Page 164 of Empire State Enemies

Connor turns his piercing gaze on me, his jaw tensing as if he’s moments away from putting his fist through the wall.

“Lexi.” The single word sounds like an accusation and a betrayal all wrapped up in one. His breathing is uneven, ragged, more like we’re gearing up for a fight than a conversation. “You told them?”

I swallow hard.I guess we’re doing this.

“No! I mean, not exactly,” I manage to squeak out. “Everyone’s just concerned about you. Maybe opening up wouldn’t be the worst idea?”

He drags a hand over his jaw, his stubble scratching audibly against his palm. “You thought it was your place to decide that for me?” he asks, his tone laced with such contempt that it sends a shiver down my spine.

Yeah, I’m scared now. Connor has this way of becoming even more imposing when he’s angry.

“Ease up, this isn’t on Lexi,” Killian interjects, his voice sharp with annoyance. “Focus on what matters here.”

“Stay out of this, Killian,” Connor snaps, his eyes never leaving mine.

My face burns hot, like I’ve just been slapped. “But I didn’t say anything! I wanted you to tell them yourself. I thought it would help,” I mumble, my words stumbling over each other.

I hardly even know what I’m trying to say anymore. How did I become the villain in all of this?

“You had no damn right.”

His eyes blaze with a fury that’s both terrifying and heartbreaking, the full force of his anger directed solely at me now. It’s even more intense than when I took his keys, a whole new level of wrath that I’ve never seen before.

My throat goes dry. What the hell? I’m too flustered to think straight, to figure out how I fucked up so badly and why he’s so pissed at me.

“Fine. Since Lexi is so intent on this, I’ll tell you—my hearing is fucked. I have an autoimmune disease.” His tone is lethal. “Happy now?”

The room falls into a stunned silence.

His mom’s eyes brim with concern. “Why hide this from the people who love you? We just want to help however we can.”

“Because I’m handling it on my own terms,” he bites out, his jaw clenched tight. “Maybe I wanted to tell you in my own time. Except Lexi thought she had the authority to fucking force this behind my back.”

The disdain dripping from his voice makes me recoil in my chair. “Wait, no! That’s not what—”

“I think you should leave.” He glares at me.

“Connor, don’t be an ass,” Killian growls, interrupting his mom’s chastising. “I approached Lexi.”

“We’ll discuss this when Lexi’s leaves,” Connor says.

My knife and fork hover in the air, my hands shaking so badly I’m afraid I might drop them.

“I’ll walk you out.” His words are clipped, his tone brooking no argument.

Is he serious? Is this really happening?

I hardly hear the others’ angry words, their voices fading into the background as Connor stands up, his chair scraping harshly against the floor.

I set my knife and fork down, my cheeks burning with humiliation.

“It was nice to meet you all,” I say in a low voice.

Killian gets up too, his expression pained. “Lexi, I’m so sorry about this.”

“With me,” Connor snaps, already striding off down the hall.

Stunned, I follow him out, feeling like I might be sick. Killian calls out another warning that Connor ignores, his voice fading into the distance as we walk away.