Page 89 of Pretty Little Lies

bay

Clearing the woods,I steel my spine and stride as carefully as I can into the clearing that opens up to a park. I’m immediately met by Matteo’s agitated glower. My ex isn’t going to fuck off until we meet without anyone around so he can spit out whatever the fuck it is that he wants.

And I’m far from alone.

Levi is behind him, settled in between two thick maple trees, and I saw him before I stepped out of my safe haven. Then, to top it all off, I brought the next best option to have my back with thelackof bitching—Reeve.

He picked me up, parked a ways down, and followed me up until I had to encounter this piece of shit that I used to date. Levi’s gun rests along the side of my spin and it’s begged me to play with it since stepping out of Reeve’s Audi. One bullet in Matteo’s head and Levi can get rid of the body easily enough. That’s how blinded with rage I am that he had the balls to step his repulsive feet inside my home.

With Dad there.

With him vulnerable and unable to fight for himself.

This is the second fucking time someone has entered my home with the intention of harming my loved ones and I wantto know, in what world, Matteo would ever believe I would ever want to be linked back up with his piece of shit vibe.

He takes a few steps but surprisingly leaves me some distance. His short dark hair shines off the moonlight and he shoves his meaty hands into the black pocket of his leather jacket, which could hold his own weapon.

I’m not stupid.

And he’s not either when his eyes slide down the line of woods behind me.

“You’re late.”

His words instantly irritate me, but I don’t have the energy to go back and forth on some stupid shit. I want this done and over with.

“You got less than five minutes,” I retort back. “To tell me what the fuck you were doing in my house last night and what that was going to do for you.”

He quirks a thick brow at me. “This could’ve been a simple text.”

I stretch my jaw at his evading the question, because he’s just making it seem like he’s not doing anything wrong and I’m the one tripping here. “I’m not unblocking you from my phone, asshole. So spit it out.”

He scoffs and shakes his head as if I’m being completely unreasonable. He would, the fucking narcissist. “It’s amazing how beautifully you grew up, Bay…but you’re still blind as fuck.”

“You always thought I was too stupid for my own good, Matt, soagain,answer the question. Unless you’re still into kid games where you wanna go back and forth and see who can get the last word.”

“You don’t know me anymore,” he vouches flatly. “Not like you used to. Things change, and no matter what you think of me now, I don’t want a war on my hands, and let’s face it, I couldn’t win one if I wanted it.”

Huh.

My first thought is that he needs allies. My second is that it’s why he’s hanging out with Emilio. Torin hates him so the Forsaken Crew is out, but the Void…that’s a pretty good shot.

“And what am I supposed to do with that?” I press back. “Do you think I care about your gang?”

“I want Levi’s help.”

“I wouldn’t be the best person to grab that for you.”

“You still have pull.”

And I wonder if my ex saw Levi storming into my house last night after I called him. The idea makes my skin crawl, because I don’t know what Matteo has seen and if he’s actually buying Levi and my separation.

“Isn’t there some sort of number you leaders of gangs call when you want to talk peace and treaties and shit?” I solicit. “You don’t go through old girlfriends, I know that.”

“Levi wasnotyour boyfriend and we both know that,” Matteo claims confidently, causing my skin to crawl. “You don’t think I’ve seen you over the last few years? That I haven’t been watching? You got me fucked up if you think I was in Shoreline Peaks just kickin’ it with my boys and not paying any attention to who was going to kill who in this dumb-as-fuck rival gang shit. Unfortunately, nothing’s changed. And Levi became King of South Shore, which didn’t and doesn’t bode well for me.”

“I don’t care what you need, Matteo. I’m not going to be a pawn for your gain.”

“You need to get over what happened,princesa.” My nostrils flare as he calls meprincessin Spanish. His little pet name for me when he desired for me to just forget everything all the time. Like I was just supposed to take it and deal with it. “We were kids?—”

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