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“Always am,” I grunted.
She bit down on her bottom lip, her han
d moving to her neck and stroking her scar. “I just wanted to make sure, lil bro.”
I clipped my head in a nod, telling and showing her that I heard her loud and clear. She didn’t need to voice anything else, and if I were honest, had she stood there and told me not to do this, I wouldn’t have listened anyway.
It was impossible to stay away from Elodie.
* * *
ELODIE
My cell vibrated as I was leaving my last class, and I looked down, reading the short message from Asher.
Asher: Belle is picking you up.
I frowned and glanced up, already searching for Leo in the crowd of students. My mind was a whirl of thoughts as I tried to decipher the message. If Leo’s mom was picking me up, then that must mean she knew what was going on. How much had Asher told her? Had he told her I was a stripper? Had he mentioned my mom? I gasped. What if he told her about the kiss? I shook my head. He wouldn’t tell her about that, would he?
I couldn’t see Leo anywhere in the hallway, so I decided to head toward the main doors and wait for him. His last class of the day was on the other side of the building, so it would probably take him longer to get here anyway.
Students were gathered in the lot as they headed to their own cars and the cars from the parents that picked them up. There was a line at the bus stop right outside of the school, but I had no idea what kind of car I was looking for, so I shuffled to the side, trying to hide away in the crowd.
“New boyfriend drop you off this morning?” a deep voice whispered in my ear. I felt the heaviness of his breath, and the little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I’d managed to avoid Knox all day, but I’d felt his gaze burning me several times. And now we were mixed in with a crowd of students, and no one was the wiser.
His hand grasped my wrist, threatening me to stay exactly where I was. “Let go,” I ground out. I wasn’t the same girl he’d had under his control. I’d changed. It may have only been a small amount of time, but hindsight was a wonderful thing. I understood how much shit I’d taken from him, and I refused to take it anymore.
“Why?” He was even closer now, and I could feel his erection pressing against my ass. “Will your new boyfriend not like it, huh?” He rubbed himself against me, and I shot forward, but all I managed to do was gain a tiny amount of space which he closed right back up. “I know you miss me, babe.”
The crowd started to break, so I stepped forward, but his hand around my wrist halted me. His fingers bit into my skin and I ground my teeth together, determined to show him it didn’t hurt, even though it did. “Let go of me, Knox.” I turned, staring right into his eyes. “Now.”
His nostrils flared. He took the last step between us, then bent at the knees so his face was level with mine. “Watch your goddamn mouth when you talk to me.” His threat was loud and clear, but I had no intention of adhering to it.
I opened my mouth, about to tell him he had nothing over me anymore, but a female voice shouting, “Elodie!” caught my attention. I turned my head to look in the direction it had come from. Parked in the middle of the lot was Leo’s mom. Leo was in the back, his face turned watching me and Knox, and his mom’s door was open as she stood outside the car. “You ready to go?” she asked, acting as if she couldn’t see Knox behind me.
“Coming!” I shouted and yanked my wrist out of Knox’s grip. His fingers slid against my skin, causing a burning sensation, but at that moment, I didn’t care one bit what bruises he left behind because he had no idea who the woman was, and no idea where I was going. The only time he could get to me now was when we were at school, and my guard was now firmly up. I understood he’d jump on any chance he could, so I had to be careful, more careful than I’d ever been.
The stones on the parking lot crunched underneath my tennis shoes as I made my way over to Leo and his mom, and I didn’t turn back once as I slipped into the passenger side with my heart hammering in my chest. I didn’t need to glance over to see if Knox was looking at me because I could feel his intense stare on me. But no one mentioned it, not until Leo’s mom was exiting the school lot.
“Well, he doesn’t look like a very nice guy.”
Neither Leo nor I said anything in response. Both of us knew if we got into that statement, it would open a can of worms we’d never be able to close.
“Well, I’m gonna take your silence as word enough of that fact.”
“That sentence made no sense, Mom,” Leo groaned. “God, you’re so embarrassing.”
Belle gasped. “Me?” Her eyes widened, and she flicked her gaze to me as if she’d never heard him say it before. “I’m not embarrassing. I’m cool as shit—”
“Only uncool people say they’re cool, Mom,” Leo interjected. I turned in my seat to see him rolling his eyes, and I couldn’t contain my smile. This was what a mom and child should be like. They should be able to banter back and forth and argue over silly things like leaving dirty laundry in your room for three days straight. I’d never experienced it but being around Leo and his mom made me realize how much of it I’d missed out on.
“So”—Belle said, sitting up straighter in her seat as she headed toward the dance studio—“you’re moving into the apartment above the tattoo shop, then, huh?”
My stomach fluttered with nerves as I answered, “I am.” I swallowed, afraid of what she would ask next.
“What?” Leo asked, sitting up and moving closer to the two front seats. “You’re moving into Uncle Asher’s apartment?”
“Yep,” I answered him, hoping he wouldn’t ask—
