

“Leave it alone,” he snaps. “This isn’t your fight.”

“You think this isn’t my fight?” I fire back. “You just punished the man you call your brother because he loves me.”

Knox’s hands curl into fists at his sides. “He crossed a line.”

“So did you,” I say. “You trust him with your life. You trust him with the club. But you don’t trust him with me?”

“That’s different,” he snaps.

“No, it’s not,” I say, stepping closer. “You don’t get to pretend this is about the club when it’s really about control.”

His mouth opens, then closes.

“He’s your VP,” I continue. “Your best friend. If you believe he’d die for you, then you should believe he’d never hurt me.”

For a second, I think he might say something. Instead, he looks past me.

“I’m not doing this with you right now,” he says flatly, and walks away without another word.

I stand there long after he’s gone, my chest heaving, my heart splintering in quiet places I didn’t know existed.

Then, I turn back toward the clubhouse. Inside, Samuel sits alone at the table, elbows braced on his knees, shoulders bowed. He doesn’t hear me come in. Doesn’t look up.

I stop just inside the doorway and watch him.

The way his spine curves inward, like he’s carrying something too heavy for one man. The way his hands hang loose between his knees, all of the fight gone out of them. This place has always been his home. His family. His anchor. And now it’s taken from him.

Because of me.

I cross the room quietly and sit beside him.

He startles slightly, then turns. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I needed to see you,” I say softly.

His eyes search my face like he’s bracing for another blow.

“I know.” A sad smile tugs at my lips. “Mouse told me.”

For a moment, he looks every bit as tired as he feels.

“I never wanted you to lose this,” I whisper. “If I knew this is what it would cost you, I would’ve stayed away.”

He turns fully toward me then, his hands gripping his knees.

“No,” he says firmly. “Don’t you do that.”

“This is your family,” I say, tears slipping free now. “I can’t be the reason you lose everything.”

His hand closes around my wrist, grounding, sure. “You’re my family,” he says quietly. “You’ve been it longer than you know.”