Page 22 of Unmask

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The jerk in question moved toward me, and I took a step back without meaning to. Not that I had far to go in the foyer. “It’s not her fault. I didn’t give her a choice. And besides”—he motioned around us, at the locked door—“it proves my point.”

Was he defending her? There had to be something off with the universe, a retrograde moon. “Which is what?”

He stared at me like the answer was obvious. “You’re not out of danger. Not yet. If I can find you…so can anyone else.”

I laughed once, but there was no humor in it. “Who could hurt me more than you?”

His signature scowl deepened. “There’s more you don’t know,” he said, the admission raw as it scraped out of him.

I shook my head. “There’s nothing left you can say.”

I wanted to be mad at Poppy, especially for bringing the one person I wasn’t ready to see, but if the roles had been reversed, I couldn’t say that I wouldn’t have done the same in her position. I was partially to blame. Of course, she would worry. It was what a good friend did, and Poppy had been nothing but a good friend to me, my only friend. I was the one who left her hanging. I should have texted to let her know I was okay, but I’d lumped her into a part of my life I hadn’t been ready to deal with. That wasn’t fair to her.

Ignoring Kreed for a moment, which was difficult to do because I always seemed so damn hyperaware of him, I hugged Poppy, whispering an apology. “I’m sorry I made you worry.”

Kreed, on the other hand, wasn’t going to get any grace from me, let alone a freaking hug. Not today. “Poppy can stay, but you can’t,” I told him.

He remained rooted in place, motionless like the stubborn ass he was or like someone who was used to getting what he wanted. “I’m not leaving. Hate me all you want, but it doesn’t change that I’m not going anywhere without you.”

My hands balled into fists. Oh, I wanted to hit him, to subject him to half the amount of pain I carried at his betrayal. “I do hate you.”

The sting in his expression almost made me flinch. Almost. “Good. I warned you. I told you I wasn’t a nice guy. I’m not someone you should be involved with.”

Poppy shifted awkwardly. “I’ll, uh…give you guys a minute,” she muttered before slipping behind Kreed and out the front door. Of course, he didn’t try to stop her when she left, and just like that, it was just him and me.

Again.

“Why is it so important that I live in your house?” I didn’t know why I bothered to ask. Curiosity mostly.

“Because we’re the only ones who can protect you. My father has no intention of letting you slip through his fingers when he’s so close to getting what he wants. Rusty can’t stop him, not when there’s a traitor amongst his midst.”

My brows furrowed. “A traitor? What are you talking about?”

“Look,” he said, dragging a hand through his black hair. “Someone in the Vipers betrayed your father. They fed us information.”

“It’s done. Why does it matter who the traitor is? It won’t change the past. My parents will still be dead. And you’ll still be the asshole who kidnapped me.”

His face remained expressionless, but his eyes were troubled. “You’re not wrong. What we did… It was fucked up.”

He had no idea how much he hurt me. “That’s an understatement.”

And for a second, just a second, emotion flitted behind his eyes. Regret. Pain. Maybe even something akin to genuine worry, but I shoved the thought deep where it couldn’t reach me. “It will be easier if you come with me instead of my father finding you. I’m trying to help you, but you know this ends with you back at the house.”

My chin lifted. “Until I’m eighteen. That’s only four months.”

The features in his face tightened. “So much shit can happen in four months. Let me help you.”

“You hurt me, Kreed,” I said, the anger finally bubbling to the surface. “All of you did. You used me. Lied to me. You let me think I was safe with you.”

He backed me into a corner. “I didn’t lie about everything.”

Don’t touch me. God, please don’t touch me.I wasn’t strong enough to resist him. Not yet, but I’d get there. “Doesn’t fucking matter.”

“Yes, it does,” he said, firmer now. “Because I need you to understand that I—” He cut himself off. Whatever he was going to say stayed locked behind his teeth.

Good. Because I wasn’t sure I could survive hearing it.

My throat burned, and I hated how tired I must have looked. I hated that part of me still missed him even as every inch of me screamed to push him away, but I forced my walls back up. “You never stop, do you?”