Letting You Go (Stone Lake 1)

I want to argue more, but I see from the way she is looking at me, she’s too lost in her own hurt to listen. She’s also close to breaking. I need to pick my battles and right now, there’s no way I can win this one. Eventually, I’ll make Mom understand that Gavin is not like Dad. Gavin would never lie, and he wouldn’t hurt me. Today is clearly not the day to prove that. Gavin won’t like that we’re still hiding, but he’ll be okay with it. We’ll be leaving Stone Lake behind soon and starting our lives together.

That’s all that matters.

Chapter Forty Four

Atticus

“Are you fucking my brother?”

Jules eyes go wide at my question as she leans against the door.

“Attie, I don’t have time for your bullshit tonight. I’ve got too much on my plate.”

“Answer me, Jules. I’m not playing with you.”

“But, Attie, I like it when you play with me,” she replies coyly. She takes a step into my body and drags a fingernail down the side of my face. She thinks it’s cute. I find it annoying as hell. Though if she wants to play, I can play. I grab her hair and yank it so hard she cries out. I twist it and use the hold to pull her face close. My other hand wraps around her throat. I can feel the muscles move under my palm as she swallows. I can almost smell her fear, and I get hard from that alone. Of all of the bitches I’ve been dealing with lately, Jules gets me going like none of the others.

“I’m going to ask you one more time and you’re going to answer me, Jules. Do you understand me?”

“Damn it, Attie!”

I growl, moving my hand up and slapping it hard against her mouth. Her voice is annoying the shit out of me right now. Actually, Jules herself is bothering me. I swear I can smell my brother on her.

Her eyes go round, the pupils dilating. I feel her breath release in harsh puffs against my hand and she tries to nod her head yes. I know that causes her pain because of the way I’m holding her. The realization makes me smile.

“I’m not playing games with you, Jules. I’m not some dog you can play with and then kick for the hell of it, either. Are we clear?”

She nods her head again, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.

“Good. Now that we have that straight. Be a good girl and answer my question. Are you fucking my brother?”

I pronounce each word of my question separately, taking a breath in between each one to help control my anger. I can accept her fucking Darren Oakes. I couldn’t give two shits about that. I will not take her fucking Gavin. It’s bad enough that Luna is all wound up around the bastard. She’ll soon see how stupid she’s been, but I will not let this little cock tease throw me aside for my brother. I take my hand away from her mouth and wait for her to answer me.

“I’m not,” she says her voice hoarse and shaking a little.

She’s afraid.

Good. She should be.

“What was he doing here?” I question further, refusing to let her go.

“Luna was here.”

“You’ve been helping them see each other,” I surmise, letting her go.

She stumbles as she steps away from me.

“Yeah,” she says, rubbing her mouth. Jules watches me closely and she’s dripping in fear now. It’s good she knows she can’t play with me.

“I don’t like that.”

“I don’t like you hitting me.”

“Liar.”

“I’m serious, Attie. That’s not cool,” she says, starting to get a little braver, but she is still talking quietly, as if she’s afraid to set me off.

She should be afraid.

“We both know you love it when I’m rough with you, Jules.” I smirk.

“Not like that, and not right now,” she denies.

“What’s different about right now? Is your new boy toy here?”

“No. I… Attie I think that Blood Rose Killer is the one sending me notes.”

“The ones you’ve been talking about? He hasn’t threatened you in them, though.”

“No, but this last one told me to watch the news and there was another murder on it… I’m scared, Attie.”

“Did you tell your parents?”

“Yeah, but they won’t listen. They don’t give a damn. Their weekends are all about going to their damn swinging parties. They don’t give a fuck about me,” she says, looking wounded. Like a little bird with clipped wings.

I don’t think it’s my imagination that I see pain on her face. It’s a pain I’m familiar with, because I know what it means when your parents don’t give a fuck if you live or die. Maybe that’s why I connect with Jules so much—well that and she’s as twisted up inside as I am.

“You’re probably overreacting, Jules. He hasn’t been sending notes to the other girls. Right? They’ve not mentioned anything about that on the news. It’s just someone fucking with you.”