Page 36 of Fatal Collision
There’s a sheen in his eyes when he finally tears his attention away from the wall and drags his hand up the back of his neck. He ruffles his hair, visibly upset.
“Just...” I lift my hands at my sides and let them fall. “I can’t do this alone, Chris. Summer is only eighteen. Dad is drunk all the time…”
He finally meets my eyes, and it hurts more than his silence.
“You’re my big brother.” My words tremble between us. “I need you.”
When he doesn’t respond, I start to walk away, buthe catches up and grabs my arm. “What are you doing with Ravencourt?”
Kane? So that’s what this is about? He didn’t come here to spend time with Mom; he came to interrogate me.
“I see your little minions like to gossip.”
His grip tightens. “Answer the fucking question!”
“You’re hurting me.” I try to jerk free from the bruising hold he has on my arm. “Let go.”
“What was Ravencourt doing there?”
“I don’t know, okay? He just showed up.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
I finally pull free of his grip. “Yes.” His fingerprints are visible on my skin. I rub the red marks. “Believe me or not. I don’t care, okay? It’s the truth.”
A muscle twitches in his jaw before he leans in close. “Stay away from Ravencourt, sis. I won’t let you embarrass us like that. You hear me? He’s from the fucking Heights. His dad is one of the founders of this town?—”
“You think I don’t know that?” I snap, tears brimming in my eyes. “I’m not stupid.”
His eyes blaze. “I’m trying to protect you.”
“Protect me?” A bitter laugh bubbles up. He’s not trying to protect me; he’s just worried about his reputation. I turn to leave, but he hauls me back again.
“Once he’s fucked you, he’ll kick you to the curb like yesterday’s trash. That’s what they do.”
“Because that’s all I’m good for, right? Allwe’regood for?”
Something softens in his eyes. “Exactly… At least for them. All they care about is money and power.”
I worm my arm free of his hold. “I can handle myself, Chris. I don’t need you to protect me.”
“You aren't to see him again.”
“Excuse me?”
Not that I want to spend time with Kane Ravencourt, but I won’t let my brother decide what I can or can’t do. Screw him.
“You heard me.”
I step into him. “You don’t get a say in what I do.”
He sucks on his teeth and chuckles bitterly under his breath before leaning in close to my ear. “Stay away from him, sis. Consider this my final warning. Ravencourt can screw his way through every willing girl in town, but I won’t let him near my sisters. And I won’t let you embarrass me like that. If I get wind that you’ve seen him again, I’ll kill him. Understood?”
My breath trembles as he walks away. Fury is boiling beneath my skin like a pan of water on a hot stove.
By some stroke of luck, no one is around to see me quake with rage. It takes several deep breaths and vicious wiping of my wet cheeks to finally calm down enough to make my way past the reception desk.
While I’m quietly stewing, my phone buzzes with a new message.
