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“Yep,” I lied.
His expression dropped with a touch of resignation. “Sutton, don’t do this-”
“I need to get going.” And knowing exactly how this was going to play out, I added. “If you have any ounce of respect for me, you won’t make this harder for me than it has to be.”
“Sutton-”
“You owe me, Ross,” I said, playing my ace.
I watched his face turn to stone as he slid his hands in his pockets. He didn’t say anything, but what was there to say? He did owe me.
So, I cashed in as he let me walk away.
Chapter 27
Ross~
Letting Sutton walk out of that park last night had to be the hardest thing that I have ever done. The finality in which she had walked away had been enough to drop my ass back on that bench.
She hadn’t asked about Jennifer or why I’d ghosted her in the first place. There could be only one reason why she hadn’t asked those questions, and that was because the answers didn’t matter anymore. As far as Sutton was concerned, I’ve fucked this thing between us up one too many times.
Could I blame her?
After I’d gone back home last night, I had put the shoe on the other foot and had tried to imagine how I’d feel if our roles were reversed, and it was quite a miracle that she was even willing to still speak to me. She was right; I did owe her. I owed her, even if she thought me letting her walk away from me last night made us even.
It didn’t make us even.
Not by a long shot.
Doing my best to avoid her until I had a plan, I’d stuck to my morning classes, but had skipped my one o’clock. Walking out of my Comparative Politics, I was heading towards the student parking lot when I saw Kincaid walking up. She looked like she was on a mission, but she always looked that way. People move out of the girl’s way whenever she was on the move, and I didn’t blame them.
“Got a minute?” she asked when she stopped in front of me.
“Sure, what’s up?”
Her black eyes narrowed a bit, like she was trying to read me, but I wasn’t sure why. Finally, she said, “Look, I know we’re not exactly friends, and I’m probably way overstepping, but…we’re all in this together, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I suppose we are.” Here’s the thing about Kincaid Black; you wanted her on your side. No matter what. If Saxton, Stone, Fox, and I were shooting stars, Kincaid Black was a comet. Being Saxton’s best friend, he had a very powerful weapon at his disposal in Kincaid.
“I had myself a little chat with Jennifer,” she confessed, surprising me. I hadn’t seen or spoken to Jennifer since that disaster with Sutton.
“About?”
“I just got some more details out of the girl,” she replied. “Laney had been reaching out to her and Alexis a lot lately, trying to convince them that they needed to follow you guys around like shadows. Laney had Jennifer convinced that if you didn’t talk to her or spend any time with her…become friends or whatever, that the organization would bail on all their promises. Laney told her that she had toactivelykeep you out of trouble, or she’d lose her status as your supporter.”
“Have you told Fox yet?”
She shook her head. “I figured you were the priority, since…” She shrugged. “Well, since everything’s a mess with Sutton and all.”
“Gee, thanks,” I deadpanned.
Kincaid smiled, and she really should take care using that weapon like that. The girl was too beautiful for her own good. Whatever was going on between her and Fox, I was rather surprised that Fox hadn’t chained her to his bed forever.
“Look, I’m all for you fucking off the NDAs, but why rush it if we can figure something else out?”
“Is that why you had a talk with Sutton?”
“Partly,” she admitted. “But mostly because I don’t want that asshole to win. He’s breaking all the rules, and…if the initiating panel isn’t going to do anything about it, then we need to take matters into our own hands.”
