Page 74 of Sacrifice (Corrupt Empire 2)

“Look, I’m not mad. It is what it is, but I have a question for you,” I continued.

“And that is?”

“Are you in love with her?”

I didn’t really want to know the answer, but I had to ask. Boundaries needed to be established and the only way we could do that is by having the truth out in the open.

He fidgeted under my gaze and I knew.

“No… I mean yes… Fuck. It’s not like how you think. I love her like she’s my family, like my sister. That sounds really fucking wrong given what happened, but it’s the only way I can describe it. I’m not in love with her romantically and even if I did feel that way at one point, it’s in the past. We promised each other we’d never let it get in the way of our friendship.”

He rubbed the back of his neck.

“You do realise you’re like her entire world, right? The way she talks about you, there’s a light that comes on in her eyes. She loves you, I mean like really loves you. I think she’d follow you to the ends of the earth if you asked her to. So whatever it is you think about me and her, just don’t. There’s nothing between us and there never will be. I mean, you should’ve seen her when she was getting ready to go on that date with you. I’ve never seen her fret so much about her appearance. I swear she was going to burst into tears at one point because she couldn’t get her hair just right.”

He looked up at me, giving me a shrug and a smile.

“All I want is for her to be happy. She’s different with you. She’s just Avery, almost as if she’s left the Daniels part of her identity behind. I’m glad she finally admitted it to you though because secrets only hurt people. It wasn’t my place to say anything.”

Of all the things I expected he might tell me, that wasn’t it. I believed her when she told me she loved me, but to have the person who knew her the best tell me just how deep her feelings ran. It caused my heart to pound in my ears. She cared for me that much. Fuck. I needed to do right by her. Now and always.

“We’re good, right?” he continued. “I wouldn’t really want to get on your bad side like Tristan or anything.”

That made me snort.

“We’re good.”

And I meant it. I didn’t need reassurances nothing was between them. All I wanted to know was the truth from him. I’d got that. So we were good. We had to be for Avery’s sake. Not sure she would forgive me if I didn’t try to get along with her friends. I knew how important James was to her. He’d been there her whole life. I couldn’t get in the way of that. It might have made me fucking pissed off and jealous before, but things were different now. I was secure in the knowledge Avery was my girl. I trusted her.

“I should go be with her. I left her to pick something to watch.”

James gave me a horrified look.

“You’re letting her pick? Oh no. No, no, no. We need to fix this unless you want to get stuck watching cooking shows or a sappy love film.”

I laughed, stepping back and going towards the living room with him following me. I’d let her watch whatever she wanted as long as it made her happy. I hated seeing her so distressed. It reminded me of when she’d been in the cell. I was never putting her back in that place again. In all honesty, I was thinking of getting rid of it completely. Reconverting it back into what it should’ve been, a part of the second bedroom which was currently my office.

I didn’t need it any longer. It only held bad memories. I wanted to make new ones. With her. Only with her.

And I would. Avery was the world. I’d do everything in my power to keep her by my side.

Now.

And always.

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