Page 55 of Say It Slowly

Nodding, I follow her up to the pier, thankful that this storm has passed…for the time being, at least. I’ve been given a brief reprieve, but if I know Lux, this shit isn’t over.

Not by a long shot.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Lux

I’m still fumingat Roman when we walk into the restaurant at the end of the pier. All the guys are already here, including Nathan, and a few of the girls. I spot Wyn, and make a beeline for her. The whole group takes up three separate booths, all lined up along the back window, overlooking the ocean.

“Hey, girlie,” Wyn says, scooching over in the booth, so I can sit next to her. Roman breaks off to sit with the rest of the guys.

With a quick “hey,” I pick up a menu and peruse the options. I’m starving. All I’ve had to eat today is a bagel, and Roman ate half of it.

“Hey, you, uh, okay?” Wyn asks.

I turn my body toward her, so I can talk to her without everyone else hearing. “Roman is afuckingasshole.”

She looks confused. “You’re just figuring this out now? I thought you already knew this. Grass is green. The sky is blue. Roman is an asshole.” She shrugs like,what’s the big deal?

I roll my eyes. “I made the mistake of opening up to him about my past this morning, and he just threw it in my face.”

“Typical guy.” Wyn sighs into her coffee. “Honestly, though, Roman wouldn’t know sympathy if it were down on its knees sucking his dick.”

“Yeah,” I say, feeling validated. Thank God Wyn gets it. “Exactly.”

The waiter comes around and I order a burger, fries and a chocolate milkshake. The other girls at the table just glare at me, disgusted. They’re all stick thin, sipping on their iced teas with a basket of cold fries sitting in the middle of the table.

I don’t give a flying fuck, though. I’m hungry, and I’m eating actual food.

“So tell me what happened,” Wyn says when I’m done ordering. The waiter brings me a glass of water. “What were you guys arguing about?”

Everyone is still giving me side-eye from across the table, but they’ve fallen into their own conversations. I turn back to Wyn and lower my voice. “I tried looking Roman and his family up on the internet, and found nothing. I mean, absolutelynothingexcept a bunch of articles about how much money they’ve donated to the school.” I roll my eyes, because I just can’t help it. “But when I asked Roman about it, he got all defensive. And I meansuperdefensive, especially about his brother.”

Wyn nods. “Suspicious.”

“I know,right?” I lift my hands, likewhat the fuck?“He’s hiding something, I just know it.”

I don’t tell her about the note from Bree, because I’m not really sure who I can trust. Wyn is pretty solid, but she’s also a fully-fledged member of the Burning Crown, so I don’t know.

Wyn leans back against the booth backrest. “I mean, he’s ExU royalty. Of course he’s hiding something. The four families are shady as fuck. How do you think they got where they are? By helping out at church and rescuing puppies? No fucking way.”

I swallow, and glance at Roman, who’s sitting in the booth to my right. He’s laughing at something Lucas said, completely over all the shit that just happened with me in the parking lot.

Asshole.

Here I am stewing, and he’s just over there enjoying himself. If I could punch him in the face again, I would. And I would enjoy it, too.

“You’re glaring at Roman,” Wyn points out. “It’s creepy.”

I don’t shift my gaze. “I’m thinking about all the different ways I can murder him.”

Wyn laughs. “I do that on the daily, but with Gabriel. Hot, rich guys are the worst, because they know what a commodity they are around here. Goes straight to their heads.”

"That's the truth,” I say, sighing. “Where is Gabriel, anyway?”

Wyn suddenly focuses on the fries in front of her, taking one and placing it in her mouth. “He’s at his house, pouting.”

I pull back to look at her. “Pouting?”

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