Page 57 of Revere

“It’s between me and him.”

“Got it.” He clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth, knowing better than to keep pushing. “It might be tough getting the information you’re looking for. Gideon keeps his family close.”

“As evidenced by the fact that he has someone watching her in LA,” I point out, irritated just thinking about it. Patience doesn’t know her father’s men are watching her for the summer, but I don’t miss anything. “There’s a reason they call you the Seeker.”

He grins. “And there’s a reason they call you the Interrogator.”

“Cheers to that.” We clink glasses and share a drink as a notification sounds from my phone.

The man I have watching Patience while I’m at the restaurant indicates she is heading to the airport a few minutes early, which means things didn’t go well at her parents’ house.

I’m not surprised, but it doesn’t sit well. Especially when the second message comes through, containing a picture of her sitting, gripping the steering wheel with tears running down her cheeks.

It’s one thing for her parents to irritate her, but the fact that she’s upset has any other thought evaporating.

Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I lift from my seat.

“Leaving so soon?” Quinn asks.

A practiced smile crosses my face; indifference is an art, and I’m well-versed. “I was going to meet with my brother next, but that will have to wait until next time. I have business to attend to.”

“I’ll work on that information.” Quinn stands, shaking my hand. “Are you sure everything is okay? It seems like something’s bothering you all of a sudden.”

“Nothing I don’t have under control.”

19

DESTROY ME

PATIENCE

It doesn’t take longto find Jacob standing at the gate. When I do, his eyes are already on me. Relief floods my chest at the sight of him. My freedom from this life I’ve been living. From everything that happened tonight.

My brother speaking.

My mother’s continued mission of tearing me down until I break.

Mila and Alex fighting after my father purposely found a way to get between them.

Exhaustion seeps deep into my bones as I tug my purse up my shoulder. Each step is heavier than the last.

The moment I landed in Bristal, I slipped back into my role of coming second to everyone around me. Someone for my parents to blame for my brother’s actions. Someone to hold the thin fabric of our family together.

But when I meet Jacob’s gaze, I’m not a go-between. I’m not the bandage holding everyone around me together. I’m simply Patience.

A girl choosing herself for once in her life.

Jacob might be off-limits. A mistake I can’t take back. He might be a temporary escape when I know I can’t actually have him. There are rules. Limits.

Consequences.

We can’t explore this beyond this summer. But tonight, when I look into his eyes, every part of me wants whatever scraps I can get.

Jacob slides his bag off the empty seat beside him when I stop in front of it. A silent offering. Like he’s been saving it just for me. Because, unlike everyone else in my life, he sees me.

I drop down, and my shoulders finally relax. The weight of the evening loosens, and I let it be something else I’m leaving behind before I disappear to LA again.

This was never going to be a good night. I knew that when my mother lured me here under false pretenses. But after my father purposely found a way to piss Mila off and cause a fight between her and my brother, my family proved just how messy they can get.