Page 24 of InfraRed

Jagger shrugs. “Lily did.”

“Figures,” he mutters, dragging his hand over his face. “She messaged the dipshit, too.”

This time, Jagger belly laughs, and I’m curious about what the joke is. “But you’ve been banished.”

Henry chuckles, too, shaking his head. “We were bothbanished.”

“It’s fine.” Liam waves. “If it gets her out of that apartment for a while to do something other than school and dance, I’ll suffer a few hours.”

And the pieces click together. “Casey’s here?” God, help me I don’t mean to growl it, but who in the hell thought to bring herhere?This place is only a step above being a fucking brothel. The thought of anyone touching her makes me vibrate with rage. I onlyjustsuppress the shudder of fury.

All eyes snap to me. “Yeah. It’s girls’ night. Except it seems tonight is an exception for everyone but us.”

Liam’s eyes bore into mine. He wants to say something. Probably to tell me to stay away from her again. If he wants to tell me why, then maybe I would consider it.

Nah. Not even then.

I return his glare, barely containing the years of illogical, pent-up resentment that he allowed Krista to be part of Casey’s life. The one thing I would change if I could, even knowing it meant I might never meet her… I would go back in time long before Krista met my dad and used his money and connections to destroy them both and tell Liam to take his daughter and get her as far away from the bitch as possible.

Henry nudges Liam’s shoulder, his eyes darting between us. “We need to get to Dane’s shop.”

Liam breaks eye contact first and nods. “Watch out for our girls.” He says it to Jagger. Not me.

He walks past me without a word. Henry, on the other hand, stops beside me. He leans over and whispers, and my attention snaps to him with narrowed eyes. He smirks, pats my shoulder, and follows his friend.Asshole.

“Want to tell me what the hell that was about?” Jagger asks after they’ve vanished into the crowd.

“What?” I toss back the drink I’ve been holding, setting the glass on the bar, and waving for another.

“The weird tension between you and Liam. Whatever the hell Henry said to you. Pick one.”

“Liam doesn’t want me around Casey.”

Jagger looks genuinely surprised. “Seriously? Isn’t he the one who told you to watch out for her?”

“Yep.”

“What the hell? Why the change of heart? Does he know you…” He lets his words trail.

“No. No way he knows that. I haven’t had a conversation with him in years until I got back, and I played the big brother concern card well.”

“Of course you did. You were always agreatbig brother toher.”

I look at him over my fresh glass of whiskey, noting his tone. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” His long, curly hair brushes his shoulders as he shakes his head. “Come on. Our table is ready.”

I quirk a brow. “How’d you get a table?”

“Called ahead,” he says as we maneuver through the throng of people. “Gave them your name.”

We reach the purple, crushed velvet booth. I will need a Vicodin when we leave this place from the migraine it’s causing. “Of course you did. And you obviously brought me here for a reason, right? You knew Casey was here? I thought you weren’t okay with my interest in her.”

He grins, jerking his head over his shoulder at the booth acrossfrom us, and I spot her. Her face splits in two as she ducks her head, shaking it at something her friends say. Long blond waves hang well past her shoulders, creating a veil but not hiding the way her cheeks turn pink.

“I’m guessing this interest isn’t sudden. I won’t say it isn’t weird, but honestly, I’m not shocked. It was written in the cards or stars or however it goes the day you attached yourself to her. Or maybe she attached herself to you. I don’t know, but I saw it coming a long time ago. You two have this weird connection I never really understood. It’s why I knew something was off when you stopped coming around and asked me to watch out for her.”

“Jesus, Jagger, you make me sound like a fucking creep.”

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