Page 69 of Love Me Dangerous

I release a hard sigh, letting my shoulders drop with it. “I think I am.”

Back at the food truck pavilion, Jesse and Neve have joined our group, but they choose a Hawaiian poke bowl over the barbecue truck. I offer to get Kirilee’s lunch so the others don’t have to rush throughordering.

“Make sure to get something for yourself,” Ava says with Hutch’s arm slung casually over her shoulder.

When I get to Kirilee’s booth, I’m dismayed that Eric Hennessy, a thirty-year-old real estate bigshot Kirilee’s dad is pushing her to date, is here. Though Kirilee can’t stand him, she’s been brought up to be polite—to the point of excruciating. I’ve tried to understand her parents, and I get they’d be freakishly protective after what happened to her as a baby, but hasn’t she proven to them by now she’s capable of making her own decisions?

“Eric, hey, do me a solid and get Kirilee some napkins,” I say, catching him off guard. I lift the bag containing her lunch for good measure.

He gives me an accusatory once-over. “Of course.” He strides off.

“Thank you,” Kirilee says, her hand over her heart in relief.

“You need me to stay?”

“No, he only has a few minutes.”

A pair of women enter the tent, their eyes lighting up at the brightly colored mugs and bowls lining the shelves.

“You sure?”

Kirilee gives me a wink before stepping over to the women.

I leave the bag of goods on her chair and text Ava.

Eric alert

On it

I think about calling Zach so I can tell him about Gabe’s truck. Or I could just wait until tomorrow’s work party. But I don’t want to wait. And what if he doesn’t show?

He dug up my number somehow. Why not look up the Hutton’s address and deliver my news in person?

I’m so preoccupied with my plan that I don’t notice Gabe until he’s in step with me. “Where are you headed?”

I shoot him a look. “Why?”

“Come on, don’t be like that.” He slides his hand into mine.

I jerk it free. “Stop.”

We round the corner of the lot, the gravel loud under our shoes.

“Look, I’m sorry about the Burnout show. I thought…” He huffs a sigh. “I got carried away.”

My car is at the end of the row, but I whirl on him. “You had one job, and you failed.”

His dark eyes tense. “How many times do I have to apologize? Jess went to take a leak. What, you want me to hold his fucking hand?”

“Did you doctor his tox screen?”

Time seems to slow as I wait for him to answer. I shouldn’t have given him this leverage, but not knowing if I’m in his debt is eating me alive.

“I gave mine instead. Do you know how much that Jeep was worth?”

I close my eyes so I don’t explode. Like I care about the stupid Jeep.

While I understand the risk Gabe took by pissing in a cup for Jesse, it doesn’t have the effect on me it once did. Maybe I’m tired of protecting my brother when he seems unwilling to do the work himself. And I’m certainly done with how it ties me to Gabe.

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