Page 37 of Torched

Cristina’s sarcasm snaps Imogen from her uncomfortable state, clearly deciding she’s not going to her get under her skin when she rolls her eyes at her. “What are you doing here,Crissy?”

Cristina’s entire posture freezes, probably wondering if she can stab Imogen with her fork for calling her Crissy, but I can’t help the snickers that instantly roll out of me. I assume she knows she’s outnumbered because Cristina pushes the plate forward after a few bites, then sighs. The smile that follows is supposed to be sweet and charming, but I know it’s bullshit. I’ve seen that fake smile more times I can remember.

“I actually wanted to talk to Liam.” Her neck spins to mine.

“About what?” I ask, uninterested.

“Alone.”

“Nice try,” I scoff. There is no way I’m giving her the satisfaction of excluding Imogen. “Whatever you want off your chest, you can spit it out in front of both of us.”

A tiny glare comes my way, but she quickly dissolves it, probably thinking bees and honey and all that crap. “I want to apologize.”

“I hardly doubt that,” Gen pitches in.

“I do.” Cristina’s puppy eyes never leave mine. “I’m sorry, Liam. I never wanted to hurt you. I loved you.”

A shiver as cold as the arctic raises the brittle hairs on my arms. I’d been waiting for those words for months before she betrayed me, dying to know if her feelings were as genuine as I thought mine were. But she never did. I can’t deny it’s stroking my ego, making me feel on top this time, but it’s only short-lived.

“You can’t love anyone but yourself, Cristina.”

She shakes her head. “That’s not true. I cared about you. I still do.”

There are crocodile tears that make her eyes glassy, and with my lips in a firm stripe, I wonder how I ever fell for that pretty face. I now remember this is what she did. She played the damsel in distress more than once, failing to fix whatever problem she was facing.

“You’re not seriously doing this, are you?” Gen snaps, tearing Cristina’s attention toward her.

“Doing what?” she questions innocently.

“You’re trying to play with his feelings. Pretending you love him, so he will take you back.”

“I do love him! And I do want him back!” Cristina adds, clearly ready to battle with Gen for my attention. Before Gen, I’d be thrilled to have two cats fight over me; I’m man enough that I would enjoy that. But after everything she’s put me and my family through, and being fully aware of Gen’s frustration, all I want is to kill the undeniable third wheel.

“No, you don’t! You just want to get between the two of us!”

Cristina keeps her stance steady and calm, just like she did when she first met Kane. It’s like my memories and the present are being glued together, but this time I see it for what it’s worth.

Nothing.

“I understand you’re in love with Liam and that this is something that will make you feel threatened, but I can't help loving the same man as you do.” Cristina keeps her chin high and her features soft, as if she’s the epitome of class.

I snort, but both girls ignore me.

“I’m not threatened by you!” Gen groans, her eyes menacing as her jaw ticks. “I’m annoyed by you. But don’t think I’m threatened by you,bitch. He will never go back to you. Why downgrade when you already got the upgrade?”

“Because most of the time, the new version is just one that’s shinier and less functional,” Cristina snarls.

“Enough!” I throw my fist on the table and both their heads snap toward me, yet I hold my glare set on Cristina. “Whatever bullshit you’re trying to feed me, it’s not working. I was blinded the first time; you get a pat on the back for that. Well done, you tricked me when no one else could. But it won’t happen again. And if you threaten my girl one more goddamn time, you will wish you were never born, just like Junior did. In fact? Have you ever found him?”

The corner of Cristina’s mouth lifts with a snarl. “I never expected you to be so cruel, Liam.”

“And I never expected you to shoot me in the back, Cristina.”

“There are no records of Junior. You already killed him. You didn’t have to wipe him from the system and make it seem like he never existed.” She seems genuinely hurt by that, but I’m not buying it.

“Don’t you get it? He didn’t. Junior Reyes is nothing more than a myth. Something that might have happened, or it might have not. As far as I’m concerned, Frank Reyes had no biological children, which means the Reyes lines stop with him.”

“So, that’s what you get for messing with the Carrillos?”

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