Page 9 of Trust in the Fallen

I drag my eyes from Leighton and look at Wyatt whose gaze meets mine. The same fire running through my veins is evident in his eyes. “A word,” I rumble, pushing myself up from the ground and storming out into the hallway. I’ve always been known for my anger, but I never want Leighton to see that side of me.

She deserves the world, and that’s exactly what I intend to give her.

CHAPTERNINE

WYATT

“I’ll be right back, angel,” I murmur as I place Leighton down on the couch. There isn’t a cell in my body that wants to be away from her, but Elias and I need to come up with a plan of attack because I don’t know about him, but there’s no way in hell I’m letting her walk out of this club and back to that asshole. He doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as my angel, let alone marry her, and it will not be happening.

I latch the door closed behind me and turn to see Elias pacing up and down the hallway like a caged animal. I’ve never seen him like this, so uncontrolled. He’s had his fair share of anger issues over the years, but nothing compared to the rage burning bright in his eyes. He looks about ready to kill someone, and hell, after what Leighton just confessed to us, I’m right there with him.

“She’s not going back to him,” he growls.

“I know.”

“He doesn’t deserve her.”

“I know.”

“He hurt her.”

“I know.”

“Can you say something other than ‘I know’?” he snaps, finally standing still for long enough to glare at me.

“You need to get a handle on your anger, man. So I’m just letting you go until we can get to the part where we work out what we’re going to do from here.” I shrug. Elias and I have been friends for a long time, and after so many years, I’ve learned he’s not ready for a solution until he’s worked through what’s in his head.

“What the fuck are we going to do?” he asks, slumping against the wall and running his hand through his perfectly gelled hair.

“I’m not entirely sure,” I admit. I usually have the answers, or at the very least an idea, but not right now. Because we both heard the resignation in her voice as she told us her mother would never let her leave Jason. She’s already admitted defeat and getting her to change her mind will be near impossible, but we have to try.

“I’m…I…” Elias leans his head back against the wall and blows out a frustrated breath. “You were right.”

I scoff. “I’m always right. But please enlighten me as to what I was right about this time?”

He rolls his eyes but lets out a sigh a second later. “We need a woman. We need her.”

“When will you start believing that I always know what I’m talking about?” I smirk.

“It’s not the time for your bullshit ego, Wyatt,” he snaps. “What the hell are we going to do? Because I can’t let her walk out the door. I can’t do it.” His words are full of conviction, but behind that is something else, something I’m not used to hearing in my best friend’s voice.

Fear.

He’s scared of losing Leighton. And he’s not the only one.

CHAPTERTEN

LEIGHTON

The moment Wyatt’s arms are no longer wrapped around me, I start to panic. What the heck am I doing? How the hell could I allow myself to get comfortable inside asex clubof all places. If my mother, or any of the women from the country club, get wind of my whereabouts, I’ll be shamed for the rest of my life.

It won’t matter that the only reason I’m here is because Jason came here to cheat on me, or that he basically assaulted me in an attempt to get me away from the people who were trying to defuse the situation. All that matters to Margaret Chalmers is her reputation. And a daughter who steps foot in a place like this will make her look bad. We can’t have that.

I lean forward and slip the ice pack from my ankle, hissing at the agony that follows. Holy Mother of God, I did a number on it.

Once I breathe through the pain, I locate my missing heel and cringe at the thought of putting it back on my sore foot. But then the thought of walking through this place barefooted makes bile pool in my throat. God knows what these carpets have seen.

I suppose that saying about the devil you know being better than the one you don’t is true. Sometimes it scares me how many of my mother’s opinions have rubbed off on me over the years, but then again, I didn’t have much choice but to fall into line.

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