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“I said, get in the goddamn car!”
“Dax—” York starts, flicking his gaze between us. He pulls off his leather gloves too, discarding them and cracking his knuckles. Fuck, are they about to go head to head? They never fought like this when we were kids.
“Shut the fuck up, York.” Dax snaps then glares at me. “Get in. NOW!”
“And what if I said screw you? What if I said, I’m done with tonight? I’m DONE!” I shout, unable to help myself. I’m tired, I’m hungry, I’m fucking emotionally drained to the point of collapse. I literally can’t take anymore.
“I’d say get in the FUCKING CAR!” Dax roars, his face is red, and his eyes are flashing dangerously. I flinch as though slapped. He’s never,everspoken to me that way before. Not ever. I don’t even recognise this man. My shoulders slump. Has he really changed that much in three years?
“Dax, keep your damn head andchill the fuck out!” York snaps. He’s on edge too, that’s clear enough from the sharp look he gives me, but it’s tempered with the worry that flashes across his face. It’s so brief that I’m unable to figure out if he’s worried for me, or worried about the war Dax has brought down on their heads. Likely the latter.
“I won’tchill the fuck out,” Dax mocks, “until we’ve got the fuck out of here.” He glares at me, pointing at the Bentley. “For the last time, Pen. Get in the damn car! I’ve already stuck my neck out for you tonight.”
“Stuck your neck out for me?” I blanch, fucking furious at the insinuation that this is all my fault. “Un-fucking-believable! Don’t you dare blame this on me. I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t ask foranyof this!” And I’m not just talking about tonight, I’m talking about everything. All of the bullshit that’s happened between us. There have been so many times over the years that I’ve asked myself why I just didn’t tell them what happened that night at Rocks, and I come up with the same answer over and over again.
I was akid.
I wasscared.
I made a choice in the moment because I thought it was the right thing to do, because I believed my brother when he said he would kill Lena, because I’d just seen Jeb shoot a man in the head. I turned my back on the Breakers because that was what I had to do to survive. Going over and over my decision won’t change the fact it happened. It won’t change the fact that they let me go.
Dax snorts. “Whatever.”
“Arsehole.” I growl, wincing as I step onto the gritty asphalt. A tiny stone pierces a blister on the ball of my left foot, and I drag in a pained breath through my teeth. “Fuck!”
Dax frowns, still glaring at me. “What now?”
My nostrils flare at his curtness. “What do you mean,what now? Myfeethurt. If you hadn’t noticed I’m not wearing any fucking shoes!” I snap back, matching his snippiness. Fuck him. I’m getting whiplash from his flip-flopping. “Perhaps I should’ve let you get shot.”
“Pen, don’t be abit—” York warns.
“Abitch?” I narrow my eyes at him, barking out another laugh and ignoring the fact he looks beautifully dishevelled in his fitted suit, with his hair a mess and his eyes ablaze. Seeing him bare-chested lying on my bed is one thing, but dressed like this, like a suave, sophisticated, sexyman, is more than a little disconcerting. It’s distracting and I hate it.
“Yes, a bitch!” he counters.
“Fuck you, York. How fucking dare you! I didn’t see you stepping in at any point to help. You didn’t doanything,” I pant, throwing every last ounce of bitterness in my voice. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that I’m not just talking about this evening.
“What are you saying?” he snaps, knowing exactly what I’m talking about. I see it in his eyes. He knows. He fucking knows.
“You’re good at reading me, York, at least you were once upon a time. So fucking read me,” I challenge, glaring at him. Beside us Dax curses, he reaches for me, but I snatch my arm away. “Don’t you dare touch me, Dax.”
York keeps his gaze fixed on me and I let him do what he always did so well when we were kids. A second later, he tips his head back and lets out a strangled cry, before slamming his fist into the wall of the warehouse. The skin covering his knuckles split on impact, blood dripping from the wound, but he doesn’t even seem to notice as he steps towards me. “Pen…”
“No. No! I can’t do this!” I back away from them both, hobbling on my feet.
Dax looks down, a scowl pulling his brows together. “You’re hurt,” he states, blinking as though coming out of a trance.
“No shit, Sherlock,” I retort, walking backwards awkwardly. Pain shoots up from the base of my feet. “God-fucking-damn-it,” I curse under my breath, my head spinning with the pain, with hunger and disappointment.
“You’re weak too. You haven’t eaten in a while,” Dax comments whilst stalking me. Behind him, York just stares, like he’s stuck in a trance and can’t quite believe what he’s seeing.Yeah, the truth hurts, arsehole.
“Stay away!” I hiss.
Dax shakes his head. “Look at you, you’re a fucking mess.”
The thing is, I can’t deny it. Iama mess. My dress has a sweat patch on both the front and back. There’s a tear at the hem that opens over my upper thigh and shows off the strap of my knickers. My hair is sweaty and knotted from dancing. My feet, hands and shins are covered in blood from the cage floor and I know without looking that my mascara has smeared beneath my eyes.
I let out a hysterical laugh. “Well, this is what happens when you’ve literally got nothing left, no money to your name and no one who gives a shit about you. Mum washed her hands of me too now so it’s not as if I can go home for a nice family meal cooked lovingly by my mother!” I scoff, shaking my head. “Ha! Who am I trying to kid? I was always one step away from starving. Who needs food anyway?”
