Page 70 of Repairing the Wreckage

“Bro, please put your murder eyes away.” Eraser’s low warning isn’t enough to make me tear my gaze away from Molly and the wolf I’m about to rip limb from limb.

“Fuck off,” I growl.

A fist slams into my good shoulder, knocking me to the side. I rip my gaze away from Molly and focus my rage on one of my best friends.

“Don’t.” Eraser holds up one hand. “I was there that night, motherfucker. I watched that girl get her heart ripped out. You don’t get to come home now and?—”

“I. Didn’t. Do. Anything,” I seethe. “I didn’t fuck Kiki.” Just saying that girl’s name fills me with a volatile combination of fury and shame.

He stares at me for a few seconds, then blows out a heavy breath. “I wanna believe you. But.” He closes his eyes and shakes his head. “I saw it in black-and-white.”

So, we’re finally having this conversation? About damn time. I don’t give a fuck what he thinks he saw. It never happened. How can my friends trust some slick editing and camera angles over my word?

“How long have you known me?” I demand.

“I love you no matter what, Griff.” He taps his fist against his chest. “But I also don’t want to see Molly get hurt any more than she already has. The Kiki shit was bad enough. But the way the show talked about Molly before that shitshow was downright evil. She didn’t deserve any of that. You brought that into her life.”

I hate that he’s right. “I didn’t know they’d use her that way.” I’m getting sick of listening to my own denials. I didn’t know. But I should have known better.

Nothing in life comes easy.

Everything has a price.

But losing Molly is more than I’m willing to pay.

“I know you didn’t,” Eraser finally concedes.

Remy approaches us from the right and stops next to me.

Eraser turns and nods. “You got him?”

“Got me?” I sneer. “The fuck you think I am? A rabid bear on the loose?”

“Yeah, kinda.” Eraser shrugs then shoots another questioning look at Remy. “I don’t need him getting into it with my cousin tonight. Not with all these people here. Pax will kill us all.”

“We’re good.” Remy clasps his hand over my good shoulder.

“You gonna shoot a tranquilizer dart in my ass next?” I shake off his hand.

“Do I need to?” Remy asks.

Apparently satisfied that I’m under control, Eraser nods at us and walks toward the grill. Probably to go warn Uncle Pax that I’m ready to stomp this place like Godzilla.

Wait a fucking minute.

Did he say… “She’s with Torch?” I search the area for Molly and the tall fucker she’d been with. But they’re gone.

I turn and get in Remy’s face. “You fucking kidding me? He’s at least ten goddamn years older than her.”

Remy sighs. Worst of all, he doesn’t deny it. “It’s complicated.”

“The fuck it is,” I growl.

“They’re just friends. He’s not…they’re not really dating.” The first note of hesitation seems to creep into Remy’s voice, then quickly vanishes. “He’s making sure she doesn’t date anyone else. That’s all.”

I stare at him, trying to figure out what the fuck that’s supposed to mean. “Is he aware of that?”

Remy stalls way too long for my sanity. “He’s aware.”

---