Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 102708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
“I can’t.”
“Why are you protecting him?”
“Because he’s my friend too, and I care about him.”
“Like you care about me?”
“No. It’s different.”
“But you do have feelings for him?”
“Not in the way I do for you.”
“Where did that line get crossed?”
“Nothing’s been crossed.”
Shoulders tight, I reminded, “Tell that to the footage I saw.”
“He’s drunk, Julius,” she simply replied. “And I learned a long time ago to never argue with a drunk because you never win. At least I never did.”
She turned to leave, but I caught her wrist.
“We’re not done here.”
“I know, but can we continue this at home?”
“Home, huh?”
She firmly nodded, grabbing my hand. “Yeah, Julius… home.”
Reluctantly, I let her lead. Marco waited by the entrance, letting me know that Kraven had left with some sketchy characters. I didn’t have the energy to give a shit, feeling utterly defeated.
By the time we arrived through the front door, it was almost three in the morning. As soon as we walked inside, I made my way into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. I felt like a semi-truck had run over me.
I drank the whole thing before grabbing some ice from the freezer and wrapping it in a rag for my hand. She met me in there with a first-aid kit in her grasp.
“I’m fine,” I stated.
She shot me a stern stare, nodding to the chair beside her.
I did as she wanted, mostly because I wanted to know where this was going. After I sat, she bent down in front of me to sit on the balls of her feet as she took a look at my hand. It didn’t take her long to wrap it up with a bandage.
When she was finished, she looked up at me through her lashes. Her striking green eyes were filled with sadness.
“The day we met,” she expressed out of nowhere, making my stomach drop from what she was about to share.
“I wasn’t just running away from my fosters. I was also running away from a crime scene I caused.”
My blood ran cold, never expecting to hear that.
“They were the Bates, same old story. Except this time, it ended with him chasing me down the basement stairs and falling.”
“Why was he chasing you?”
“Because it was Tuesday.”
I grimaced, hating that for her. Yet I immediately understood what she meant by that.
With uncertainty in her stare and tears in her eyes, she admitted, “Nobody knows, but I think I killed him.”
Her words knocked the air out of me, though I remained calm, years of practice working in my favor. Instead, I drew her into my arms, and she settled on my lap.
Her heartbeat was in sync with mine. Cradling her face in my hands, I wiped her tears with my thumbs.
“I’m here, Isla. Nothing you tell me changes the way I see or feel you, the way I care about you…”
Relief quickly washed over her face. “You promise?”
“I swear it.”
“Do you think the cops are—”
“No.”
She sighed deeply, leaning her forehead on mine.
“Do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
I spoke with conviction…
“Now that you’re with me, you let me worry about everything.”
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FOUR
KRAVEN
May the bridges I burn light the way… -Dylan McKay
Two months later.
One year, seven months together.
“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Julius! Happy birthday to you!”
I stood in the background, leaning against the column, watching everyone sing. It was early Friday afternoon. There was no school for teacher planning day, and Isla had thrown Julius a surprise party for his nineteenth birthday.
I didn’t want to be there.
Let’s just say, the past two months had been hell to pay. There was no going back from that night.
It changed everything between us.
I spent even less time there, making sure Julius was working when I did show up for clothes for school and stuff. Those nights, I’d play for Isla through the wall. It was basically our way of communicating these days. Although she always left me a plate of food in the fridge.
In a month, I’d be eighteen…
Not only that, but Isla would be too. Our birthdays weren’t far apart. We’d legally be adults, and for some reason, it felt as if that would cause a further divide, especially between Julius and me.
There were about twenty people there, and it was the last place I wanted to be, but Isla insisted.
Roland stood next to me, bumping his shoulder into mine. “You’ve been awfully quiet tonight. What’s up?”
“I’m good.”
“You having problems with your brother?”
I glanced at him. “When are we not having problems?”
“Yeah.” He nodded, deeply inhaling. “You’re too hard on each other.”
I shrugged. “What can I say? It’s our love language.”
He scoffed out a chuckle before giving me a serious expression. “So it’s not about the girl?”
Playing dumb, I cocked my head. “Isla?”
He arched an eyebrow with a who do you think you’re talking to face that made me laugh. No matter what, Roland always came through for us. When we were kids, he’d sometimes sleep on our couch. Always made sure we had food, even if he had to share his. He was a good man, and I hadn’t met too many of those.