Page 90 of Chasing Lyric
One word.
One betrayal too many.
And it detonates inside me like a fucking grenade.
I let out a groan of frustration, my chest heaving as I shove past my father, the brush of my shoulder against his a warning. A threat. A line drawn in the foundations of everything we’ve built. I storm down the hallway toward the studio, fury coursingthrough me, just waiting for a spark. My fists are already balled, nails digging into my palms, jaw locked so tight my molars might shatter. Sweat beads along my brow, a single drop racing down my temple as if it’s trying to outrun the explosion brewing under my skin.
Every nerve is on fire.
Every thought is screaming.
Only one thing is racing through my mind.
Dax.
His name pounds in my head like relentless thunder. The echo of betrayal is so loud it drowns out reason.
He knew how I felt about Lyric.
He knew what she meant to me.
And yet, he still handed her over like bait.
My shoes hammer the hallway, each step harder than the last. Rage surges with every heartbeat, wild and unrelenting. I see nothing but red, and in the center of it—him.
Dax.
My oldest friend, my brother in everything but blood.
The man who lit the goddamn match.
And he’s about to find outjust how much damagethat fire can do.
I slam through the double doors like a hurricane, palms crashing against the metal as they swing wide. The second I step into the studio, I spot Dax, laughing, relaxed, fucking thriving. He’s perched on a stool like he hasn’t betrayed theonlyperson who ever had his back. Some bright-eyed girl drapes herself against him, practically drooling, while he twirls her hair around his fingers like she’s a toy he’s already claimed. Her gaze clings to him, all soft smiles and blind adoration.
ButallI see isred.
My shoes strike the hardwood floor, each step heavier than the last, each one fueled by rage that’s been boiling under myskin since the moment I walked away from Lyric. He doesn’t even notice me until it’s too late.
I don’t slow.
I don’t speak.
I haul my arm back and launch forward, driving both hands into his chest with enough force to send him flying off his stool. He hits the hardwood floor with a loud thud, skidding several feet like the spineless fucking piece of shit he is.
The girl shrieks, scrambling to the corner, but I barely register her.
This isn’t about her.
It’s abouthim.
Dax blinks up at me, completely stunned. “What the fuck, Chase?”
But I’m already on him. I drop low, my fist cocked, my jaw clenched so tight it aches, and then I drive my knuckles straight into his smug jaw. His head jerks to the side as he crashes back, groaning, dazed.
But I’mnotdone.
Not even close.
