Page 81 of Burning Daylight

19

ROMAN

Fuck.

The look on Juliette’s face destroys me. Her lip trembles slightly and even though I keep trying to catch her eyes, to try and express…I don’t know…something, she avoids my gaze.

But she’s not my problem.

Shecan’tbe my problem.

I’m not here for her.

I bite down hard, my tongue pressed so tight to my molars I taste blood.

Placating Juliette isn’t the marching order I’ve been given by my father.

It’s about Craig Calloway.

And the way his face is void of color and he looks frozen, I think the message was well received.

I watch his reaction closely, trying to decipher if what my father told me is true. If it reallywasCraig trying to take me out all those years ago.

If so…

My mother grew dependent on pills because of that crash. Lost her job. Her passion. Her livelihood. In return, I lost her, and my sister lost stability.

Fresh anger burns through me, even though my heart speeds in my chest and my hands are clammy.

It’s not really high on my list of things to do; being in the same area as a man who everyone implies wants to kill me.

“Surprise,” I say to him, waving my fingers in the air. “You all right? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Juliette flinches at my words, like the venom in my tone is burningher. Her skin’s gone pale, her jaw is slack, and her whole body is tight like a pinched wire.

I never wanted her to feel like this. Never wanted tomakeher feel like this.

My stomach twists violently.

I focus back on Craig. “Heard there was a celebration going on, so I figured I’d stop by and give you something worth celebrating.”

Juliette visibly stumbles back, her hand rubbing her chest. One of her brothers, the same one who gripped her arm earlier, reaches for her again. This time, she doesn’t fight it, allowing him to pull her away.

He turns and pushes her gently toward the blond man who came with their father. Without missing a beat, he wraps an arm around her shoulders and guides her away.

There’s a flare of somethinghotinside me when he does, but I don’t spend too much time focusing on it.

Ican’t.

Juliette Calloway isn’t my problem.

Maybe if I repeat it a hundred times, it will sink into my head, and this strange pull demanding I follow her will cease to exist.

“You’re trespassing,” Craig responds, his eyes like a knife. “I suggest you get off my property before I have you forcibly removed.”

He nods toward the security guards manning the gate.

I suck on my teeth and tilt my head. “So interesting, your choice of words.Forcibly removed.People love doing that around here, huh?”