Page 57 of The Boy I Loved
“Don’t stare too long,” Lauren admonished. “It’s best to delay the inevitable.”
Right … theinevitable.
Based on what Stacy had said about him, it was only a matter of time before he sought me out. In the bright lighting, her wounds looked even worse. The gashes woven across her chest were deep and angry, appearing almost black with a red ring outlining them.
I released a shaky breath and returned to my food, but before I could even think of taking another bite, the door swung open, clattering against the hard wall, and drawing my attention back in that general direction.
Time slowed down, almost as if in slow motion. I could feel the color leech from my body as my gaze roamed over the man who had entered. It wasn’t possible, and yet … it was.
Like a magnetic pull, his gray eyes found mine from across the room, instantaneously, like fate just couldn’t help itself and needed me to suffer just a little bit more. He was dressed as the others were, which was the tell-tale sign that he wasn’t here to rescue me. No … He was here to destroy me from the inside out. The boy I loved was a monster, and it had never been more apparent.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
DOMINIC
I sawit the moment our eyes locked—betrayal, agony, a flicker of confusion, and finally, defeat. She was here because of me. I did this, and now it was too late to save her. My stomach twisted with guilt, a feeling I’d become well acquainted with over the years.
Everything seemed to slow down. The chatter around me ceased to exist, fading into the background like some dramatic movie. But this was no movie; it was a living nightmare. One that I’d created and roped my best friend into—the girl I loved, the girl I swore to marry one day.
Tristan’s voice sliced through my thoughts, and it was only then that I realized he’d been talking to me. “What are you looking—” I realized my mistake as soon as the words fled his lips, but it was too late. He followed my gaze directly to Hazel, a low whistle fluttering past his filthy mouth. “Damn. That’s the new girl, huh?”
I wanted to strangle him, to watch the life flicker from his eyes for looking at what was mine. She was too good for this world, too good to be wearing that skimpy outfit for all eyes to see, and definitely too good for me.
My eyes drifted to Stacy, seated beside her. The marks on herback, shoulders, chest, and stomach had rage bubbling up within me. If he ever hurt Hazel like that … I wasn’t sure what I’d do. Probably get myself killed if I was being completely transparent. To my knowledge, nobody had touched her yet, but once the doctor cleared her…
No.
I couldn’t allow myself to think like that; it would only drive me crazy.
Nicholas shot me a look, one that looked a lot like a warning.
I’d never explicitly stated what Hazel meant to me, but it had become clear that I hadn’t been as subtle as I’d initially thought—as I tried to be. If I had, none of this would have happened. If I’d just let Mason fuck her at that stupid party, none of this would have happened. Hazel would still hate me, but at least she’d be safe.
I couldn’t protect her anymore. Not here. Not with so many eyes on me. If I tried to interfere, I’d get us both killed, or worse.
“Have her results come back from the lab yet?” Tristan asked casually, leaning against the wall beside Nicholas.
My hands curled into fists at my sides, but I didn’t allow a sliver of emotion to cross my face. “No,” I replied.
“And don’t go fucking her before they do,” Nicholas chimed in. “Clay says this one’s special.”
Tristan scoffed in response, glancing over at the object of my obsession again. “She doesn’tlookspecial,” he commented. “She’s got a nice body, but in the end, all bitches are the same—no pussy more special than the last.”
I should have been relieved he thought that, but the way he spoke of her … I was seconds away from saying ‘fuck it’ and smashing his face into the cement wall. Hazel Montgomerywasand would alwaysbespecial. She had a heart of gold, something that was rare nowadays, and she was always kind—never selfish. She was everything good, kind, and pure wrapped into a single body, and on top of that … she was beautiful, too.
I forced my shoulders to relax and offered him a casual shrug. If he knew I was the least bit interested in her, assuming nobody had filled him in already, he’d go for her just to spite me. Tristan enjoyed competing with me, and until now, he’d never come close to getting under my skin. But with Hazel, fuck. He might have just succeeded with that once he figured it out.
He and Mason were a lot alike in that way. It was weird to think that Mason used to be one of my closest friends. Clay had changed him—thisplacehad changed him. He wasn’t just the troubled boy looking for sanctuary and a place to call home anymore. He was out to destroy everything in his path, to take his anger out on anything in his way, including his friends if the option presented itself. He was so far gone that I wasn’t even sure he was redeemable any longer.
“I need a smoke break,” Tristan announced after ogling my girl a few seconds longer. “You two want to come?”
“If we all go, who’s going to watch them?” I gestured around the room with a sweep of my hand, emphasizing my point. Leaving post wasn’t worth getting reprimanded over, especially not when it came to spending more time than I wanted to with Tristan of all fucking people.
“I’ll keep watch,” Nicholas offered, capturing my attention. “If something happens, I’ll buzz you.”
My teeth scraped together in annoyance, but before I could think up another bullshit excuse, Tristan was clapping me on the back of my shoulder and pushing me in the direction of the back door.
I’d get Nicholas back for this. I didn’t know how or when, but it would happen.
