Page 50 of His Good Girl
“Nervous habit, I guess.”
She sighs. “I know you don’t want to see him after all this, but I get the impression that he isn’t going to stop turning up here.”
“Even more reason to go to yours.”
“If I thought it would help, I’d be the first to help you pack, but all it will do is bring you closer to the one guy you’re supposed to be staying away from.”
“So you’re keeping me safe from myself?”
“I’m keeping you safe from your uncle. No offense, but he sounds like a bit of a psycho. Especially if he…” she lowers her voice, “…beat up Logan over this.”
Suddenly, I stop being mad at her for being so obtuse. “Yeah, he scares me. I’m not sure I want to be alone with him.”
“I won’t leave you alone with him. I mean, I’ll be in the other room, but I’m not going anywhere.”
“Promise?”
She grips my fingers and kisses them. “Promise. But this bad penny needs dealing with. I can’t keep being your gatekeeper. He’s going to get pissed off soon.”
“I know.” Sighing, I reach for my phone and text Quentin to come over.
If anything, I want to find out what he did to Logan.
It doesn’t surprise me when fifteen minutes later, the buzzer goes for downstairs.
Exchanging a worried glance with Rue, she nods and disappears into the bedroom, leaving me to let Quentin up to the apartment and then inside. I really would prefer he stays in the corridor, but that doesn’t sound like the best idea if we start talking about what he did to Logan.
When I open the door, his expression shocks me. He is distraught.
“Serena.”
Folding my arms over my chest, determined not to let him get to me, I ask, “What do you want? I think you made yourself quite clear on Friday, and to be honest, I have nothing else to say to you.”
“Please, can I come in?”
Huffing, I step back, wary as fuck. I don’t trust him. Not anymore.
He enters the apartment, and I shut the door but don’t move from the hallway, wanting this over with.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I never intended for anything I said to hurt you so badly. If I’d known you were this involved with him, I’d have handled it with more care.”
Clenching my jaw, I know he’s set me a trap. I might be young and have less experience of the world than him, but I’m not an idiot. Not when I have details on the other side of the story.
“I’m not involved with him. I never was. This was your thing. All I wanted was to get on with my life and my job, thatyougave me and that I was starting to enjoy. You hurt me by treating me like a child, by saying things that were, quite frankly, appalling to say to anyone, not to mention acting like you have any say over my life. This…” I hold up my arms so he can see the bandages, “…was nothing to do with what you said or did. I have stuff going on in my life that you don’t know about and is none of your business, so you can absolve yourself of any wrongdoing and show yourself out.”
“Serena. There is so much you don’t know.”
“And I don’t want to. I want to go back to work when I feel up to it at Carter & Jeffers if they’ll have me back after this shitshow, and I want you to leave Logan alone. He’s done nothing but be a bit of a dick to his assistant, which I hear is nothing new.”
He shakes his head. “That’s not all he’s done,” he says darkly, and I fear we’ve just trodden in a pile of crap the size of a small mountain.
“Whatever you think he’s done or not, it’s none of your business. I can take care of myself.” Okay, so standing here with bandages over my self-harm wounds, we both know that’s a lie. But I’m having a weak moment. I’m stronger than he thinks I am.
“I’m not backing down from this, Rena. He is bad for you, and I mean it when I say you are forbidden from seeing or speaking to him again.”
Glaring at him, I want to say more, but what can I say? Do I really want to test him and find out what will happen if I go over to Logan’s right now? Rue is right. He’s showing himself as a bit of psycho, and I don’t know, maybe part of the mafia or something. He’s certainly acting like some kind of gang leader who bullies people into getting his own way.
“I’m fine. My life is fine. Please leave now.”
