Page 13 of Break the Ice
Common sense says walk. Let him handle his mess. My mouth says something else when the elevator pings and she flinches hard enough to jolt her hair back.
Her lip is split. A shadow blooms at the base of her throat.
Fuck.
She’s hurt.
He’s still my best friend.
“Come on,” I say, nodding to the open elevator.
She recoils into Eli. The fear hits me in the gut. I’ve never had anyone flinch from me like that. I step back and give them room. Eli guides her into the rear corner. I take the opposite.
I fix my eyes on the brass doors. I keep failing and glancing at the bruises on her neck.
“Your boyfriend’s introduction skills suck,” I say, cutting the silence.
Her eyes meet mine in the reflection, flick to Eli, then down, unsure.
“They don’t,” Eli scoffs at his shoes, then mutters, “Maybe a little.”
Something snapped in him over the last thirty-six hours. I don’t know the switch. I see the fallout.
He shifts, his hand hovering at the small of her back to angle us toward each other. “Finley, Jayden… Jayden, Finley.”
Finley. He said it earlier. Didn’t land while he was asking me to babysit.
“So basic,” I chuff, trying to lighten the air, soften my edges so I’m not the next threat in her day.
“I won’t be long,” Eli murmurs as the elevator doors slide open. “If you need anything, Jayden will get it for you. Okay?”
Finley nods.
Eli gives me a one-sided smile and a nod, then tells her, “You’re safe with JJ, Fin. I promise.”
I peel the charger from the back of my phone and hand it over. “Charge your goddamn phone.”
He clicks it on and tells her, “I’ll be right back for you, Sweet Girl.”
Sweet Girl.The reverence in his voice squeezes my lungs. She’s still tense as he backs out. I expect her to put distance between us, but she doesn’t bolt when the doors close.
I turn away, giving her space like I do with my kid sisters when they need quiet more than questions. “Have you had lunch?”
After a beat, she answers, “Elijah gave me a protein bar.”
Elijah. A hard-edged name for a soft-spoken man.
“Ugh, not one of those awful squishy vegan bars…” I gag for effect. “They’re fucking gross.”
Finley laughs. Light and scratchy, like her throat hurts. Pretty, though. It loosens something tight in my chest.
She produces a white-and-brown wrapper. I take it carefully, so she doesn’t flinch. First win of the day. I crumple it and grin. “Banana pudding, my ass.”
On our floor, I hold a hand over the sensor and let her step out first. “Room nine-seventeen.”
We walk the maze of halls. Carpets swallow our footfalls. Air-con hums overhead.
“I don’t know how Eli eats this shit,” I add.
