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Had he fucking brainwashed them? This was creepy. I was officially creeped out. Needing to escape before I somehow got sucked into their creepy Topher cult, I started to back away slowly.
Didn’t want to startle the Topher-bots; they might attack and implant something into my brain that made me like them. Wait. Oh shit. Had I drunk their Kool-Aid? I thought I’d been one of them. I’d dated their leader. I’d laughed with them, and hung out with them, and done a couple of minor things I probably normally wouldn’t have just to get them to like me. Was I just as bad off as they were?
Rattled to the core, I shook my head, denying it. Because no, just no. I had my own mind. I wouldn’t fall into an idiotic groupthink like this. I wouldn’t—
“Haven,” Topher murmured, touching my arm.
I jerked away and spun to glare at him. “Thanks a lot, asshole,” I muttered, shaking my head in disgust. “You just lost me my friends.”
Not that I really wanted to stay friends with such creepy, brainless cultists, but still, it was the principle of the matter. Plus, I was pissed at myself for not realizing all this before, so blaming something on him took a little of the pressure off me.
“Just come talk to me a few minutes in the hallway over there,” he coaxed, and eww, even his cajoling tone seemed creepy and sinister now. Had he always used that tone with me?
I shook my head. “I don’t want to talk to you.” I just wanted to escape.
“You’d be making a big mistake if you threw us away like this.”
“Really?” I countered on an incredulous laugh. “You’re saying I threw this away? Oh my God. You are unbelievable.”
I turned to walk away but he dodged in front of me. “Hey,” he said softly, trying to get personal by ducking his face to look directly into my eyes. “We’re good together, Haven. Let’s just give it another try.”
“Why?” I countered. “What could you possibly want from me? Since I’m so awful at sex.”
“Come on.” He sent me a dry look. “You know I was just talking shit about that because I was upset. You’ve always given me what I wanted in bed.”
I shook my head. “Except that’s something you don’t talk shit about, Topher.”
Affecting a grin as he tried to playfully tease his way back into my good graces, he lifted his hands in a rueful shrug like a guy who’d just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar but was confident he could talk his way into being given the cookie anyway. “So I made one mistake. You know I’m not perfect, babe. You’ve always forgiven me for that before.”
I shook my head, not phased. “Being human is one thing. Being a consummate liar, cheater, and all-around sucky person is another. I know you didn’t sleep with just Annabeth. I’ve learned about others since then. So many others.”
“From who?” he demanded, looking outraged that anyone would dare rat him out.
I rolled my eyes, growing even angrier that he seemed more determined to find out who his tattletale was than he was to apologize for what he’d done.
“Well, for starters, there’s an entire table full of your leftovers right there who just admitted to having sex with you. Tell me, were you ever faithful?”
Instead of answering, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously and murmured, “Leftovers?” as he tipped his head to the side before demanding, “Why did you use that term?”
Oh shit.
Realizing I’d probably unconsciously stolen the word from Wick when he’d mentioned calling me exactly that to Topher, I watched my ex’s face darken.
But I managed to act totally confused when I said, “What term?”
“Leftovers,” he growled, stepping ominously closer. “You fucking whore. You went to him, didn’t you?”
My lips parted in shock. Eyes widening as he reached out and gripped my arm hard, I could only watch in horror as he seethed. “I swear to God, if you’re hooking up with that prick I will cut your fucking heart out. You’ll regret the day you were born. I’m fucking serious, Haven. Webster is off-limits.”
Heart pounding with a terror I’d never experienced from him before, I lifted my chin with a bravado I totally didn’t feel. “Get…your hands…off me.”
“Hey!” the bartender called from across the room. “Is that guy bothering you?”
Topher immediately let go of me and took a step back even as he shot the bartender a scowl. “Butt out, asshole. She’s my girlfriend.”
“No, I’m not,” I spat back, only to nod at the man behind the bar and say a heartfelt, “And yes, he is bothering me. Thank you.”
He nodded back, letting me know he had my back while I was in his establishment. Turning, I started to go, but of course, Topher followed.
