Page 43 of The Destruction You Desire

He nods at me as Luca drops into the driver's seat.

"You," Lee spits, his expression instantly morphing into something most people would be scared of. "If you so much as lay a finger on her, I'll drive to Atlanta and kick your fucking ass."

"Whatever," Luca mutters, totally unfazed by his brother's warning.

The car rumbles to life beneath us and Lee has no choice but to pull his head from the car when Luca puts the window up on him.

"Call me if you need me," he mouths at me.

I nod once more before Luca floors the accelerator, sending me flying back into the seat.

"Jesus, a little warning would be nice."

"I don't like him touching you," Luca grits out.

"Fuck off, Luc. He's your brother. My friend."

"I don't care. You're mine."

I scoff. "I haven't been yours for years. It's time you got with the fucking program, Luc. There is no us. And you only have yourself to blame for that."

"I know who is at fault here, Peyton. You really don't need to rub it in my face."

"Really?" I ask, a bitter laugh falling from my lips. "I think you deserve everything I can throw at you. You called me a liar, Luc. After all our years together, everything we'd shared and experienced together. You threw all of that away because of him. Because of a sick fuck who can't keep his…" My words trail off knowing that saying them out loud won't help either of us.

"Don't." he spits.

Folding my arms across my chest, I once again focus my stare out of the window as he flies down Main Street toward the highway that will take us toward the airport.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask after long silent agonizing minutes have passed.

"Because you shouldn't do it alone."

"Leon offered to take your place," I confess.

"Motherfucker." Luca's palm slams down on the wheel.

"I thought about taking him up on his offer. Getting out of your car, climbing into his and turning my back on you. I probably should have done that."

His teeth grind and his jaw pops at my words.

"When I told him everything yesterday, do you know what he said?"

Luca's grip on the wheel tightens, his knuckles turning white with his grip.

"He believed me, Luc. No question."

"Of course he fucking did," he mutters.

I let his words ring around us for a few more minutes as the airport becomes visible on the horizon.

"It ripped him apart, Luc. The look on his face. It took him to a bad place. I don't know what it was, but I'm worried about him."

He lets out a long sigh. "Leon's… complicated."

"That makes both of you. Is it a twin thing or is Shane hard work too?"

"It's a Dunn thing," he deadpans. "We're all related to that cunt. What do you expect?"