Page 53 of Nightmare

“What are you doing here?” I hear myself say through the lump in my throat, like I’m watching it all play out from outside my body. I’m numb, completely numb, my entire being fighting against the urge to run.

“You haven’t answered your phone, baby girl.” Brody says, his voice sickly sweet like syrup.

I shake my head, and Summer speaks for me – taking control of the situation. “Because she doesn’t want to talk to you, take a fucking hint.”

My body locks, then Travis’s arms are wrapping around my body, concealing me and holding me like he needs to be sure no one is going to get to me.

“Summer.” I whisper, and she presses her back to my front closer in response, still staring into the face of my nightmare.

“Liv,” Brody says, lifting an arm to extend his hand towards me, “Just come and talk to me, I’m not giving up on us. I love you.”

Delusional. He’s delusional.

He steps closer to us – too fucking close –I feel every muscle in my body lock up. I swallow through the sudden dryness in my throat, shaking my head in disbelief again.

“I don’t want to talk to you.” I say, my words coming out clear even though my entire body is shaking. I feel my entire body heating with anger, and I flip that switch inside of me that’s become part of me. The switch that puts the metaphorical mask over my face, that makes the blood in my veins turn to ice.

“Are youinsane?!”I spit, huffing a little laugh before I move a few inches to look past my best friend to look into his dark eyes. “What are you doing here, Brody? Why would you come to New York? I do not want to see you.”

His face twists for a second, letting his cool demeanor fall, and then he’s all smiles again, “Baby girl, don’t be silly. Let’s go get a drink and catch up.”

The room spins, like I’m on some sort of carnival ride. My eyes widen in shock and comical disbelief. Ashton Kutcher better pop out real soon and tell me I’m being PUNK’D.

“Are you fuckingDELUSIONAL!?”I yell, and Travis’s arms tighten at my waist. I don’t miss the flick of Brody’s eyes, zeroing in on the connection between me and Travis, but then he’s looking back at my face. “Brody, go back to California. I don’t want to see you, I don’t want to talk to you, I don’t want anything to fucking do with you.”

Brody’s gaze moves to look at Summer – and I see red as he studies her face, wanting to throw her behind me from the monster standing before us. But then his attention is moving, and it’s all over Travis, like he’s marking him with his eyes.

He tilts his head to the side as he studies my little group, like he’s committing their faces to memory. The music continues around us, the world moving even though I feel like mine is completely stopped and sitting still.

Brody’s gaze falls on me once more, his nostrils flaring before he speaks through gritted teeth, “You’re mine, remember that. And if I can’t have you, no one will.”

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

The word sticks out to me, then my chest is heaving. The flowers.

“Have you been following me?” I whisper, unsure if anyone can even hear me anymore.

Jax and Mac are stepping up behind him a heartbeat later. Jax claps a hand down on his shoulder in greeting – making him jump. “Time to go.”

Brody spins, shaking off Jax’s touch with a chuckle, “What are you, her bodyguards?”

They both crack identical smiles, making goosebumps pop up on my skin – becausedamn, I’ve never seen them smile like that. Like a couple of demons, just released from hell – sent here to remove my ex-boyfriend, apparently.

Mac chuckles, “We’re whatever you need to think we are, let’s go.”

His hands find Brody’s shoulders and Brody is quick to shake him off, sneering through a raised lip. He turns to look at me one last time, “Remember what I said, baby girl.”

Then he’s walking away, heading through the little bar and out the front doors, off to ruin someone else’s night probably.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Olivia

nine months ago

---