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My head spins. "So, you’re not angry at this turn of events?"
"No, man. I’ve spent years watching the two of you not talk to each other while asking me for news of the other. You think I didn’t know what that meant?"
What the—?I open my mouth, but no words come out.
He laughs again. "Guess I managed to silence the hottest head in the country, huh?" He’s referring to yet another title the press has imposed on me. This, after I lost my temper with an umpire on the cricket field a few months ago on tour.
"So, we good?" I ask cautiously.
"I’m still gonna whip your arse when we meet, but yeah. To be honest, it’s a relief to know she’s going to be taken care of. My father’s a prick, as you well know. He doesn’t always have her best interests at heart; and my mother does what he says. She needs someone in her corner, and since I’m not going to be around, well, much as it pains me to say it, you’re the best person for the job."
“About that—” I clear my throat. “I already told her that you asked me to take care of her.”
There’s silence, then. “Let me get this right. You told Abby I asked you to take care of her, even though I hadn’t yet?”
“Yep.”
“And she believed you.”
“She did.”
“So, all this time you’ve been using our friendship to fuck my sister?”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.“I only did it because I wanted to keep her close, you know? And I was going to tell you about it, as soon as I spoke to you next, which I’m doing now.”
“You’re a wanker of the lowest order, you bastard. I’m going to tear you apart, limb by limb, when I see you next.”
“I deserve it.” I swallow. “Not saying it was one of my finest moments, man. But I needed to find a reason to keep her close, and I said the first thing that came into my mind. Also, I want to take care of her. I have feelings for her, man.”
“You love her.”
I stay silent.
“You’ve been in love with her since we were in high school. It’s why, when she called you, you answered the call. It’s why, when she betrayed you, you went off the rails the way you did.”
I’m not sure what to say. There’s a grain of truth to what he’s saying. Yet, to admit that I’m in love with her? The feelings I have for her are contrary and fierce, and they mess with my heart and my head in a way nothing else has before. But to call it love—
“I love you like a brother, man, but I’m not sure I can let this go lightly,” he growls.
“You shouldn’t. If I were in your shoes, I’d break all ties with me, right now.” I shuffle my feet and squeeze the bridge of my nose. “But you’re Knight. You’re the one in my corner. It’s always been the two of us against the world. You understand me better than anyone alive, even my own sister. And I think you should kick my arse all the way to Scotland but—”
“But?”
“But I also think you should keep me on as a friend.”
“You know what the strange thing is? Despite the general douchebagness of the situation, I even understand why you did it. It’s how well I know your thought process—so much so, I’ll admit, it’s a little scary.”
“I know the feeling.” It’s a weird sensation when someone knows you better than you know yourself. I lower my hand to my side. “I’m sorry I did it, but also, not sorry. If this is the only way for me to keep her safe—”
“There’s an issue with her safety?”
Fucking hell, hadn’t meant to reveal that to Knight,but now, it’s a little late.
“King, you toolhead, what are you not telling me?”
I rub the back of his neck. “She has a stalker, man. I reached her apartment to find her in a state. He’d decided to pay her a visit and—”
“A stalker? A stalker paid my sister a visit? Fucking fuck. I’m getting on the next flight back and—”
