Page 102 of Dangerous Men

“What?” Sydney asks, sounding genuinely perplexed.

“The fucking…model,or whatever I saw leaving your apartment a few nights ago.” Chase shakes his head, disgusted.

Ashton. It had to be. Had he really been so pussy-whipped he hadn’t noticed someone watching him that night?

Fucking amateur.

“What were you doing watching my apartment?” Sydney asks. She takes another step away, fear starting to show on her face.

“I told you, I’ve been trying to talk to you.” Chase spits the words at her. “But you’re too busy whoring yourself to every man in town to even notice that I’m the only one who cares about you.”

“Leave,” Sydney snaps. Her arms uncross, and her hands grip into tight fists at her side. I want to bathe in her anger right now. “Leave right now. You don’t get to speak to me like that. Not anymore. Leave, or I’m calling the police.”

“If you would just fuckinglisten to me?—”

He reaches out to grab her, and she twists away from him so violently she stumbles and almost falls.

The instant he touches her, I move.

I’m going to tell him to leave. I’m going to remind him that they’re finished, that he fucked up, and she’s moved on. I’m going to tell him just how hard Sterling and Ashton made her come the night of the banquet, how he could never hope to give her a modicum of the pleasure they gave her that night.

I don’t.

When they both turn toward me, startled by my sudden appearance, I catch the look of fear in Sydney’s eyes. Her panic.

Panic at seeing him. Panic at having him touch her.

And I don’t say anything at all.

I pivot and punch him right in the face.

35

SYDNEY

I always knewChase was a coward.

But watching him cry on the ground, hands cradling his broken and bloody nose, I realize I never knew just how much of a coward he really was.

“Who the fuck are you?” Chase whines, staring up at Sebastian.

Sebastian looks like a dark, avenging god standing there in the fading light, staring down at my ex as he cowers on the ground.

“I’m your worst fucking nightmare if you don’t leave right now,” Sebastian answers. He’s impossibly calm as he stands between Chase and me, the blood on his swelling knuckles the only indication of what he’s just done.

“Youpunched me.” Chase takes his hand away from his nose and stares at the splash of red there in disbelief. “That’s… that’s fucking assault!”

“It is,” Sebastian agrees with a nod.

Chase sputters. “I could have you arrested!”

“You could try. But I promise you, if you go to the police,they won’t do a thing about it.” There’s a cold surety in Sebastian’s voice as he says it. “I doubt they’ll even take your statement. But go ahead. Try it.”

“Fuck you,” Chase snarls, getting shakily to his feet.

“She told you to leave,” Sebastian says, taking a calm step toward him. Chase scrambles back, holding one hand out as though to ward him off. “You should listen to her before this gets a lot worse.”

Chase looks at me, his eyes pleading.