Page 22 of Tore Up

He opened the driver’s door of the truck. “Don’t need it.”

I opened the door a crack and peered at him. “Won’t it go bad?”

“He will send someone to get it if he wants it.”

“I will need to eat at your house.”

He rolled his eyes as he cranked the truck. “Get in the fucking truck, Haley. I’ve got food at my house.”

Haley?

I climbed inside and clasped my hands in my lap. “My name is Halo.”

He said nothing, backing up, then pulling out onto the dirt road. We rode in silence. I watched out the window, wanting to ask him several things but afraid to. I’d just ask Linc, but when would I see him next?

What about Crosby’s parents? They were going to be upset about this. Did I have to meet them?

While I began to grow more anxious as he drove, I didn’t realize he had turned until we stopped at a gate, and he pressed a number into a box. The iron gate slowly swung open, and he pulled on through. We drove between rows of trees until a two-story—or was it three?—brick home with tall white columns came into view. It was huge.

I glanced at him, but his tense jawline kept me from saying anything. He drove toward the far left, and one of five garage doors opened.

Why did he have so many vehicles and a house this big? Crosby had never mentioned that his brother was rich. He was so young. What the heck did he do for a living?

Crosby had worked at a stable with horses and driven an oldermodel farm truck. If he had a brother with this kind of money, you’d think he would’ve mentioned it. Money wasn’t something we’d ever talked about really. Except when he said we’d move in together if I was pregnant. I’d pointed out we didn’t make that much money and I might need to get another job. But he had said not to worry about that right then, so I hadn’t.

Bane parked the truck and opened his door. He still hadn’t spoken to me, so I kept my mouth shut and followed suit.

He grabbed the two black trash bags from the back of the truck. “This way,” he said, then headed toward the door.

Stopping, he tapped in another code. There was a lot of security just to get inside. Perhaps all rich people did this kind of thing. When you had stuff worth stealing, you had to protect it.

He went inside, and I headed in behind him, closing the door. We walked down a hallway that opened up to a gym, complete with weights of all kinds, machines that did things I had no clue about, a treadmill, and a punching bag.

The next room we came to consisted of a pool table, a bar stocked with all kinds of alcohol, a television screen that covered most of the wall, and lots of seating. Sectional sofas, plush chairs, and smaller sofas. It was a mix of brown and burgundy leather.

I didn’t have time to see it all before we were moving down another hallway. When we turned, we came to what I guessed was a living room. It had a black leather sofa shaped like a U with a rustic-looking coffee table, another flat screen, windows overlooking the backyard, where I could see a patio and a pool.

“Hey,” a male voice said, causing me to spin around toward the sound of the voice. “Who do we have here?” he asked as his gaze traveled down my body with a slow grin.

When Bane said nothing but kept walking, I swung my gaze to his retreating form, then back to the attractive guy, standing shirtless with a pair of swim trunks hanging on his hips. Hewas muscular, but not to the extent that Bane was. He seemed younger than Bane too. There weren’t as many tattoos on his tanned body either. The curious gleam in his eyes appeared friendly, and I didn’t want to be rude, even if Bane was going to be.

“Um, hi. I’m—”

“Come on, Hazel,” Bane barked at me.

I looked back at him with a frown. He’d called me by the wrong name again. “It’s Ha—”

“I said, come on,” he interrupted me again.

“Bane, dude, I know rude is your thing, but you’ve brought a gorgeous female into our house; at least let her tell me what her name is since it seems you got it wrong,” the guy said, giving me an apologetic smile.

“It’s Halo,” I told him before Bane could respond.

The guy’s smile vanished. His eyes widened, and he swallowed hard before looking from me to Bane.

Bane dropped my bags, looking furious with me.

“Who is she?” the guy asked with slow, precise pronunciation, looking at Bane.

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