Page 23 of Fractured Faceoff

“Jared,” Ava warned, her eyes narrowing.

Kash furrowed his brow, glancing between us. “Well, I recently got a promotion, and Ava thought it was time we got serious.”

“Ava?” I pressed, locking eyes with her.

“Well, yeah,” he replied, sounding almost puzzled. “I would have married Ava sooner, but she wanted to wait to make sure we were settled.”

“Which makes sense,” Isla chimed in, glaring at me. I knew what she was doing—trying to diffuse the tension—but I didn’t care.

“So, Ava essentially decided this,” I said tightly.

“I wanted to marry her?—”

“Why wait?” I turned my full attention to Ava now. “Why wait until right now, Ava?”

“I… I just…” Ava started stammering, her face flushed.

“Why does it matter?” Kash asked, his confusion growing.

“It doesn’t,” Isla cut in quickly.

I opened my mouth to argue furtherbut felt Isla’s hand on my forearm. It was soft and warm and stopped the words from leaving my mouth.

“Look, I need to go,” she said quickly. “I have an early morning and Jared’s my ride. You ready to go, Jared? I’m ready to go.”

I clenched my teeth. I wanted to argue. I wanted to understand why Ava would do this when I joined the Serpents to be closer to her.

But I didn’t.

“Fine,” I breathed out.

I glared at Ava, hoping she knew that this wasn’t over.

Chapter 7

Isla

Jared's eyes were narrowed slits as he gripped the steering wheel of his truck. The leather creaked under his strong hands, knuckles white with the pressure. He hadn't said a word since we left the house. I stole glances at him from the passenger seat, taking in his angular jaw, covered in stubble, and the dark intensity in his gaze. A criminal might've looked less dangerous.

I knew how he felt about Ava. It had been obvious for a long time. Every look, every touch lingered a second too long. A point of contention I never brought up because I didn't want to deal with it. But that had blown up in his face, and he practically announced it in front of Kash, and I couldn't quite figure out if I was relieved or annoyed.

"Did you know?" Jared asked, staring straight ahead, his voice tight.

I whipped my head towards him. "Are you serious?"

He glanced at me, lips pressed into a thin line. The tension in the truck thickened like smoke. My jaw clenched. So, he wanted to do this? Fine. We would do this.

"No," I said, exhaling sharply. "But I knew she was never going to break up with Kash."

"And why not?" His tone carried a challenge, as if daring me to justify Ava's choices.

"Jared," I began, my voice rising. "First of all, this is your brother's girlfriend—fiancée."

"Don't call her that," he snapped, his eyes flashing with anger.

I felt my temper flare, hot and quick. "Get your head out of your ass!" I nearly shouted. I didn't know why I was taking this so personally, but the words just poured out of me.

"I know you two have been sneaking around for years," I said, my voice low and tight. I stared at the passing city, the blur of lights and buildings making my chest ache. I couldn't pinpoint why it hurt, but it did.

---