That one word lands between us like a bomb. He knows it’s the one thing he can say to make me back off. I step back, and when he slams the door, I tap the top of the limo to let the driver know he can leave.

I watch the sedan’s tail lights fade, my heart cracking in two. I storm back into the house when I can't see the lights anymore. I go straight to Aiden, my fist raised, but Jace grabs me around the waist. “WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?” I yell, struggling in Jace’s hold. “YOU SET HIM UP?”

“Toby,” Jace growls. “Calm down.”

“No! Fuck that. Let me go!”

“Let him go,” Aiden says quietly. “I deserve to get my ass kicked.”

“Do you have any idea what you just did?” Jace asks, but he still won’t loosen his death grip. “Oliver put his trust in us that night, and you just fucked him over by lying to him. And us. You need to start talking.”

“I don’t want to hear any of his bullshit. Nothing he can say will make up for breaking Oliver’s heart.” Aiden looks at me with sad eyes, but I don’t fucking care. “So I’ll make up for it by breaking his goddamn face.”

“Aiden,” Jace barks. “Start fucking talking.”

Aiden rakes his hands through his hair and sits heavily in the chair. “Nothing I say here will fix this.”

“No, it won’t,” I agree, finally jerking free from Jace’s hold. “I should have known something more was up when you laid that law down not to see him again.”

“I was going to tell him. I just…didn’t know how. Then I found out you guys were fucking him behind my back.”

I lunge for Aiden, but this time, Jace doesn’t catch me before my fist connects with Aiden’s cheek. “Fucking him behind your back?!”

“Goddamnit, Toby!” Jace barks and jerks me back into his arms. “You need to chill.”

“Let me go,” I say as calmly as I can. “Jace. Let me go.”

Jace loosens his hold but doesn’t move away. “We weren’t fucking him behind your back. And who the hell are you to judge us when you knew who he was and used to fuck his goddamn sister? I don’t know what kind of fucked up shit you got us involved in, but you need to leave.” Aiden opens his mouth, and Jace takes a menacing step forward. “I’m trying to stay calm here, Aiden, so I suggest you get the fuck out of my house before I let Toby beat the shit out of you. I don’t even know who the fuck you are right now.”

Aiden gets up and slowly walks toward the door. He turns around when he gets there. “I’m sorry.”

Aiden slams the front door behind him, and when I try to leave the room, Jace grabs my arm. “Where are you going?”

“To get Oliver back.”

Present Day

As that night rolls around in my head, I watch Oliver pull away from the club and head back inside. I search out the big guy who was manhandling him and shove him into the bar. Several glasses hit the ground, and he whirls around to face me.

“What the fuck, man?” he says, shoving me back.

“That was my man you had your hands all over,” I reply, stepping into his face.

“Your man looked like he was already fucking around.”

“They’re best friends.”

The guy laughs, and it pisses me off even more. “He could be my best friend any goddamn time with that tight ass.”

I swing before the thought even crosses my mind. It connects with his nose, and I don’t stop punching him until I feel several arms wrapping around me. I jerk in their hold, and they drag me toward the door, but not before I see the mess I made of the other guy’s face. The bouncers toss me outside, and I hold up my hands. “I’m done.”

“Go home,” one of them demands.

With a nod, I walk to my motorcycle, sling my leg over the seat, put my helmet on, and fire the bike up. I pull out and open the throttle, flying through the city at breakneck speeds. I split between cars and push the bike even faster. I come to a screeching halt and pull over in front of Oliver’s apartment. I push the kickstand down, pull my helmet off, and lean back on the bike, propping my feet on the handlebars. The light is on, so it gives me a little relief that he went home.

It’s been the longest two months of my life without Oliver. Jace and I messaged him nonstop, and when that didn’t work, we called, and then we got the fateful message that his number was no longer in service. I resorted to going to his apartment, but he would never come to the door; Leland always answered. He told me I needed to let Oliver heal, and I respected that.

My phone rings, and I dig it from my pocket. I slide to answer when I see Jace’s name. “Hello?”