Page 133 of Scattered Glitter

“I’m sorry, Sy. I—”

“I know.” I let out a long breath, my grip loosening on the handlebars. “I’m sorry, too, all right? Maybe I should’ve tried harder. It’s fine.” The weight between us shifts, something loosening a bit. “I love you, bro. I know you can’t always be the strong one.”

The silence stretches, the roar of the road the only sound between us for a moment.

“Sy…”

“It’s okay. Touch her one more time, though, and I swear, I’ll pummel your head in.”

“You’re…” Ezra lets out a shaky breath, his tone colored by something I can’t quite place. “You’rein lovewith that girl? She’s here to do a job. There’s no way you know her that well. Not yet.”

“I’ve known her for months! For you, maybe she’s a means to an end. But she fuckingownsme.”

The words come out unfiltered, raw, and I feel a strange mix of relief and dread the moment I say them. Ezra is quiet on the other end, the static crackling between us as if he’s trying to process what I admitted, maybe realizing how serious I am about her.

“Did you see how Koen looks at her?” he finally asks, sighing so loudly that the sound vibrates through the helmet speakers. “And howshelooks at him?”

My jaw instinctively tightens underneath the helmet as I clench my teeth together, but when I examine my actual feelings, it’s not what I expect. Instead of jealousy, there’s a strange kind of pride when she lights up around Koen. The possessiveness I feel for her isn’t the kind that pushes me to control her. It’s one that wants to see her as happy as possible, even if it means I’m not her entire world. A smirk tugs at my lips. “Yeah. And it was hot as fuck.”

Watching the way she and Koen challenge each other, as they did tonight, the way their energy bounces off each other as though they’re sparring in some unspoken game, it’s thrilling.

Ezra wouldn’t get that. He’s too focused on keeping everyone in line, making sure no one risks too much, as if that’ll somehow keep us all safe.

As if that’s even possible in this twisted game we’re in.

I want to shake him, to make him see she’s not some tool we’re using to get to Veronica.

I look up at the Bronco’s taillights.

In a world of illusions, she’s something real.

And maybe she’s the only real thing I’ve got left.

Ezra doesn’t respond right away, and in that silence, I feel the weight of what he’s probably trying to work out in his head. He thinks she’s going to be a weakness for Koen and me, that this thing we have for her will put us all in danger or make us fight, but he’s wrong. It’s the opposite. She’s the only thing keeping me grounded, and hell, if she wanted every part of me, I’d give it all up without thinking twice.

Maybe he knows that too.

Ezra huffs, a reluctant chuckle slipping out, but his next words are still full of concern. “She’s going to hurt you, Sy.”

“Maybe,” I admit, watching the Bronco in front of me as we near the estate, the lights from the mansion lighting up the driveway. “Even if she does… my pain belongs to her too.”

I slow as Koen pulls up to the gate and leans out to punch in the code. The heavy iron swings open, and we caravan inside, the mansion looming large against the night sky.

I ride in close behind Ezra, feeling the weight of what’s been done and said, settling in. Parking the bike, I swing my leg over and pull off my helmet. Placing it on the bike, I head straight for the Bronco, where Sparkle is still nestled in the passenger seat, her head tipped to one side.

She looks so serene, completely lost to the night’s madness, her long lashes casting shadows across her cheeks. I stand here, watching her, feeling a strange sense of peace settle over me from seeing her like this. Then I reach for the door, opening it as quietly as I can.

She stirs, murmuring my name or what she calls me anyway. Her voice is sleepy, and the sound tugs at something deep in my chest. I lean in, unfastening her seat belt, careful not to wake her too much, but as I do, she starts to slump forward. Before she can fall, I slip my arms around her, pulling her close. Her warmth seeps into me as I lift her, her head coming to rest against my shoulder once more, and I swear she breathes me in and sighs like she knows she’s safe here, in my arms.

Holding her like this, I feel as though I could carry her through anything.

Koen’s voice follows me as I turn toward the house. “Where are you going with her?”

“Where do you think?” I shoot him a look over my shoulder, barely slowing my stride.

He catches up to me and raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. “We’ve got plenty of guest rooms, you know.”

“Fuck off, brother,” I mutter, adjusting her in my arms as I make my way up the steps and through the front door. I’m not putting her in a damn guest room. She’s sleeping in my bed tonight.

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