Page 55 of Pretty Lies (Watch Me Burn #1)

The drive to Jensen’s was silent, and discomfort swirled inside me at the thought of what I had to do. Rory had just gone through horrific trauma, and I was leaving her to fend for herself when she needed me most.

She wouldn’t understand that I was doing it for her sake.

“You’re doing the right thing,” Diesel murmured as I pulled into the driveway, letting out a snort.

“Sure doesn’t fucking feel like it.”

“Like I said, let her hate you. It will keep her alive,” he replied as we climbed out and walked towards the door. I knocked and waited for Jensen to open it, relief filling his eyes when he realized it was me.

“Hey, man. Come in. Rory’s in the den.”

“How did she sleep?” I asked instantly as we walked inside, making him cringe.

“Woke up screaming with nightmares early this morning. She’s a little drunk.”

“It’s not even nine yet,” I grumbled, and Diesel elbowed me, silently telling me to shut up as Jensen rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, well, she wanted to feel numb, so Ty’s keeping an eye on her. Caden’s in the kitchen with me and Luke so she has some space,” he stated, making me pause.

“Can I talk to you guys before seeing Rory?”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“For her, it will be.”

We headed into the kitchen, and Caden sighed when he saw me.

“Morning. I guess you’ve come to whisk her away?”

“No, actually. I need you guys to look out for her for me,” I said without hesitation, making them all look at me with confusion.

“Why? Where are you going?” Jensen asked slowly.

“Nowhere. It’s bad timing, but I know she’ll be okay with you. What happened to her could happen to her weekly if she keeps hanging around me and my guys. She’s a target, and I won’t let anything else happen to her. Believe what you want, but I’m doing this because I care about her.”

The words tasted bitter in my mouth, but I had to do this, no matter how much it hurt her.

“Dude, does it have to be today? She had a rough night and she’s drunk. She needs you right now,” Caden bit out quietly, but I stood my ground.

“My enemies could see her with me tomorrow and hurt her. Or worse, kill her.”

“Doubtful.”

“I’m not risking it,” I spat, turning to Jensen. “She’s in the den?”

He nodded with a wince, and I walked through the house to find her, hearing her giggle as Tyler let out a low chuckle.

They were sitting on the couch together, an almost empty bottle of whiskey in her hand as he poked her in the ribs lightly, the sound of her happiness hitting me right in the chest. I loved her laugh.

How fucking sappy of me.

“Hey,” Tyler grinned as he noticed me standing in the doorway, a stupid look on his face that said he’d been into the whiskey too. “Our party of two can be a party of three if you bring more booze.” I didn’t reply, and he sobered up fast. “What’s wrong?”

“You need to stay away from me,” I said firmly to Rory, hurt flashing across her face.

“What? Why? Has something happened?”

“Don’t show up at my house, and don’t step foot near my crew, the Shed included.”

“What the hell?” Tyler scowled as Rory staggered to her feet.

She seemed so fragile, but at the same time, she was so fucking strong. I knew she could handle this, but that didn’t make me feel any better.

“What are you talking about?” she laughed lightly, anxiety in her voice. “This joke sucks.”

“It’s not a fucking joke. We’re done, Aurora. If you show up at the Shed, you won’t get let in.”

“You’re banning me from the fucking Shed? What about the fights?” she demanded, frustration lining her tone as she swayed slightly. “You’re not honestly taking that away from me right now.”

“Baby girl?—”

“Don’t fucking baby girl me, Skeet! You have no idea how much I need you and those fights right now! You’re not taking that away from me!” she shouted, angrily throwing the bottle at me. Her aim sucked, and I didn’t even have to move to avoid it, the glass shattering as it hit the wall.

“I am, and I have. I’ve told Slash not to let you in. You’re done, Aurora. You can hate me all you like,” I said calmly, standing still as she started slamming her fists against my chest, yelling in my face.

“I need you! You can’t do this right now! How can you do this to me after what I just went through?”

“Stop hitting me, or I’ll hit you back,” I said in a low voice, sensing someone move behind me. I wasn’t going to hurt her, but she didn’t know that.

Making her hate me was the only way I could keep her away.

“Hit me back then, you pussy! I’m not scared of you!” she screamed, her fist clipping my jaw as she kept swinging wildly.

It was at that moment I knew without a doubt that I was fucking poison to her, and it gave me the push I needed to let her go. If she thought she deserved someone who was willing to beat on her, then she really was messed up from her fucking father.

I could be rough, but I drew the line at punching her.

“Skeet,” Diesel warned, knowing I was losing my cool, but I ignored him and grabbed Rory’s slender throat in my hand when I got tired of her hitting me, slamming her down on the couch at an awkward angle to get her attention.

Her eyes wouldn’t focus, and I was honestly surprised she’d even been able to stand.

“Hit me, curse at me, damn me to hell for all I care. I’m going there anyway,” I growled, squeezing a little tighter when she tried to fight me off with the hint of panic in her eyes.

“I don’t want you. My dick’s bored. You and I just fuck, and now that you’re traumatized, you won’t want to fuck anyway. There’s no need to stick around.”

“You’re leaving me because I’m damaged goods now?” she asked with outrage as she fought harder to escape my hold, but she was too drunk to overpower me.

I had to be cruel to be kind, knowing my words would cut deep and make her hate me.

“I was never yours to begin with, and you’ve always been damaged goods, Donovan.”

She managed to shove me back as if I’d slapped her, her jaw clenched as she struggled to contain her emotions. I expected tears, but all I got was anger.

“Fuck you, you coward. You’re doing this because of Slash, aren’t you? You finally chose him over me.”

“It’s about time you learned that I’ll always choose him over you.”

“That’s enough,” Diesel said tightly, grabbing my bicep to pull me back. “Let’s go.”

“Fuck you,” Rory repeated, her voice cracking as she moved past me and stumbled along the hallway, making me blow out a breath.

She was right where she belonged, and I refused to drag her to hell with me.

I’d never admit to her how badly it hurt to let her go though. It would give her hope that I’d come back for her, or she’d come looking for me.

“You’re a real asshole,” Tyler hissed as he got to his feet and jogged after her, and Diesel shook his head at me with disgust.

“Was that really necessary?”

“I had to make her stay away. It had to be done,” I said sharply, hearing a door slam upstairs and making me wince. “Even though I feel like a dick.”

“As you should,” he muttered as we made our way back to the kitchen where Lukas got in my face.

“What did you say to her? She’s crying again.”

“Now you can swoop in like heroes and fix it. You’re welcome,” I said flatly and pushed past him. “You shouldn’t have to worry about her hanging around my guys anymore either.”

“She just spent the week being raped and tied up inside a box, Skeet. You could’ve waited,” he snarled, making me snort.

“No, I couldn’t. You’ll thank me one day for this, trust me.”

Then we left, Lukas slamming the door behind us and locking it to make sure we stayed out.

Rory

I couldn’t breathe. I thought I’d be okay, but nothing had prepared me for Skeeter’s hateful words. My chest hurt and my lungs burned as I curled up in bed with the door locked, my throat so sick of crying that my sobs were almost silent now.

Skeeter was supposed to keep me safe, he was meant to handle Tristan for me so I’d be free, but I knew he wouldn’t if he’d cut me loose.

I needed to find my mom so the second I turned eighteen I could leave and never look back.

Someone climbed on the bed behind me and I startled, finding Jensen crawling towards me with an apologetic look on his face.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Leave me alone,” I croaked, but he ignored me and laid down behind me, sliding an arm around my middle to spoon me.

“No. Let me hold you,” he murmured, my body sagging in defeat. I couldn’t fight anymore, I was exhausted.

“I’m still pissed with you guys,” I mumbled as I wiped the tears from my face, trying not to think about Skeeter’s cruel words. “A cuddle won’t change that. You’re lucky I don’t stab you.”

“I’ll take my chances. You can do what you want, but I’m not leaving you.”

“You’ll change your mind.”

If someone like Skeeter had decided I was too damaged, then the rich boys of Ashburn Valley would think the same thing too.

“Why would I? You’re everything I want. I don’t think you understand just how badly I want you when you’re not around,” he whispered, finding my hand and holding it against my chest. “You might never love me again, but I’ll always love you.”

“When I leave, hopefully it will make it easier for you to forget about me.”

He was silent for a moment, processing what I’d said.

“Leaving? Where are you going?”

“I’d always planned on finding my mom once I turned eighteen. Max can’t stop me then. I’m hoping Josie can help me find her so I can live with her. She’s the best mom, she’s all I need.”

“I hate to break it to you, but I’ll still love you no matter where you go,” he finally said, burying his face between my shoulder blades. “Can you ever forgive me? I know I don’t deserve it, but fuck, Rory. I’m so fucking sorry for hurting you.”

I laid there without moving for a while until I rolled over and met his concerned gaze.

“You have no idea how much it hurt to look at you and see the dismissal in your eyes as you kept your mouth shut while Caden tore me apart like that. You could have told me about Tristan, or even warned me about what I was walking into. You could have?—”

“I tried to stay away from you, but I couldn’t. Jesus Christ, I fucking fell in love with you and I was too chicken shit to tell you. Lukas bailed on us at school that day because he didn’t want any part in it, and?—”

“Then why the fuck didn’t you bail too? Why did you just stand there and let Ty and Caden do that to me? You should’ve stepped in sooner. It wrecked me to know I’d fallen in love with people who had used me for their own personal fucking amusement, and everything had been a lie.”

“It wasn’t a lie. I was always myself around you, and my feelings were real.”

“If you really cared as much as you claim, then you wouldn’t have turned your back on me.

I appreciate you guys being here for me right now, but when I’m gone, you won’t hear from me again.

Get used to it,” I said sharply, both of us falling silent as he continued to hold me until I passed the fuck out.