Page 26 of Burned By Love

“That’s how it started.I never thought that I’d be assigned to this team or to find a dragon shifter sleeping on the couch at the station.”

“But you did.”

“I did, and after a few hours of confusion and a conversation, we became friends.From there, it was a short step to being best friends.I can’t imagine my life without him anymore.”

It was clear that Austin and West really cared about each other, which was another difference between West and Sal.Sal didn’t have friends.He had minions, people who followed him around because they wanted his power and his money.Sal didn’t care about any of them, and Jonathan doubted that any of them cared about Sal.In Sal’s life, everything was a show, including friendships and relationships.

West’s back went ramrod straight.He dropped his burger and straightened his back, his eyes narrowing as he looked at something behind Jonathan.Before Jonathan could ask him what was going on, his worst nightmare appeared.

“Well, well, well.Look what we have here.”

Jonathan sucked in a breath.He didn’t have to see himself to know that he was pale and looked terrified.Hewasterrified.He’d been sure that Sal was following him, but until now, it had been easy to tell himself that it was all in his head.Now, he knew it wasn’t.

Because Sal was standing behind him.

When Sal touched Jonathan’s shoulder, Jonathan had to resist the urge to throw up everything he’d just eaten.He was afraid to look back, but he didn’t have to.Sal walked around the table, stopping beside it.He looked at West for a moment, then turned his attention to Jonathan.

Jonathan wanted to scream.He wanted to tell Sal to leave him alone, tobeghim to let him go.He’d known it wouldn’t be easy.Sal wasn’t one to take rejections well, and even though Jonathan had been running for his life, Sal had taken their breakup as a rejection.He’d expected Jonathan to stay, even though he’d hurt him.He’d thought Jonathan wouldn’t be strong enough to leave him behind, but he had been.

He would be strong enough to face Sal now, too.

“I’m surprised to see you in such a place,” Sal said.“I treated you much better.”

“Ichose this place,” Jonathan said harshly.

Something flared in Sal’s eyes, causing Jonathan to snap his mouth shut.Fear slithered down his spine, and he had to remind himself that Sal wasn’t going to hurt him here, where anyone could see him.He’d never hesitated to hurt Jonathan in public, but he always did it in a way that could be easily ignored by the people around them.West wouldn’t ignore it.If Sal tried anything, West would step in.

Jonathan told himself to relax, but he wasn’t sure he could.

“You didn’t use to talk back,” Sal said as he narrowed his eyes.

“Because you hurt me if I did.What do you want, Sal?How did you find me?”

“It’s just a coincidence.I was craving tacos.”

Jonathan was pretty sure that Sal had never eaten tacos in his life.He wouldn’t want to get dirty by sitting on these benches, and he thought that he was too good to eat here.No, Sal was there for him, and Jonathan had no idea what to do.

* * * *

WEST HAD NEVER METthe man standing by the table, but even if Jonathan hadn’t said his name, he would’ve known this was Sal.

The man was a dragon shifter.West hadn’t been able to smell him until he’d come to a stop next to the table, but his dragon had perked up when West had noticed him walking toward them.There had been something in Sal that told him he was dangerous, and he still felt that way.

West wanted to help Jonathan, but he didn’t know what to do or if he could.He didn’t want to overstep when it looked like Jonathan had everything under control, so he kept his mouth shut and continued staring at Sal.Sal’s focus was on Jonathan, but that didn’t last long because Jonathan wasn’t having it.

“Bull shit,” Jonathan said.“You followed me here.You’ve been following me around for months, haven’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sal said, trying to sound innocent and failing.“I saw you sitting here with another man and thought I’d ask you why you were cheating on me.”

West hadn’t thought it possible for Jonathan to pale even more, but he did.He also clutched the edge of the table so hard that if he’d been a shifter, he probably would’ve broken it.West wanted to reach out, but until Jonathan gave him an indication that was what he wanted, he wouldn’t step in.No matter how much he wanted to shield Jonathan from this, he couldn’t unless Jonathan asked him to.

Sal’s gaze flickered toward West.“And with a dragon shifter, no less.”

“I’m not cheating on you,” Jonathan hissed.“We haven’t been together in more than a year.”

“But you remember what I told you I’d do if I ever found you with a shifter.How could you expose this man to that?When he gets hurt, it’ll be your fault.”

West had enough.“Are you threatening me?”he asked Sal.

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