Page 16 of Destroying Everleigh

Briley glanced from me to the guys, confusion evident on her face, but she chose to stay silent.

“I’m with my family. So, if you could just crawl back into the hole you sprouted from, that would be great.”

Jameson stepped forward, placing his hands on the side of our table and leaned down. “That might be a bit of a problem. Seeing as how the hole I sprouted from is dead.”

I winced at that reminder, suddenly feeling like even more of an asshole. When we were all friends, Jameson confided in me. He would show up to school with bruises, raggedy hair, and the scent of weed or cigarette smoke clinging to his clothing. He never had it easy growing up and at the time, my heart went out to him. He’d become one of my closest friends, and seeing him now, staring at me with so much hatred, had my heart dropping into my stomach all over again. Kash chose to put more distance between us while I was dating Ashton, treating me as more of anacquaintance than anything. Probably out of respect for Ash, but we had our moments, too.

Expelling a breath from my lungs, I continued. “I don’t want any trouble. I have kids with me.” I motioned to Emma beside me, hoping they’d be respectful enough to leave it at that.

Jameson straightened his posture, his expression becoming an unreadable mask. “Then I suggest you get to moving,” he growled. His tone had become darker, raspier, and now that they were standing here, I noticed the differences Briley had spoken of.

Jameson sported a darker tan, the sides of his brown hair buzzed, leaving the top longer so it still swept across his forehead. He was taller with more muscle definition. Kash on the other hand, now had tattoos covering his arms, but not as many as Ash from what I could tell. A piercing clung to his lower lip, giving him an edgy look. It was a vast difference from the preppy look he’d sported in school.

“I’m their ride,” I continued.

“Briley can drive, can’t she?” Kash chimed in, shooting a wink in her direction that had her face turning all kinds of red.

I glanced at my sister, hesitation filling me from the inside out.

Jameson snorted, like this entire thing amused him. “Relax, Evie. We’ll have you back in twenty minutes tops.Ifyou cooperate.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, realizing there was no other choice. Not when my family was here. Had they not been, I would have just told them to go to hell. But I cared about their innocence, about them having a childhood. So, I stood, leaving my ice cream abandoned on the table.

They both flashed me unhinged looks that had my skin crawling. Kash was the first to move, leading the way toward the exit.

Jameson hung back, snaking an arm around my waist like we were some kind of couple. But I was too frozen to move, my mind spinning with all the different scenarios this could go.

When we reached a large Dodge Ram with tinted out windows at the back of the parking lot, my throat constricted. Jameson moved behind me, his hands moving around my waist and tugging me flush against him.

“You know,” he whispered as Kash rounded the truck and opened the driver’s side door. “I always thought you were hot as fuck.”

“I’m Ashton’s ex, remember?” I shot back, trying to wriggle my way free.

He hummed in response. But I knew this was all some kind of twisted game. My friendship with Jameson had always bordered on dangerous. There had always been a connection there, one I was too afraid to delve into during our younger years. It hurt that he was treating me like some basic whore he could just screw with without any consequences.

As if to confirm my point, he shoved me, making me stumble. A gasp fell from my lips, and I caught myself on the smooth polish of the exterior. I hoped Briley wasn’t watching from inside, but knowing her, she probably was.

“Get in skank. We’re going for a ride.”

Straightening my posture, I turned to face him. Kash was already in the truck, the music blaring from within.

“I thought you said you wanted to talk,” I objected. “Just, please let me go. I don’t want any trouble. I’ll talk to you if you want, but don’t make me leave.”

“And what’ll you do if I let you go?” he smirked. “What will you give me in return?”

My breathing was erratic as I glanced around the busy parking lot, but all the cars seemed empty. No one could help me, not that they would, even if they could.

Swallowing, I turned to look at him again. “What do you want?”

His smirk widened into a sadistic grin that had chills careening down my spine. This was so unlike the version of him that I knew—the version of him who would watch horror movies with me and throw flour on me when we baked. The version who would chase me around the yard with a water hose and throw worms at me, laughing when I squealed. Especially when one fell down my shirt. He’d become my closest confidant. Not in the way it usually was when guys befriended their friend’s girlfriend and that was their only attachment. Jameson had truly been a friend to me.

“You can gag on my dick,” he offered. “Or you can ride it.”

I reeled back, the air expelling from my lungs as if he’d punched me. “I have a boyfriend,” I pointed out.

He snorted in response. “Like that’s ever stopped you.”

A mixture of hurt and rage pummeled through me, and before I even knew what was happening, my fist was flying in his direction, connecting with the side of his jaw. His head snapped sideways with the contact, but adrenaline was coursing through my veins, and I couldn’t even find it in me to regret it.

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