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“Nothing’s wrong, sweetheart.” He assured me. “I wanted to let you know that I have to go out of town for business tomorrow and I will be gone overnight. Perhaps you could have one of the Alexander’s stay over here with you? I would rather you not stay here alone. If that’s okay with you?”

I nodded, I would figure something ou,t so I didn’t have to be alone in the house overnight.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked to his feet.

“Have you eaten yet?” He asked in a quiet voice.

“Yeah,” I lied. “I’m tired. I’m just going to go to bed, if that’s okay with you.”

“Night, sweetheart.”

After a mumbled “Night” in response, I started to leave the room. Before I hit the hallway, I paused.

“Marcus,” I called over my shoulder. His head snapped up and his tired eyes focused on me. “Please be careful on your trip.”

Warmth and surprise lit up his eyes and he might have said something, but I left the room before he could.

I couldn’t do it.

I was all done with emotional bullshit for one day. I could take no more.

Chapter Seventeen

Quinton Alexander

I backed out of Ariel’s driveway probably too fast and completely furious. My fingers were wrapped around the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles were starting to turn white, if it hurt I was far too numb to notice.

After reversing out of the driveway my car shot forward, faster than I had reversed out of the driveway.

The house was light from the inside, letting me know Ty and the twins were safe and at home, probably conspiring against me. Lately, they had been making compla

ints about having to go to school. If Ariel was not going to attend public school, then they didn’t think they should be forced to attend either. I agreed with them. I hadn’t gone to school a day in my life and I had turned out just fine. However, I wasn’t about to tell those three idiots that. They had started arguing with me about it and every day they would come up with a new reason they shouldn’t have to go, and they proposed it to me. The whole ordeal amused me greatly because I was not the person who made them go to school in the first place. Tyson had started going after his parents died and I think he went to get away from me and our mutual grief. The twins went because Tyson did, and they had been curious about what it would be like. None of it had anything to do with me and they could quit at any time they wanted to.

I floored it, cruising past the house and headed into town.

I picked my phone up out of the cup holder and swiped my finger across the screen without taking my eyes off of the road. The screen lit up and I glanced down. I hit contacts and glanced back at the road. Using my thumb, I scrolled through the names. When I got to the J’s, I clicked on Julian’s name and put it on speaker.

He answered on the third ring.

“Yeah?” Julian said in greeting.

“I’m coming to get you,” I announced. “And I will be there in less than five.”

“I figured as much,” he grumbled. “Dash called, and he filled us in. Damien’s coming too.”

I grunted, not liking our third wheel. I hadn’t talked to Damien or seen him in weeks. Not since we had words about the way he talked about our girl.

And now he wanted to tag along?

I was immediately suspicious.

“He feels like shit, Quint,” Julian snapped at me. “Give him a break.”

I looked down at my phone, double checking to make sure I had called Julian and not someone else. Sure enough, I had the right number. He never snapped at me. He was always the calm one and I was the one who snapped at people.

“What gives, man?” I asked.

“Just get here,” he ordered before hanging up on me, making both my eyebrows go up in surprise.