Page 48 of Devil on Skates
Irina trying to protect my dream at her own expense... It’s more than I ever expected from anyone.
“I don’t want anything from them,” I say firmly. “Not if it costs you this much.”
“But if your career is over—”
“We’ll see about that.” I grit my teeth and step away from her. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
“Xavier, wait!”
But I don’t listen.
Before she can try to talk me out of it, I rush out, looking for Keith. I finally find him by the entrance, his eyes glued to his phone. His dad’s security guys are nearby, but I don’t give a fuck, because they’re not close enough to stop me.
I grab Keith by the shirt and shove him against the wall so hard that he cries out, and I punch him in the face hard enough to make his nose bleed.
“Ow!” he cries, his guards already rushing toward us.
“You disgusting, weak little prick,” I say, my voice low and deadly calm. “Leave Irina alone. She’s not your toy or a trophy. Tell your dad the deal he forced her into is over.”
“What are you talking ab—?”
I punch him again. “You and your family will leave both Irina and me alone. Or I’ll find you and break every bone in your body, and no one will stop me. I should’ve already done it because of the bruises on her arm.”
Security reaches us, ripping me away from him.
“You care that much about her?” Keith frowns as he wipes at the blood on his face. “Enough to ruin your whole life?”
“Yeah,” I say. “I do.”
I sense someone’s presence and glance over my shoulder as the guards hold me. It’s Irina. She’s looking at us with wide eyes.
Keith laughs. “Really? Wow. I guess you’re dumber than I thought. She’s not worth the trouble. You can have her.”
It’s annoying how easily he’s given up on her, even if it’s exactly what I want. To him and his dad, she’s just a puppet and not a person, and Keith’s obviously never cared about her. He just wanted a pretty girl on his arm like some kind of trophy.
“She’s worth it,” I say. “But you’re not worthy of her and never were.”
His eyebrows arch as if I’m talking about something insignificant. “But you are?”
“That’s for her to decide,” I say, glancing at Irina. “Not you, not your dad, and not me. Her choice.”
He looks at me as if I’m crazy, and maybe I am. Crazy for Irina.
I rip myself out of the guards’ grip, and Keith nods at them, so they step away.
“We’re done here,” I say.
Chapter 25
IRINA
MY HEART POUNDS HARDin my chest, every beat full of mixed feelings. I’m worried for Xavier now that he’s going against the Costellos and about what might happen to us, but I’m also relieved that I’m finally free and Xavier knows the truth.
When Xavier walks straight toward me as Keith glares at us, all I want is to throw myself into his arms and kiss him, but I don’t move.
“It’s over,” he says when he reaches me, his voice calm. “Keith won’t bother you again, and neither will his dad.”
Keith and his guards walk away toward the parking lot, but it all seems a little too good to be true that I’m still on edge. What if this is a dream and I wake up? What if Keith only left because he knows how dangerous Xavier is, so he’ll go to his dad and do something worse to us?
