揗y band has a six month gig in Seattle,?he explains like I should care, pushing his hair out of his eyes.
揘ice. It抯 a big enough city for both of us.?
揇akota, you don抰 mean that. You can抰 keep hooking up with your boss. You抣l regret it.?His face drops like he抯 genuinely hurt. For the first time, his words sound more desperate, more sad. 揑抣l turn down the gig for you. We抣l move home and get a place just like we planned. I抣l teach music. You can write for the oil company. We can still fix our mistakes.?
For a second, there抯 an ice-cold silence.
Then I抳e absolutely had it.
揙ur mistakes? Our??I scowl at him. 揂re you fucking kidding me, man? Also, FYI, I am not hooking up with my boss! I抦 in love with him.?
Oops.
Too many things happen at once.
Jay stumbles back like he抯 just been shot in the chest.
My heart flies into my throat like a drunken hummingbird.
Lincoln turns to stone and draws a rough breath.
Oh, God. Me and my big fat mouth.
Jay straightens and hurls an angry look at me.
揃ullshit. You抮e still hurt, I get it,?he says like he抯 trying to make himself believe his own delusions over my words. 揝ome people back home thought you抎 been sleeping around梠nly way you could抳e gotten such a cushy promotion so soon. But shit.?He holds out a hand. 揧ou know what? It doesn抰 matter. We抣l get through this. We can棓
I抦 shaking.
Hot tears of fury sting my eyes.
揌oly shit, Jay. Do you ever shut up? Do you even hear the crap coming out of your mouth right freaking棓 I stop mid-sentence as everything blurs.
In one movement, Lincoln swings forward, shifting me behind him, standing toe-to-toe with Jay and towering over him at least a good foot and a half.
揝he抯 had enough, you fucking maggot, and so have I.?His voice is all war, so intense it scares me. 揕isten. You may have gotten away with disrespecting her when she was yours. That抯 over now because she抯 mine. So I抦 going to give you one chance梐nd only one梩o walk the fuck out of this park politely. Exit her life with your face intact. Comprehend??
I抦 not sure who goes more pale桱ay or me.
It抯 devilishly satisfying to see him stunned speechless for once in his life. He抯 the kind of man who always talked too much.
揂re...are you threatening me, man? Dude, you don抰 own her!?Jay spits, drawing up, his face a hurt, frightened sneer. Even though he抯 shorter, and probably sixty pounds lighter, he holds his ground.
揑 never claimed to, asshole. You weren抰 listening. However, I do know you抮e a selfish, brain-dead prick who threw her away like she was fucking trash, and you couldn抰 even spare her a second glance until you came crawling like the worm you are. You shouldn抰 have shown up here. I may not own her, but she抯 mine as long as she抣l have me. She抯 appreciated. She抯 cherished. What抯 very not appreciated is some little college shit棓
揑 graduated two years ago!?Jay squeaks miserably.
Lincoln snorts, baring his teeth.
揙h, my bad. Post-college shit, I mean, poking around our business. Dakota needs a man in her life. Not a chickenshit little boy who already ran out on her once. And if you thought you抎 come here just to rip her heart out all over again, I will fracture your shoulder.?
Jay gasps, trembling with ugly, impotent rage.
揧-you can抰 say that shit! Who the hell do you think you are? She抯 supposed to be my wife!?His voice cracks horribly on that last note.
My stomach heaves. I feel sick.
Lincoln lets out a vicious chuckle.
揑s that what you think? You really are delusional. You left her, dude.?He snarls that last word.
揘ah, I just...I needed to get my head together. I had to figure things out.?
揟hat抯 something men do before they propose, Einstein.?Lincoln抯 hands ball into fists at his sides, more like rocks than human appendages anymore.
揧ou should talk! You抮e taking fucking advantage of her. She抯 screwed up in the head and she抯 just sleeping with you because you抮e the boss. That抯 the only reason. She still loves me. She always will. So if you have any sense you抣l棓
I抦 too paralyzed to even scream as Jay cuts off.
Lincoln flies forward, plowing into his chest with one massive hand outstretched. Jay falls back and hits the ground, fumbling around in his pocket as he slowly pulls himself up.
揑 told you, watch your fucking step around my girl. Last warning.?Lincoln is fearless, his eyes pinning him down. 揌ere抯 your chance. Show me you抮e not totally stupid. I抣l kill you before I let you trash her in public again.?
Jay stares like an angry dog.
I open my mouth to yell a warning just as he springs up, something metallic glinting in his hand. The two men collide in chaos.
A few bystanders scream.
揇on抰 hurt him, you lunatic!?I scream at Jay. 揊or the love of God, don抰棓
I throw myself between them just in time, just as Lincoln plants his fist into Jay抯 nose. There抯 a sickening crunch and he goes down with a howl, the knife he was holding clattering into the grass next to him.
I抦 panting with my heart lodged in my throat, clutching Lincoln抯 arm.
Holy shit.
Holy shit!
揊uck,?Lincoln mutters, staring down at the broken mess on the ground before he looks at me. 揂re you okay, Dakota??
I bury my face in his chest, the sobs coming harsh and broken and free.
One big arm closes around me. His other hand strokes my hair.
揑抦...I抦...I抦 fine!?I manage on the third try.
He holds me tighter, his eyes shifting back to Jay like judgment incarnate.
揧ou抮e lucky as hell I didn抰 do worse. Stay the fuck down until the cops arrive,?he orders, taking a stride forward to plant his foot on Jay抯 chest.
His jaw is clenched like an angry god, chewing on the urge to slaughter my ex like it抯 bubblegum.
I take half a step back. Just enough to see what抯 going on around us.
Anna, Cheryl, and the rest of the crew are either rushing in or already surrounding us, staring at the scene with their mouths open.
Jay coughs and moans miserably under Lincoln抯 foot.
I can抰 even stand to look at him.
Something tells me whether he pulled a knife or not, Lincoln would抳e busted his nose anyway, and...I don抰 even know what to think about this.
Another nightmare begins when I notice all the horrified faces around us.
So much for faking anything.
The awkward HR conversations Lincoln wasn抰 ready to have are coming, fast and furious. And I know this is so not the way he wanted it to happen.
Save me.
Anna, dressed in bright pink today, stares for another awkward moment before she looks up and says, 揙h. I didn抰 realize there was actually something between you two...?
揟here抯 nothing, Miss Patel. Just call the damn police,?a steel voice booms, furious and conflicted.
My heart stops.
I drop my hand that抯 still touching his waist. He won抰 even look at me, this silhouette of rage.
Nothing? Nothing? And in front of the whole team?
I wish there was a sniper in a nearby tree to put me out of my misery.
It feels like last summer at the church all over again.
Except somehow, this is worse.
He just told me he cared about me and changed his mind in less than a second. Or else he抯 just lying to cover our asses in the most hurtful way possible.
I fucking hate men.
I get three steps away, struggling to walk in these stupid heels, before I burst into tears.
Great.
Now I hate myself too.
A pair of arms find me a few seconds later. Cheryl, determined to keep me from falling, whispering soft words.
揑t抯 okay, Dakota. Deep breaths.?She gives Anna a desperate look, who抯 also at my side.
揥hy don抰 you guys go for a ride in the company car??Anna asks. 揑抣l sort this out. Everything.?
Oh, how I wish that was possible.
18
Lenore? (Lincoln)
I could cut out my own goddamned tongue.
As soon as the words left my mouth, Dakota shirked away from me, sobbing into Cheryl抯 arms.
I am a supreme dumbass. A miserable, unthinking fuck.
That抯 what happens when you run your mouth without thinking first.