Page 93 of Tracing Holland

“Laurel, please.Please.”I’m pleading now, searching her eyes, begging her to understand that she’s collateral damage on two fronts.I can’t call her a victim, though.There is no victim in this, just the one, and she’s dead.

I don’t even look at Laurel’s face as she finally releases a frustrated curse.

“This is bullshit, Luke!”she cries, nearly matching my own disgust.“Youare bullshit, you know that?”

I don’t respond, there’s no relationship to save, and turn to confront the one I can’t bear to lose.

“Holland, I swear to you, I had nothing to do with her showing up here!Please believe me.Please!”It’s amazing how quickly my fire has melted into desperation.

But she doesn’t offer much as she studies me, evaluates.“Luke, what’s going on?Why was she here?What was on her phone?”

I rip my gaze away, but my response is silenced by Wes making his way toward us with Spence.Their paths are about to intersect with a retreating Laurel, and every fiber of my being longs for her to smack him.It’ll be a good warm up for what I’m about to do.

“Askhim!”I growl, watching as Laurel unleashes her own verbal assault.He shrinks a bit from her wrath, almost stunned, which catches me off guard more than a punch would have done.

We can hear their conversation in the nearly empty parking lot, and I’m about to join them to offer my own opinions when I feel a soft hand slide into mine.

“I believe you, Luke.I do.Please don’t.”

Startled, I force myself to meet her gaze.The patience.The forgiveness.The inexplicable trust.It’s all there, rooting me by her side when every part of me wants to bash Wes’ skull into the pavement.

“Shit…” I mutter, closing my eyes.“I want to kill him, Holland.I might seriously kill him this time.”

She tugs my hand and draws me back to her.“I know, but you won’t.You know why?Because you’ve just proven you’re a better man than he is.”

I suck in a ragged breath and turn back to the scene twenty yards away.Laurel has resumed her furious stomp toward the building, leaving Wes motionless, staring at us as we stare at him.The moment the bulls decide how they’re going to slaughter each other.

It’s pretty obvious Spence would rather be anywhere else on the planet right now.

“Ok, wait, it’s not what you think!”Wes shouts, jumpstarting the showdown and moving toward us.

I shake my head, taking a step to meet him but Holland pulls me back.“That’s it?That’s all you have to say?”I snarl from my place.

“Look, man, just…”

“Wes, what did you do?”Holland cries as he reaches us.“Why did Laurel come after Luke?”

“I…Ok, I know…”

“He contacted Laurel and told her I wanted to meet her tonight,” I spit, turning to Holland.“That’s what was on her phone.A message from him telling her I wanted to hook up.”

“You what?!”

“Ok!I know this looks bad, Hol, I just…”

“Looks bad?It doesn’t look bad, Wes, it looks insane!What is wrong with you?!”Holland fires.

“You’re falling for him!Everyone can see that and it was the only thing I could think of to remind you what he is!Nothing else was working!”

“What he is?You don’t even know what he is!Nothing was working because you’re the one who’s not seeing clearly!Luke has done everything he can to prove himself to you because he cares about me enough to do that for me.For me!”Her eyes narrow and I’m just glad I’m not on the receiving end of that fury.“And what did you prove in return?Thatyou’rethe one I should be running from!”

“Holland…”

“Stay away from me.From this point forward, we’re coworkers.Nothing more.”

“What?Holland, come on, you don’t mean that!”

“Let’s go, Luke.”

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