Page 71 of Sweet

I shake my head. “I know you think I stole Will from you.”

“That has nothing to do with this.”

“Of course it does. But you should know Will and I really did like each other for a long time. I even asked Will first if anything was going on between you two, because I didn’t want to ruin your relationship. And just when I finally think we’re all in a good place, where you’ve forgiven Will and he and I are happy together… you saw the way Riley looked at him. Yeah, I took him out and pawned him off on the first guy who showed an interest in him because I was jealous. And now he’s probably been trafficked or something, all because I couldn’t handle him flirting with my boyfriend.”

“Shit, Bailey, I…”

“It’s all my fault. I never should’ve let him leave, but it’s not like he was alone with the guy. He was taking a rideshare to his house. I thought he would be okay.” I let the sobs wrack my entire body, and Jesse frowns.

Pro tip: 97% of the population will become uncomfortable around someone crying and immediately want to flee or comfort them. That’s assuming they have any sense of empathy. The 3% that don’t are probably like me. Jesse is in the 97% and he immediately lowers his arm all the way.

“Fuck, I don’t know what I was thinking,” Jesse says. “I’m so sorry. None of this is your fault. I didn’t even know you felt so bad about all this.”

Jesse takes a step closer. Wide open. Grab arm. Twist. Knee to the gut. Gun is mine now.

“Bailey, fuck, I’m sorry,” Jesse says with one hand up and the other where I kicked him.

“I know.” And with a deep breath, I cut those tears off as if I simply turned off a faucet.

Jesse notices and tilts his head to the side, scrutinizing me as he should’ve from the start.

“Did you believe that?”

His only response is his eyes widening.

“Pretty good, huh? I’ve been practicing that for a while now.”

“You fucker. You really did kill Riley, and now you’re going to do the same to Will.”

I scoff. “Of course not. Will’s my boyfriend.”

And because he’s proven to me over the past few weeks that I’m only a menace while topping.

“As for you, you’re my boyfriend’s best friend. And that’s kept you alive until now. Not so much anymore.” I shrug.

While Jesse’s frozen in place, I tilt the gun and make sure the safety’s off. I don’t like guns. Too messy. But if I’ve always been one thing, it’s adaptable.

Chapter twenty-eight

Will

Weird. As I walk to the front door to enter the house, I almost think I can hear voices. And nonsensical as it may be, temporary rage flashes through me. Who the fuck is here? Withmyboyfriend. The answer should be no one. I whip the door open without knocking and…

“Jess?” I bark.

“Oh, thank fuck,” Jess exclaims with apparent relief. “Will, your boyfriend is fucking nuts.”

I turn to Cas, who’s standing right in the foyer with a handgun hanging in his hand. He’s all shivery when he zips over and buries himself against me. Only when I wrap an arm around him and hug him to my side does he calm down some. “Whose gun is that, baby?”

“Jesse’s.” He squishes into my side even more. “He was in the house when I came home and he’s been saying a bunch of stuff about me that doesn’t make any sense. I managed to get it away from him, but I have no idea what’s going on.”

“Jess, what the fuck?” I bark.

“No. Do not fall for that shit. He’s playing you like a fiddle,” Jess yells back.

“See what I’m talking about?” Cas whispers.

“He killed Riley, and he’s going to do something to you next.” Jess gestures in the direction of Cas while he screams.

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