Page 91 of The Way We Are

Savannah is the strongest and most determined woman I’ve ever met, so I am fully expecting she’ll deny my request, so you can imagine my surprise when she doesn’t. “Will you?”

“Of course.”

The flutter of her pulse in her neck triples when I crank open the passenger side door of my truck to aid her out. Ignoring Axel’s eyes narrowing into thin slits, I curl my hand around Savannah’s then guide her into the isolated parking lot. I’m not doing it to rub salt in his wounds; I’m doing it to show Savannah my support. I don’t give a flying fuck that Axel and his douchebag friends are eyeballing our exchange from the sidelines. Savannah will always be my number one priority.

“Can I talk to you alone?” Axel asks, his focus locked on Savannah.

“She wants me here,” I answer on Savannah’s behalf.

Axel’s jaw ticks as his squinted gaze strays to me. I can see a million thoughts streaming through his eyes, but not a word spills from his mouth.

Well, not until he returns his eyes to Savannah. “Is this really what you want?Him? You know the statistics, right? He’s gonna turn out just like his father. Is that what you want?”

My charge for Axel is halted when Savannah tightens her grip on my hand. “Yes. Ryan isexactlywhat I want. He haseverythingI need and so much more.”

Her reply wipes away my anger while fueling Axel’s. “Why would you want that, Savannah? I can give you everything...”

He stops talking when Savannah shakes her head. “Youcouldgive me everything, but you’re too selfish to figure out money can’t buy compassion.”

When Axel’s brows furl as if confused by Savannah’s reply, she clarifies, “We were together for over a year, and how many times did we doanythingthat didn’t involve your family or friends?”

Axel blubbers a string of words, none of them making any sense.

“Not once, Axel. Not one single time. I spent months with your family, yet you’ve never met mine. You’ve never came to my house for dinner or asked about my family situation. Unless it involves you or your uncle, you don’t care.”

“I’m supposed to care? We were together for a year, and you wouldn’t touch me. You treated me like I had the fucking plague,” Axel retaliates, the anger in his voice picking up steam. “Why would I wine and dine you? Guys do that shit to get into your pants. I knew that wasn’t going to happen, so I didn’t bother trying.”

He stops high-fiving his friends when I snarl, “Nah. You just show her she’s special by bribing her to be your girlfriend. If you’re such a stud, why force someone to be with you? Your half-chewed walnut not working out for you?”

Axel glares at his friend when his cough can’t hide his chuckle. I didn’t even refer to Axel’s cock, yet his friend still knew what I’m talking about. Clearly, I’m not the only one who thinks he has a bag of nuts for a crotch.

“Yeah, laugh it up. You think you're so fucking smart, don’t ya?” Axel mutters, his attitude matching the surge of redness to his cheeks. “You are not smart, Ryan. You’re not even close to being smart.”

He steps closer to me, bringing our chests to within touching distance. “If you were smart, you would have figured out what I’ve known all along.” The glassy gleam in his eyes is pushed aside for arrogance in the seconds leading to him revealing, “When you want a girl, you do anything to get her. Anything at all.” He says his last sentence loud enough to ensure Savannah will hear him. “You can even frame her mother for a theft she didn’t commit if you have to.”

My eyes lock with his, seeking any untruth in his reply. “You didn’t... You wouldn’t have... You’re not that smart.”

I know I’m blubbering, but I lost my train of thought when I spotted the truth in his eyes. Savannah’s mom didn’t steal three million dollars from his Uncle. Axel did.

Loving how pale Savannah’s cheeks have grown, Axel winks cockily. “It was the easiest money I’ve ever made...”

Savannah charges for him, ramming the remainder of his arrogant statement into the back of his throat. I seize her elbow to drag her behind my body, not trusting the murderous fire in Axel’s eyes. He's more like his uncle than I thought.

Although my movements are quick, Savannah’s are quicker. Axel’s head slings to the side when her fist connects with his left jaw. She smacks him so hard, the sound of his teeth crunching together breaks through the pulse ringing in my ears.

“You son of a bitch. Do you have any idea the hell you’ve put me through the past two years?”

She thrashes in my arms, struggling to get free. Although I’d love nothing more than to witness Axel getting his ass handed to him by a girl, now isnotthe time for revenge.

“Your uncle will kill you when he finds out what you’ve done.” My words sizzle off my tongue since they are surrounded by so much anger. Not just mine—Savannah’s as well.

Axel smiles a smug grin. “He’ll have to find me first. With the three million Savannah distributed to me bit by bit the past year added to the initial three million Iborrowedfrom my Uncle’s accounts, I’ve got plenty of hiding money.”

“You’ll never access that money. No bank in the country will let you access those types of funds without clearance from a federal department.”

“That might be the case if they were sitting in a US bank, but that's where you underestimated me, Ryan. I’m not just handsome; I’m smart as well.”

“The account you had Savannah transfer the money to? That’s an offshore account?” I ask, my voice stunned he was smart enough to pull off this type of scheme.

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