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I don’t have time to answer him. Ben shoots by me faster than lightning and removes Mr. Sinclair’s hand from my arm. Looking back at him, I slowly shake my head. Before I would have taken the money and I wouldn’t have cared about anything else. That was before I found love, before I realized that my family and my boyfriend are worth more than anything in this world. Before when I was completely hollow and nothing but a scared girl with no options but to end up like her mother. I’m not that girl anymore. I have my dreams at my fingertips, a family who would die for me, and a man who would give me the world if I asked for it.
So as I look at Mr. Sinclair, I say the only thing that comes to mind.
“You don’t deserve them, and they will be so much better off without you.”
And then I leave, ignoring the names and the threats he’s throwing my way because Mark Sinclair can’t hurt me. He doesn’t have that power over me, and the people he does have that power over deserve to know he is a piece of shit.
The only problem is I’m the one who has to tell them.
Chapter 45
Jude
Claire: Where are u?
I smile because I was just about to text her. After kicking ass in Chattanooga, the guys and I decided to go to the Gilroy to hang out and wind down before heading to bed.
Me: I was about to text u; wanna go to the Gilroy? I’m on my way there.
Claire: I’ll meet you there.
Awesome. I’m more than pleased that she’s coming out. Ever since I left her earlier, she has clouded my thoughts and clogged all my senses. That is until a huge defenseman knocked me on my ass and then I woke up, remembering that I had a game to win. And that’s what I did. We dominated, and really, it isn’t fair how we basically murdered those boys. I mean, eight to zero is a little intense. I’m happy though, a win is a win, and we need it for the championship.
“Claire coming out?” Jayden asks as we pull into the parking lot of the Gilroy.
“Yeah,” I answer, tucking my phone in my pocket as he stops. Getting out of the car, I look around to see if I see her, but I don’t, so we head toward the door. Before I can reach it though, Jayden’s phone rings.
“It’s Dad,” he says, his face scrunched together. “It’s almost one in the morning. Why would he be calling me?”
“I don’t know. Answer it,” I say and he does.
Watching him, I listen since I can only hear his side of the conversation. “Hey, I’m sure she is. Lucy left before the bus pulled out. Maybe her phone is dead? Did you call Lucy? Yeah, I don’t know.”
When a hand slides into mine, I look over to find Claire, and I’m a little taken aback by what I see; she has more makeup on than I’ve ever seen on her before.
With my brow up, I say, “Hey.”
I then lean over, kissing the side of her mouth since her lips are so red, I’m sure it will stain my mouth. I usually don’t mind, but that stuff looks as if I’ll need Clorox to get it off.
“Hey, I need to talk to you,” she says, her eyes wide and her breathing labored.
Before I can answer, I hear Jayden says, “Yeah, she’s with him. Why?”
Look back at Jayden, I make a face and he shrugs. Glancing back at Claire, I say, “Hold on, Jayden’s on the phone with my dad.”
“Um, okay,” she says just as Jayden hangs up.
“Yeah, I don’t know what the hell his problem is.”
“What did he say?” I ask.
“He asked if Mom was home, and I said I’m sure she is, but he’s bitching, saying she isn’t answering her phone. He went on a tirade about that and then he asked about Claire,” he says, looking over at her, pointing his phone at her. “So weird.”
“That is weird.”
“Yeah, he’s on his way home, said he’ll be there in a minute.”
“I thought he was in New York?”
