Page 67 of Out to Find Freedom

I happened to glance back over at Emmie, hoping Stoke could get control of his woman clinging to me. Her eyes were already on mine, but I didn’t like what I saw in them. I watched her look to Mally, her lips thin and her eyes closed, before she nodded to herself. Mattie saw where she’d been looking.

She said something and started for the door. Mattie called after her.

Fuck. Did she think I was there with another woman?

Standing, I gently forced Mally into Stoke’s arms and started for the door.

Emerson

“Emmie, wait. Emmie,” Mattie called, and I quickly walked back across the road to his and Julian’s place. Julian had sent me over to tell Mattie he was about to miss out on the popcorn and movie. Even though I’d been a bundle of nerves walking in there, I did it. Because I’d gotten to know a lot of them in the previous months. They were all nice men.

When I made it to Mattie, who was speaking with Talon at the couches, Talon asked me how I was doing on the new design for the garage logo. Just after I mentioned it was going well, I heard loud girly laughter and then the woman calling Ryan’s name.

I snapped my gaze over to see a woman draped all over Ryan, begging him for a dance.

Ryan was there.

At the compound.

And yet he’d said he’d been too busy to see me. I was getting sick of texting back and forth and wanted to talk with him in person. He wouldn’t even answer his phone if I called, made up some bullshit. Just like he had for missing movie night at Julian’s house.

What had he said? It was something about being behind on paperwork.

Anger boiled in my stomach, but most of all, hurt scratched at my chest.

Hurt because he had been lying.

Hurt because he’d been there drinking, having fun, and all he had to do was tell me he didn’t want to see me. He didn’t want to face me. He wanted to have fun with his friends. All of the reasons I would have accepted.

If all he ever wanted was a friendship through texting, then he could have told me.

Maybe he was worried about me being too young and not understanding, but I did.

He obviously knew I wasn’t the one for him. I just needed him to say something.

“Emmie,” Mattie called again.

I glanced over my shoulder. “I’m fine,” I told him. I opened their front door and stomped inside.

“Emmie,” Mattie said softly from behind me as I stepped inside the door and curled my arms around my waist.

“I’m fine,” I said again.

I heard Mattie close the door and glanced up to see Julian walk into the living room. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Emmie, that wasn’t what it looked like with Warden,” Mattie said.

I snorted. “It doesn’t matter. Really, I’m fine.” At least I would be.

I jumped when their door opened with a bang. Mattie and I spun that way. Ryan stood in the doorway, his eyes on me.

“Emerson—”

I waved my hand around. A noise, half snort and half growl, dropped from my lips. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, Ryan. But it’s fine.Everythingis fine. Go back to the party.”

“What’s going on?” Julian asked again.

Mattie moved by me and shushed his man.

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