Page 45 of Dare (Fighting Fate)

Wyatt spun at the sound of Eli’s voice, his face livid. I held my breath as we all stood watching each other, worry churning in my stomach. If Eli told Wyatt it was him who’d done it, I wasn’t sure what that meant. I didn’t know if Wyatt could sue him or damage his potential career or not. Was it still considered defamation if we had proof he really was bi or gay?

“What the fuck do you know, Murphy!” Wyatt snarled. “This has nothing to do with you.”

Eli sauntered inside, coming closer to where I was standing, wide-eyed and very confused. “Unfortunately for you,” he said, “it has a little bit to do with me. You see, I was the one who came here the morning after you and Zac were here, doing whatever you were doing, while Jess was passed out on the couch. I was the one who took her to be tested for GHB—which she tested positive for, by the way—while you were off pumping iron and sipping green smoothies with Zac. And I was the one she confided in when she found a video on her cell phone of you and Zac going at it in her kitchen.”

All the blood drained from Wyatt’s face as Eli spoke. I could see his mind scrambling, desperately trying to find purchase to dig his way out of the hole he’d suddenly found himself in.

Eli came to a stop beside me, his entire being so calm and controlled, I was strangely enthralled. He raised his chin as he stared down at Wyatt, his expression so matter-of-fact it brought a flash of fear in Wyatt’s eyes. “But, before you jump to conclusions, it wasn’t me who outed you either. That,” he said, giving Wyatt a sad, little smile, “was Zac. What’s the old saying? Oh, yeah. Hell hath no fury like a lover scorned, or something like that.”

Wyatt shook his head. “No, you’re wrong.”

“Sorry, man,” Eli said, although he didn’t look very sorry at all. “It seems Zac didn’t take too kindly to you breaking up with him. But I wouldn’t worry about planning revenge, seeing as th

e cops are in the process of arresting him as we speak.”

Eli gazed at me as he said the last part, his eyes dark and intense, letting me know we had lots to talk about.

Wyatt, on the other hand, looked ready to pass out. “Arrested? What the hell for?”

I watched Eli’s jaw tighten as he turned back to Wyatt. “Did you miss the part about Jess testing positive for GHB?” he said with disdain. “Yeah, that was your boyfriend. The cops have video evidence of him buying the stuff and slipping it into her drink.” As Wyatt’s face drained of all emotion, Eli stepped toward him. “But I wouldn’t go too far if I were you. As it stands, you’re being investigated for your part in it too.”

Wyatt’s eyes bulged. “My part? I had nothing to do with Jess being drugged! I had no idea he even did it.”

Eli’s entire essence turned dangerous. “So, it’s normal for Jess to be unsteady on her feet, slur her words, and pass out after consuming two alcoholic beverages? Where was your duty of care, Wyatt? You knew this was out of character, yet you still engaged in sexual activity, in her apartment, less than ten feet away from her drugged body, and then left her on her own! You might not have known she was drugged, but any person with common sense would’ve known something wasn’t right. The minute you decided to leave her on the couch while you fucked around and then left, you acted with gross negligence in your duty of care.”

Wyatt’s gaze landed on me, anxious and begging. He shook his head, the movement slow and disorientated. “I didn’t know. I swear,” he said, speaking directly to me. “I thought you were just drunk.”

I raised my chin. “If that’s the case, then you have nothing to worry about,” I said quietly. “Now, I think you should leave, Wyatt.”

As I watched Wyatt slowly nod and turn to leave, I braced myself, and for once it wasn’t to get my girly bits under control before I faced Eli. My brain was still trying to process everything he’d just told Wyatt, and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to handle it right now.

Chapter 32

Eli

As soon as the door closed behind Wyatt, all the tension I’d been holding on to instantly sought a way out of my system. My fists clenched and my jaw tightened. My breathing labored and my muscles slowly coiled, demanding a release.

Striding to the other side of the room, I exhaled heavily, trying to release it slow and steady, hoping it would somehow calm me, even just a little. Pausing when I reached the kitchen counter, I tried it again.

Nothing.

I felt like some kind of goddamn explosive device, trigger set, ready to blow. Clenching and unclenching my hands, I rolled my neck, closing my eyes for good measure. Some of this shit had to work.

“Eli?”

But that wasn’t it.

Turning, I released my breath and tried to get my hands to relax by my sides. Forcing my gaze to meet hers, I almost groaned at how vulnerable she looked. Every instinct inside me was telling me to go to her, take her in my arms, and let her know everything was going to be all right. But I couldn’t do that. I needed to show her I could respect her boundaries.

“What you said to Wyatt,” she said. “Is that true? Is Zac being arrested?”

Exhaling, I nodded, trying to unlock my clenched jaw. “Yeah, that’s what I was coming to tell you. Noah gave me a heads-up just before. I asked him if I could be the one to tell you. I didn’t know Wyatt would be here abusing you. That was just pure luck on my part.”

She swallowed, worry creasing her brow. “Can you explain to me what’s going on? I feel so confused right now. I don’t even really know why Wyatt was so angry.”

Of course she wouldn’t. “You have no idea how much I wanted to go over there and beat the fuck out of Zac when Noah told me, Jess. I still do. If I hadn’t seen that video, I probably would have.” Pinching the bridge of my nose, I tried to think of a way to explain the rest of it to her without complicating things. “Okay, the rest of it is mostly speculation, but from what I can understand, Wyatt called it off with Zac—broke up with him—whatever you want to call it, about a week ago. Zac, the true lover scorned, got drunk and decided to get some revenge, so he started telling anyone who’d listen that he and Wyatt had actually been a thing for quite some time, and just how heartbroken he was.”

I paused, watching her expression for any signs of distress. This was her ex-boyfriend after all. But when I only saw curiosity, I continued.

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