Oakley side-eyes me. “Tell him Sawyer’s in trouble.”

Chapter 46

Cole

“What the fuck?” Stone screams, jumping over the counter. “You just knocked him unconscious.” He drops down beside him. “Mr. G, wake up.”

The fucker is lucky that’s all I did…for now.

I spit on the old man’s face. “That’s what he gets for taking advantage of a teenage girl.”

A few people in the restaurant gasp. Some start taking pictures.

Good. Let them document it and plaster it all over social media and the news.

If anyone ever hurts Sawyer, I’ll fucking ruin them. Simple as that.

Too bad you didn’t feel that protective over Liam—my mind taunts.

Maybe then he wouldn’t be dead.

A red mist clouds my vision as I shove the crippling pain down as far as it will go.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Stone yells. “What teenage girl?” Eyes wide with horror, Stone looks at Bianca, who’s walking back in through the front door. “You bitch.”

I grab a fistful of his hair. “Call my sister a bitch one more time. I fucking dare you.”

I’ll take one of the butter knives off one of the tables and slit his goddamn throat inch by goddamn inch.

“She is a bitch for making up rumors about Mr. Gonzales,” he screams.

Bianca looks offended. “I didn’t make up rumors about Mr. Gonz—Oh, fuck.” Guilt colors her face. “On second thought, I may have.”

“Yeah, you did, bitch—”

I slap his face with my open palm. “Consider that your last warning. Next time it happens, I’ll end you.”

He growls. “I’ve known Mr. Gonzales since I was a baby. He wouldn’t touch your little sister, man. I swear on my life.”

I have no idea what the prick is talking about. “Bianca? This has nothing to do with her—”

“Actually, it does.” Rubbing her temples, she says, “I made it up, Cole. Sawyer isn’t sleeping with her boss.”

Stone starts coughing. “Sawyer? Are you kidding? Of course she’s not sleeping with Mr. Gonzales. What the fuck is the matter with your family? You’re all manipulative pieces of shit.”

I glare at Bianca. “Why would you make that up?”

“Because I knew if I made you jealous over Sawyer, you’d let me stay at the party since she was my ride home that night.” She looks at Mr. Gonzales, who’s starting to wake up from his slumber. “I never thought…I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

Stone stands up. “Get the fuck out. Both of you.”

“You’re not in charge here—” Bianca starts to say, but the sound of her phone ringing cuts her off.

Stone turns his angry glare on me. “How a royal scumbag like you managed to land a good girl like Sawyer is anyone’s guess.” He helps Mr. Gonzales off the ground. “Now leave, shit-stains, because we’re all out of rumors.” He glares at Bianca, who’s still on the phone. “Photoshopped pics of dicks.” He glares at me. “And dead twin brothers.”

I don’t think, I just start swinging.

“Cole, stop.”

Bianca tries to pull me off him, but she can’t.

I can’t.

I can’t stop hurting him.

I can’t stop making him pay.

I can’t stop feeling guilty…

“Cole, please.” Sirens in the distance have her yanking on my arm harder. “The cops are on the way.” When that doesn’t work, she says, “Oakley just called me. Sawyer’s in trouble. She needs you.”

Sawyer? Trouble? It’s like a shot of epinephrine straight to the heart.

I spring to my feet. “Where is she?”

Her eyes dart around. “She’s…at Christian’s.”

“Now that you’re a little calmer, I need to be honest with you,” Bianca says as I cut the engine.

I can hear the music bumping from out here.

“Can it wait until after I find Sawyer?”

“Sawyer’s not in trouble. Oakley told me to tell you that in order to get you to leave before the cops showed up.”

Fucking hell. Did everyone decide to become a goddamn liar tonight?

I start laughing.

When the shit you’re trapped in is six feet deep, when the pain is so severe you can’t even enjoy one ounce of happiness without being reminded of your biggest mistake and your greatest loss…there’s nothing else to do.

Except soak in your misery.

Because you deserve every goddamn agonizing second of it.

“Cole.” Bianca pales. “You’re starting to scare me a little.”

My maniacal laughter kicks up. “Only a little?”

“Maybe we should go home—”

“No.” I snatch the keys out of the ignition and toss them to her. “Drive yourself home, sport.”

“Cole—”

“No.”

I don’t want to fucking talk about it.

She can’t psychoanalyze me like one of her future patients.

“I miss him t—”

I punch the dashboard with my fist. “Shut the fuck up.”

“Okay,” she says softly. “We don’t have to talk about that.”

“I don’t want to talk at all.”

“That’s fine. We can do something else. Anything you want.”

Opening my car door, I stand up.

There’s only one thing I want to do right now.

Get drunk and numb the pain away.

Be lucky seven for a little while…because being Colton makes me so goddamn sick I want to end it all.

Chapter 47

Sawyer

Bianca: Don’t come to Christian’s. Cole isn’t feeling well.

If that’s not an alarming text, I don’t know what is.

I hand Stone an ice pack. Apparently, we arrived at Cluck You a minute too late and we just missed them.

So did the cops.

“Look, Mr. Gonzales,” Oakley’s dad starts. He walked through the door right after we did. “My client’s father is a very powerful man. He’s offered to pay for everything…including your pain and suffering. As long as you don’t press charges against his son.”

Stone clicks his tongue. “Of course he did.” Anger sharpens his features. “Mr. Gonzales isn’t interested in being paid off. He wants justice.”

“I’m sorry,” Mr. Zelenka says. “Who are you again?”

“I’m the other guy he beat up.”

“Right, well. Mr. Covington’s offering nothing to you.” His face is expressionless, but there’s tension in his jaw. “On account of your brother being responsible for his son’s death and all.”

“My brother didn’t do shit. It’s not like he put the noose around his neck—”

“Stone,” I yell. “What is wrong with you?”