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My voice drops to a near whisper as the reality of my outburst hits me full force. “Isn’t that what you wanted? To hurt the Sunders?”
“In my own time but you…” He growls, now facing me again. “You stole me that gratification. Ya know, it’s a shame your sister is the one who’s been asleep all this time. This place might not be falling apart if you had been the one who fell off that mountain.”
I can hear the grinding of his teeth. Every inhale. Each exhale. The quiet makes every noise he makes that much louder.
“Go tell your asshole friends their parents are at the community center. Don’t let 'em leave the house until my team has the reporters out of here.” He points a stern finger at me. “If I lose this election because of you, you’re dead to me. Do you hear me, Neo? Dead to me.”
I nod and give him a low-toned, “Yes, sir.”
ChapterTwenty-Five
SCAR
“You guys go ahead,”I say to Crew, Jagger, and Riley. “I’ll catch up.”
Jagger gives me a look of disapproval, but I brush it off. He gave me an ultimatum earlier, which was far too gracious, considering what I’ve done, but right now, we all need each other—Neo included.
“We’ll wait here,” Crew tells me, positioning himself with his back to the front door, blocking Riley and Jagger’s opportunity to leave. “Go take care of what you need to, then we’ll all ride together.”
I force a smile on my face and say, “Thanks.” Then I turn around and go back upstairs.
When I reach Neo’s room, I knock on the door, but it must not have been latched because it pushes open. I poke my head in the door and see him sitting on the floor against his bed with a bottle of beer between his legs. “Hey. You okay?”
“Like you care.” He doesn’t even lift his head. Just runs his finger around the mouth of the half-empty bottle.
“What can I say, I’m an empath at heart.”
“Bullshit.”
“When it comes to people I…” My words trail off because I was going to say care about. But saying it out loud to Neo makes it too real.
“People you hate. People you’d rather see dead than alive. What is it, Scar?”
“It’s nothing.” I step inside. “Look, if you wanna talk—”
“I don’t.” His eyes lift to mine and he picks up the bottle, using it as a pointer toward the door. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to get shit-faced and forget the last eighteen years of my life.”
I’ve never seen Neo so vulnerable. So…sad. It literally breaks my heart to see someone so tough crumble the way he is right now.
“All right, Maddie’s got her dinner. I’ll lock the front door behind me.” I pause for a beat before saying, “I guess I’ll see you later.”
He takes a long swig of his beer before giving me a growly, “Why?”
“Why, what?”
“Why would you see me later? Didn’t you tell your boyfriends you’d stay away from me?”
I lick my lips and fill my lungs with air. “It was a temporary bandage on a big problem.”
He finishes off his beer and grips it tightly in one hand. “I’ll save you some trouble. Get the fuck out of my room.”
“Neo, please don’t be like that.”
“Like what? Like I’ve always been? This is me. Take it or leave it. Now get out.”
When I don’t go, he chucks the bottle at the wall, my body jolts, eyes wide with surprise. “Go!” he seethes. Brown pieces of glass scatter around the hardwood, a wet spot splattered on the wall dribbles down onto the floor.
“Get the fuck out!” he howls, giving me no choice, so I do what he demands. I leave.
