Page 31 of Ricochet

He shoves me off, runs his hand down his wrinkled shirt, and mutters, “Fine.”

“Fine.” We stare at each other for another few seconds before I can finally manage more words than that. “Let’s go.”

I head off across the lawn toward my car, hoping he’ll follow. He does. I nearly open the passenger door for him before I think twice.

My knight in shining armor complex really needs to take a fucking backseat.

I nearly laugh at that as I throw open the driver side door and get into the car.

A knight in shining armor is only protective.

But with me?

Protective turns into possessive.

Possessive turns into obsessive.

Once compulsion hits, there’s no going back. No erasing the mark he’d leave on my soul that’s destined for purgatory.

Maybe not hell, but certainly not heaven.

I start the car just as Callum climbs inside. He crosses his arms over his chest, shoulders hunched, sagging in the seat. I get the hint, granting him a silent ride as I drive to his apartment.

As soon as I pull up and park in the lot, he’s undoing his seat belt and opening the door.

“Callum.”

He stops but doesn’t look back at me. “What?”

Don’t do it.

Don’t do it.

Don’t fucking do it.

“Can you promise me something?”

He says nothing, but he also doesn’t leave. I take that as permission.

I really shouldn’t. He blew up only minutes before because he thought I was trying to play the role of his savior. And that was just after offering him a ride and helping him through a panic attack. I could get away with pretending that’s not at all what I’m trying to do if I could just shut my goddamn mouth.

But, fuck. My control is slipping.

“Promise you’ll tell me if anyone ever tries to hurt you.”

His shoulders tense. He peers back at me with more hatred in his eyes than I’ve seen yet. He scoffs and shakes his head. “Fuck you. You just couldn’t leave it the fuck alone, could you?”

“Leave what alone?”

He moves to get out of the car so fast that he nearly pitches forward onto the concrete. He catches himself and slams his door shut.

I’m out of the car before he can get far, once more rushing after him.

“Callum! Leave what alone?”

He spins around and marches toward me until we’re only a few feet apart. Half his face is in shadow, the other half flushed beneath the yellow glow from the lights fixed to the sides of the apartment complex. “What the fuck do you think, Stone? You’re the only one who ever fucking saw!”

Saw…

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