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“Don’t let it surprise you when I ruin your career to save your life.” I smile sadly at Kane. “I might be evil, but I’m the lesser of the two. Estrada will torture you just for knowing me, and I can’t let that happen.”
“You’re the worst of the two,” Kane calmly tells me. “Estrada didn’t play me for a fool.”
“I hurt your pride,” I admit, shaking my head. “He’ll destroy everything you love. We’re not the same types of bad, Kane. You need to learn the difference. When you’re ready, let me know.”
He shoves away from Quin with one last glare cast my way. The depths of his vivid green irises radiate a blistering heat I’ve never felt from anyone. His anger toward me sucks the breath from my lungs, leaving me suffocating.
Kane turns his back to me, snatching his keys from the foyer table. He slams the front door so hard on his way out, bits of splintered glass crash onto the floor, skittering across the tiled entryway, reminiscent of my heart.
Miraculously, I manage to keep my eyes dry, though they burn like hot embers are embedded beneath my lids.
Quin sighs, lacing his fingers on top of his head. “You good?”
I nod, not trusting my voice yet. And he seems to understand. He nods back, a sympathetic expression pointed my way. I hate it and appreciate it at the same time.
He walks to a sleek black box beneath the TV and pulls out a pre-rolled joint, lighting it as he wanders through the back door. Quin sprawls across the grass, blowing smoke circles into the air as he shields his eyes from the morning sun.
Lorenzo has relaxed, though he shakes out his right hand.
Riot wipes blood from his nose, having caught the brunt of Lory’s anger toward Kane.
Ezra looks as if he wants to say something, but I give him a somber smile… The kind that shows you’re not quite sure how to process the pain you experienced.
My heart beats so hard against my chest it feels like a repeated car crash, like my ribs bow under the force.
“I poison everything,” I mutter, my mouth dry, head foggy.
“You’re just scared, Jasper,” Riot murmurs, wrapping his arms around me.
Lory glances at him, then nods at me. “You haven’t been able to just be yourself with him. And he can’t handle that. He thinks you didn’t trust him enough to drop your front.”
“He’s right,” Ezra agrees. “That realization is going to hurt him more than the lies will, and he’ll want to know the difference between you and Gemma.”
“This will work,” Riley whispers in my ear. “Just give it time.”
“I’m not scared; I’m fucking terrified.” My breath comes out shaky as I look at each of them. “Because if you’re wrong, I’ve just made an enemy out of someone I love. And I don’t know if I can pull the trigger.”
But maybe I’ll have to.
Maybe Kane is a wolf in my forest.
And I’ll have to prove that I’m a capable hunter, that I can be the leader my dad raised me to be. That the Maldonado moral code runs through my veins as surely as the Maldonado blood does.
No guilt.
No regret.
No fear.
The bottom line is… This city is my fucking mine and no man will stand in way.
