Chapter 31
1 gripped my phone tightly, knowing that things weren’t as simple as I had hoped. But my feet felt like they were rooted to the ground; I couldn’t move. I was afraid that there was something more between Selena and James.
With anyone else, I could handle it.
But James…
Selena walked up to me. “Was that James?”
Before I could say anything, she let out a bitter laugh.
“Seb, there’s a lot I’ve been meaning to tell you, but I guess it can’t wait any longer.”
With that, she turned and started walking away. I quickly caught up with her.
By the time we reached the parking lot, James was already there. He was leaning against his black Maybach, a cigarette in his left hand. When he saw us, his eyes narrowed, but he didn’t acknowledge me.
He just waved Selena over with a casual gesture. “Come here.”
She glanced at me, her eyes clouded with pain, but didn’t move.
James smiled in a way that sent a shiver down my spine. Upntil now, I’d always seen him as this larger–than- life figure, treating him like a big brother. But now, with that smirk on his face, he felt like a stranger to me.
It hit me like a punch in the gut–there had to be something between him and Selena. No wonder, when I first mentioned James to her, her expression had been so off
“Come here,” he said again, his voice commanding
Selena bit her lip but still didn’t move.
James raised an eyebrow and took a step forward. He reached out, his fingers brushing lightly through the long strands of Selena’s hair that draped over her shoulder.
I stood there, fists clenched, but my feet wouldn’t move.
If Jessica was the salvation that had barged into my dark, troubled youth, then James was the hand that had helped me rebuild my life. He was the one who had convinced his father to fund my undergraduate and master’s degrees. When I first swore brotherhood with James, I had promised that I would treat him like my own older brother for
life.
But I never imagined–never in a million years–that he would be involved with Selena.
“Did you hear? Christopher called the cops,” James said, hij voice casual.
Selena’s face twisted in shock. “Who called the cops
“Your brother did. He called them himself,” James said, his grin widening
Without warning, he grabbed a fistful of Selena’s hair and yanked it hard. She gasped, her head tilting back in pain, a sharp hiss escaping her lips.
Iclenched my fists even tighter, my body trembling with the urge to rush forward.
But then…
“Stop! Don’t get involved!” Selena’s voice rang out, her command halting my every movement.
Chapter 31
+15 BONUS
James ignored me completely, instead taunting, “Selena, don’t play these little games with me. You think if your brother confesses and goes to jail, you’ll finally be free? You really think that’s how it works?”
He chuckled. “You’re nothing but a toy I’ve used before. You’ve forgotten how you begged for me, haven’t you? Come on, call out to me one more time. Let’s see if you still can.”
The weight of his words hit me like a punch to the gut, leaving me frozen and speechless.
What the hell was their relationship?
Selena winced, tears threatening to spill as he yanked her hair. Instinctively, she pushed against him.
“Let go of me…”
Something about that sentence seemed to set James off. He crushed the cigarette under his foot, then suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close. Lowering his head, he sank his teeth into her collarbone.
The sight of it hit me like a slap in the face, and everything clicked into place.
The way Selena had reacted the first time I touched her collarbone–it wasn’t me who had left that scar on her. It was James.
The acrid smell of his cigarette on his breath made her choke and cough violently.
I couldn’t stand it anymore. My anger surged, and before I knew it, I was charging forward.
