Page 188 of Paradox
“I never—”
“Oh my god, it all makes sense now. You act like the victim and throw all of Reeze’s kit on the street,thenyou have a sudden change of heart. Fuck! How did I not see this before? It was so damn obvious. You both ran away on the same. Fucking. Day.” Tek pounds his fist against his own head in time with his words.
“I never…Wenever—”
Tek cuts me off. “Did you let him fuck you?”
Anger is all I see. Red, hot, murderous anger. “I don’tlethim do anything.”
His eyes are back on Eden. “So you have fucked him?”
“Are you gonna let me answer, or just keep interrupting?”
“You don’t get to talk to me like that, you… you, fucking predator. I don’t care who knows—who sees, and I sure as helldon’t care about the consequences. But if I find out that you touched him before he turned eighteen—”
I feel the rumble inside of Eden before I hear him roar. “Who the hell do you think I am?!”
“The old man that’s been fucking my brother!”
He’s been so strong, but I know Eden’s had enough. And even though I desperately want to see him force Tek out of the cabin, my time for holding back has expired as well.
“Shut your fucking mouth.” My voice is low, and I see my brother's eyes widen. Unlatching myself from around Eden, I stand and face Tek front on. “If you speak to him like that one more time, I’ll never talk toyouagain.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“I’m not stupid.”
“Come on, Jin. Wake up. Can’t you see what he’s doing?”
“I came onto him.”
Silence crashes with the weight of a lead balloon, then Tek is tripping over his words. “He’s, but… You can’t… You’re only nineteen. He’s thirty-four. He should have said no.”
“He did—”
“But you—
“I wanted it, Tek.”
“Goddamnit, Jin. Why can’t you get it through your thick fucking skull. You’re not old enough to know what you want.”
“I’m not a fucking child!” I scream at the top of my lungs. And I don’t know if it’s my ego, or my pride, or whatever it is burning in my stomach, but I take a step closer to him. “I’m old enough to move out of home. I’m old enough to vote. I can join the army tomorrow if I wanted to. But this is where you draw the line? You didn't seem to care when I was forced into studying something that would lock me into a career I never wanted for the rest of my life.”
“I had nothing to do with that.”
“But you didn’t speak up for me, either.”
“It… That wasn’t my place.”
“But this is?”
“It’s different, and you know it.”
“That’s right. It is different, because it wasmychoice. I hadn’t seen or spoken to Eden since Easter. I didn’t know he was gonna be here. He didn’t know I was gonna show up. He tried to force me out. He had me sleeping in the shed out the back, for Christ’s sake.”
“And then what? He got sick of fucking his hand so he moved you into his bed?”
“I’ve had enough of your bullshit.” I watch as Tek’s eyes pan away from me as Eden’s voice moves closer. He doesn’t push me behind him or try to step between my brother and me. He stands beside me, because that’s where he wants me to be. His equal, because no one has been manipulated here. “Stop talking about Jin like he’s something that can be used.”
