Page 41 of Chaos at Westbrook High

He’s hiding me again, and I’m not sure whether I want to punch the assumptious bastard or hug him for it.

I do neither.

“James,” Elijah says after a moment. “Take Hailey home and walk her inside. Clear the apartment before you leave.”

“Yes, sir.”

He’s got to be kidding me.

I turn my head on Kai’s chest to peek at Elijah. I open my mouth, then close it again when I see the look on his face. I don’t have to be a mind reader to read this one.

It’s either this or you stay here.

“Go with him, Hailey,” Kai whispers. “I’ll find you tomorrow.”

I grumble into his shirt.

His chest shakes with a light laugh. “If you need me…” He carefully tilts my chin up to look into my eyes, his own filled with something dark and threatening, something I’m too afraid to name. “You have my number. Use it.”

Clamping my lips shut, I back away from him and fall in line beside James. Kai continues to block my view of the others until the elevator doors close us inside.

“You’re really not going to say a word?”

I blink my eyes away from the window and look straight ahead through the front seats, finding James flicking his eyes between the road in front of him and the rearview. I’m sitting in the back of his SUV, tense and quiet, my dread increasing the closer we get to my apartment.

“No,” I answer before moving my gaze back to the window.

I hear a sigh, and then, “This isn’t a control thing, you know? Not really. I mean, Elijah does like to control everything, especially when it comes to his family, but he’s only trying to keep you safe. For good reason, considering what happened tonight.”

“I’m not his family,” I say numbly, ignoring everything else he said.

“If you say so.”

My nostrils flare, but I don’t bother arguing with him. Not about the family comment or anything else. It won’t matter what I say or how hard I fight him on it. Elijah’s word is law, and we both know he’d be stupid to break it.

“Listen, I’m well aware you can take care of yourself when push comes to shove,” James grumbles, carefully rubbing the bridge of his nose. “You’ve got a hell of a right hook on you, girl. I’m almost sorry I didn’t let you loose on him.”

“But?”

“But I’m here for your own good.”

“If you say so,” I mutter petulantly.

I swear I hear him laugh under his breath before he asks, “You’d rather risk him getting you than hang out with me for a couple hours a day?”

My back straightens. I’m just about to ask what he knows about him, but then I stop, meeting his eyes in the rear view. “A couple hours?” I repeat. “What does that mean?”

“It means I’m driving you to work in the morning, then to school, then back to work, and then home every night. Plus anywhere else you need to go.”

“Like where?”

“Like the cemetery,” he says. “Dates. Parties…”

“I don’t really go on dates. Or to parties.”

“Yeah, I know.” He nods thoughtfully. “Why?”

“Not my thing,” I mutter, awkwardly playing with the hem of my shorts while I think back to the last party I went to with Derek. I wonder if he was watching me that night too. I hope not, considering that’s the night I lost my virginity.

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