Page 17 of Beautifully Reckless

How could I be attracted to a criminal?

How could I be attracted to the kind of man who so easily broke into my home, stole me away in the night, and left no trace?

How do I explain that even knowing how dangerous he is… I still felt safe with him?

“You’re blinded by the way he helped you, Lexi,” Marcus snaps, his voice thick with frustration. “But don’t forget why he had to help you. Don’t forget what his brother, Muz, did to you and Ayden at that party. Don’t forget how Muz held a gun to your head in my fucking driveway!”

“Forget! How can I ever forget?!” Lexi explodes, springing off the loveseat like she’s ready to throw hands.

She doesn’t get far though, Ayden moving fast to hook his arm around her, dragging her back, even as she fights against his hold.

“I willalsonever forget that when I was being attacked, when I thought I was about to die, Muz was there! Have you forgotten about thatpart Marcus? Because I sure as shit haven’t! Or how about the fact that he died BECAUSE OF ME?!”

Tears stream down Lexi’s face, her body wracked with sobs as Ayden turns her into his chest, wrapping her up in his arms.

I can’t watch this.

I can’t listen to this.

Pushing to my feet, I clear the lump in my throat.

“Please don’t fight because of me.”

It doesn’t matter how much love they’ve shown me tonight. Doesn’t matter that I truly feel it. Because deep down, I’m still an outsider. Someone who drags toxicity with them wherever they go.

And the last thing I want to do is cause a rift between them.

“Fuck, sorry, Abs.” Marcus sighs, raking his fingers through his thick dark hair. “I’m just worried.” He steps forward, guilt lining his face, brows furrowed in concern.

“I understand that. Thank you. But Lexi is right. Ringo isn’t the bad guy you think him to be, he—”

My words are cut off by the loud clang of the rooftop door bursting open, rattling on its hinges.

Angry male voices cut through the air, sharp and dangerous.

We all stiffen, freezing in place momentarily.

Jared moves first. Gun out, raised as Dee slinks off into the shadows, unsheathing her knife.

5

“Idon’t have a problem with spilling Marx blood tonight, Griffin. Get the fuck outta my way!”

Griffin smirks, completely unfazed by the gun I’ve got trained on him, even as he walks backwards.

“You’re standing on the rooftop of a Marx building, pointing metal at me. You really think there’s not at least four snipers ready to pull the trigger on you right now?”

Fuck.

That has me hesitating.

He could be bluffing.

But this is the Marx family I’m challenging here. They are the type to have traps set before you even realise you’ve stepped into one.

“How about you just step outta the fucking way then, so we don’t traumatise the poor girl even more, hey?” JD sneers from myside, his gun aimed at Devon Marx, who looks like he doesn’t have a fucking care in the world.

Cocky fucker.

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