Page 119 of Destroying Everleigh

I sighed, crossing the living room in a few long strides. I dropped a kiss to the top of her head in reassurance.

“Dinner will be at your brother’s next week,” she said once I pulled away.

My jaw tightened, but I jerked my head in a nod of confirmation. I wasn’t even sure I’d be attending. It felt like my mom was trying to force me and Dakota together again.

I blew out a breath and made my way outside. The sun had slipped behind the trees, casting a dark hue over the yard. The chilly weather had goosebumps prickling along my skin, reminding me that fall was fast approaching. Good thing we had an indoor swimming pool at the frat house, otherwise we’d all be freezing our tits off.

My shoes scuffed along the pathway as I navigated my way to my Challenger and slipped inside the driver’s seat. The leather was cool against my skin, erupting a series of chills.

My intention was to go straight home after visiting my parents, so when I found myself cruising down Everleigh’s street, I was a little surprised to say the least. My mind was on autopilot. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get her out of my head. I hit the brakes a little harder than necessary, causing my vehicle to jerk to a sudden stop. There was a car I didn’t recognize sitting beside the curb of her house. Whoever it was, they came from money. The new edition Lambo was proof of that. My gaze snagged on the vehicle in her driveway, and I immediately sensed there would be drama brewing. Lucas was here, and by the looks of it, he was already inside.

Everleigh was walking through her yard, wearing nothing but a black robe. The material barely covered her ass, and a surge of anger flared up inside of me. Who was in the fucking Lamborghini? I tried to get a good look, but it was dark out and his windows were tinted.

The shadows of the darkened road hid me from view, but I could see every part of her front yard from where that asshole’s headlights lit up the area.

As soon as this piece of shit that Everleigh had been fucking moved, I’d pull up. But he didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry. Silence stretched around me like a thick blanket of ice. My breathing was uneven as jealousy coursed through my veins.Was this the bastard Kash and Jamie were talking about? The dickwad who hadlingeriedelivered to her in the middle of class.

Shouting sounded from inside the house, followed by Everleigh’s scream. Panic jolted through my chest and my hand was on my door handle before I could even think about it. But the asshole with the sports car beat me to it, climbing out of his vehicle wearing a dark suit. His back was to me, but there was something vaguely familiar about him. He slammed the door of his car and hurried through her yard before slipping into the house.

My gaze darted back to his car, and it was almost too fucking easy. I stepped out onto the pavement, keeping to the shadows as I hurried to his vehicle and grabbed the handle. I jerked the front door open and slipped inside. There was a briefcase in the backseat, but not much else. I started rummaging through his center console, my eyes snagging on a black leather wallet. A grin hooked the corners of my mouth. Idiot. Taking the object in my hands, I flipped it open, allowing my gaze to roam over his ID.

My eyes widened in surprise as I took in the name.

Dallas Fisher. Male. Age twenty-eight.

I’ve met him before. Jameson’s dad cheated on his mom with Dallas’s mom. Needless to say, they weren’t the best of friends. What was he doing with Everleigh of all people? How the hell did they even cross paths?

I blew out a breath, shoving his wallet back into the center console before stepping out of the vehicle. Shouting punctured the air, indicating that there was indeed drama happening from within the house. Lucas clearly couldn’t take a fucking hint. Only a few hours ago, he’d been caught screwing Briley—his girlfriend’s little sister, and thought it would be a good fucking idea to show up here unannounced.

I made my way through the yard and up the front steps of the worn-down porch. I didn’t bother knocking, opting to push through the door instead. Everleigh looked over at me in alarm, her hand clutching the side of her face. On the floor, Lucas was sprawled out with Dallas hovering above him. This was like the fourth time that asshole has gotten beaten up this week. At least he was persistent.

“What the hell is going on here?” I snapped, letting the door fall closed behind me.

Dallas looked over, his eyes widening a fraction when he recognized me. Blood coated his hands, and he simply reached into the front pocket of his suit and wiped them off with a handkerchief, like that was meant to help. It was fuckingblood.

“Nothing,” Everleigh answered. “Why are you here?”

I was hoping to avoid that question, since I had no logical explanation for it. I could simply ignore her. But she was a stubborn little bitch sometimes.

Lucas scrambled to his feet, wiping at the blood pouring from his nose. It was a wonder how it hadn’t managed to break yet. The dude could clearly take a hit. He kept getting his ass handed to him and kept coming back for more.

“I was in the neighborhood.” I shrugged, tearing my gaze away from the blonde version of Ned Flanders. Fucking loser.

She narrowed her eyes at me, keeping her hand firmly pressed to cheek. “You were just…chilling on the north side?” she asked skeptically.

“Does it really matter why I’m here?” I demanded. “What the hell is going on?” I waved a hand around the room for emphasis. I wasn’t answering any more of her questions until someone answered mine.

Dallas apparently decided that was his cue and took off across the living room, only stopping when he reached the door. He glanced at Everleigh over his shoulder with an unreadableexpression imprinted into his features. “Don’t forget what we talked about.” Turning to me, he gave me a slight nod of acknowledgement before slipping through the front door.

“Asshole,” she muttered under her breath, glaring at the empty spot he’d just been standing in.

I sighed in exasperation. Was nobody going to fill me in? Turning to Lucas, I narrowed my eyes. “What happened?”

His eyes widened comically, and he opened and closed his mouth a number of times before words finally spilled from his lips. “I just came here to talk man, I swear.” He glanced over at Eve who shifted uncomfortably on the balls of her feet, giving away her anxiousness. “Things escalated.”

Everleigh scoffed. “Escalated? You fuckinghitme, asshole.”

My entire body went rigid. I’ve had a long fucking day and didn’t want to put up with this asshole, but I’d beat his ass again if need be. Not that it would do any good; it certainly hasn’t done much so far. I could probably kill him. Kash’s grandparents owned a pig farm in the south. The mere thought of having this piece of shit die at my hand was more appealing than it probably should have been. I’d never killed anyone in my life, but hehitEverleigh. It didn’t matter how pissed off at her I was, or how much I loathed her very existence, I’d never lift a fucking hand to her.

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