The Original Crowd (A Whole New Crowd 0.50)

It was ironic really. I had to watch my back because I was a cheating bitch while I was protecting Mandy from the same thing. I had to appreciate the irony, for a moment anyway.

“I’ll handle her…”

“I’ll smooth things over, she always comes back, but with you…she’s always wanted a reason to hate you. I can’t fix that.” He

gave me a faint grin. “I think she always wondered…about…”

“I can handle myself.” I grinned, trying to be cocky, but looking away.

Jace chuckled, running a hand through his tousled hair.

“Nice of you to dress up to see me.” I couldn’t help myself, lightly punching him on the chest, feeling the cement wall of muscle beneath his bleached t-shirt.

“Yeah.” He chuckled again. “How do you know Evans?”

My mood sobered instantly. “He goes to my school.”

“He runs your school,” Jace pointed out.

“Yeah…I know what he’s got going on.”

“Then you know he’s not a guy to take lightly.”

My eyebrows arched. “That’s high praise coming from the likes of you.”

“We’ve had a business deal going on. Only met him once though, but…he’s got this town nicely locked together.”

“What do you mean?”

“None of my business comes in or out of Rawley.”

Thank God. I’d never spoke up against Jace, against what he did, but…I cared about him. Bottom line, I cared. And that meant there were many nights I had wished fervently for a different world. A different world for me, Brian, and Jace. But Jace most of all—because he’d never get out. And if he did, it’d be a bloodbath. Blood got you in, blood got you. So I just never said anything, he was in too far.

“How’d he manage that?”

“I don’t know, I’ve already said too much. He’s not like Brian, Taryn. Remember that.”

“Meaning that my obsessive ex is the lesser of the two evils.”

He grinned at that. “If the shoe fits, bitch.”

I punched him for real this time and I probably hurt my hand more than him. “Hey.”

He grabbed my hand, laughing softly. Raising it, he kissed the knuckles tenderly and said huskily, “You know I say it lovingly.”

I pulled my hand away and smirked. “Right.”

He turned to the door, opening it, but paused in the doorframe. He looked serious. “Listen, don’t worry about Brian. If you want him gone, which you must, I’ll make sure he stays away.”

This was it. We both knew once that door closed, the line was drawn for us. No going back. No more crossing it, from either side. And a part of me wanted to crumble up and cry for the rest of the night. A part of me wanted to go with him. He was family, no matter what happened between me, him, or Brian. The three of us had been family.

“Hey, Jace,” I called out, stopping him.

Our eyes met. And held. We’d had that one night and like I’d said before, it brought up stuff that neither of us had ever admitted. Much less to ourselves than each other. But, this might be the last time…so…I walked over to him and kissed him. Tenderly. I didn’t stop the feelings this time.

Jace put his arms around me, drawing me closer, as he returned my kiss.

It felt just like it had before—for a moment, the world stopped. Because this wasn’t a cheated night taken in revenge. This was goodbye, so nothing was held back.