Page 41 of The Destruction You Desire

"She needs me, Aunt Fee. If she makes it through this, maybe it'll be the wake up call she needs."

Aunt Fee lets out a loud exhale. I know what she's thinking, and maybe she's right. Maybe Libby is a lost cause, but I refuse to give up hope on her. Kayden needs her. I need her. Addicts recover all the time, I can't lose hope that she could be one of them who does. I've already lost too much. I have to believe that there is a chance.

"You need to be careful," she warns. "I know you still love him, but you can't—"

"Is everything okay?" Luca's booming voice cuts through Aunt Fee's warning as he comes to stand behind her.

"Y-yeah. Aunt Fee's just reminding me that I hate you." Folding Elijah's hoodie and placing it at the top of my bag, I throw it over my shoulder. "Let's go."

I push past both of them, already fed up with their meddling in my life.

Luca's fingers wrap around the strap of the bag over my shoulder and when he lifts it, I allow him to take it.

"I'll call you when I know something," I tell Aunt Fee as they both follow me down the stairs.

"Okay. Give her my love."

"Let's just hope I can, huh?"

"Shit, Peyton." She grabs my forearm and I spin around to her.

The tears shining in her eyes don't help me with my quest to keep it together.

"I'm okay. It's going to be okay."

She pulls me into her arms and holds me tight for two seconds before she releases me and pins Luca with a fierce look that I'm not used to seeing on her.

"You hurt her again and your life won't be worth living. I own a gun and my late husband ensured I knew how to use it."

If the situation weren't so dire, I might laugh at the look on Luca's face as all the blood drains out of it.

"She's joking. Let's go."

"Am I? I wouldn't want to test it if I were you, Dunn," she warns.

"Jesus. Come on."

"Call me as soon as you can."

I agree as I race down toward Luca's car. I don't bother to wait for him to open the door for me this time, I just impatiently drop into the passenger seat as he throws my bag in the trunk.

Aunt Fee watches us from the doorway with her brows pulled together in concern. I understand. I don't particularly want to fly to Atlanta with Luca but if it gets me there faster and safer, then I'm all for it right now.

"We'll swing by my place so I can grab some stuff and then we'll head to the airport."

"Okay," I say, strapping myself in and keeping my eyes looking out of the window.

"I just want to help, Peyton," he says after I ignore him for long, agonizing minutes.

"I know," I say coolly. I might appreciate what he's doing for me right now. But that doesn't mean I'm going to give him a free pass after all the shit he's pulled.

One good deed isn't going to make me forget about all the pain he's caused me. How he's treated Leon lately.

"I'll wait here," I say when he pulls up outside of his house.

His chin drops as if he's about to argue but he must think better of it as he closes it again, nodding his head and climbing from the car.

I watch him as he makes his way toward the house, taking in his confident swagger, my eyes dropping down his body to focus on his ass.