Page 57 of Ruthless Rebel

“Because you’re my brother, Linc, I’ve always got your back, no matter what.”

He searches my stare, no doubt looking for the lie, but he won’t find it. “You know I don’t deserve that level of loyalty, especially from you,” he tells me quietly, and I know instantly what he is referring to.

“Lincoln, I’m alive because of you,you saved me,” I tell him firmly, even though I know he will never believe it.

“I didn’t save you, I enabled you,” he scoffs, looking as disgusted with himself as he did on the days he delivered me those drugs, the ones I still crave so much, and I think I always will.

“No, you didn’t. I would have gone out and found those drugs with or without your help. You’re the reason I didn’t end up in a ditch with a needle sticking out of my arm, or worse.” This isn’t something we talk about often, or ever really for that matter, and he needs to know that none of it was his fault. “I’m an addict, Lincoln, and it took me a very long time to come to terms with that, but now I have a life I could have never even dreamed of, and it’s all because one person never gave up on me. So if that person needs to call me in the middle of the night and wants me to set fire to the whole goddamn earth, then yeah, I’m there, just like that.”

He watches me silently for a moment, ingesting every word I just said, before he sighs, “You’re one in a billion, do you know that, Jace Conrad?”

“Meh, I’m alright I guess,” I shrug with a smirk, and finally he smiles. “Now are we setting fire to something or what?”

Lincoln nods, taking his spot back up front and leading me deeper into the woods. We walk silently for about fifteen more minutes until we finally come to a clearing, but it isn’t empty. Set back, nestled deep in a group of trees, is a large run down cabin. It looks like it has been abandoned for years, but with how intentionally Lincoln led us here, I can easily presume that’s not the case.

“This is it?” I ask, looking around and seeing nothing but trees for miles.

“This is it,” Linc confirms, before turning towards me. “I need it to disappear.”

I look between him and the wooden structure, assessing it and creating a plan in my mind, before I look back to him. “Consider it done.”

Then I make my way over to the cabin, walking around the exterior, then taking a look inside, finding its weak points and then dousing them in accelerant. Only once I’m sure that I’ve found the most effective starting points for the fire, do I set the flame, then we both stand back and watch it burn.

By the time the sun appears on the horizon, the cabin is nothing but burning ash, and Lincoln doesn’t say a word, turning on his heel and starting his walk back the way we came. I have no choice but to follow him, exhaustion clinging to me, and the need for a drink or something stronger rearing its ugly head inside of me.

“Are you heading back to Riley’s?” He finally asks, as we reach our cars in the early morning light, and I am already shaking my head.

“No, my girl is smarter than a fucking textbook. She will smell the fire on my clothes and start asking questions, and I don’t want to lie to her.”

Lincoln looks off into the distance for a moment, before he turns toward me and sighs, “You don’t have to lie to her, Jace, I would never ask you to do that.”

I’m already nodding. “I know, but I also know whatever we just did was important to you, so I promise it will stay between us.”

Again, he looks off toward the sunrise, a look I can’t decipher in his eyes, before he smiles back at me. “Thank you, Jace, not just for choosing me to be your friend, but for always having my back, even when I don’t deserve it.”

I open my mouth to respond, but he is already climbing into his SUV and driving away.

Then I don’t see him again for over a week.

28

LOGAN

My boyfriend isn’t answering my calls, which wouldn’t usually bother me, but now it’s been five fucking days, and apart from a couple of half-assed texts, I haven’t heard from him. My plan was to accost him at the house, but after just leaving there, Jace informed me he hasn’t seen Lincoln since Friday, and Elle and Marcus only just got back from their honeymoon, so they were also zero help. Which leaves me with one last person to check with.

I thought I’d have to bribe the security of the building to get up to see him, but it turns out I’m on his very select list of approved visitors, which is how I find myself banging down Asher Donovan’s door.

“Open up, my little psycho, I know you’re in there,” I yell, not having to keep my voice down considering he owns the whole fucking building and accommodates the entire top two floors.Stupid billionaire asshole.

It isn’t long until he swings the door open, looking completely unimpressed with my unannounced arrival. “Lo, what the hell?” He asks, but I am already pushing past him and forcing my way inside.

“Where is he, you big boyfriend stealer?” I snap, glaring around his ridiculous over the top penthouse, which, as always, is in perfect fucking order, with not a thing out of place.

“Oh please, come on in,” he drawls sarcastically, closing the door and instantly locking it, before heading over to the sofa and dropping back down into the spot I presume he just vacated. “Lincoln isn’t here,” he adds, focusing back on his laptop, which of course is also completely immaculate.

“What do you mean he isn’t here? Then where the hell is he?” I drop myself into the spot right next to him, and don’t miss the way his eyes track how our thighs collide, or how my body messes up some of the cushions on his couch.

“Contrary to what you both believe, I don’t actually spend my time stalking either one of you,” he exclaims, his eyes still carefully zoning in on the lack of space now between us, but I can barely focus.

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