Page 18 of Under the Lights (The Big Boys of BRU #2)

Frustrated, I stared at my screen, then leaned back in my chair and stared out the window. The AC was working at full blast, trying to keep out the muggy heat of summer. It cooled down at night, but the humidity never really let up.

There was no way in hell I would live somewhere that was so humid on a daily basis.

I longed for the dry, high-altitude heat of Colorado — sunny days that didn’t leave you feeling sticky, when even a scorching day could feel bearable in the shade. Nights cooled off fast, the kind of cool that let you sleep with the windows open and wake up breathing in the fresh mountain air.

Not this soupy mess clinging to my skin like a wet blanket.

When I turned my gaze back to the laptop, I began my search anew.

With each click, I felt like I was getting further away from my destination, like I was in a tangled maze with more dead ends than I could count.

It was as if someone had designed this system to wear me down by burying the truth beneath so much nonsense that I would eventually give up.

The deeper I dug, the more everything blurred together, and I started to wonder if that was the point. Drown the truth in noise. Smother it with digital static.

This setup reminded me of David — a foolproof way to save your own skin. All surface, no spine. That was David in a nutshell. And I dated that.

Because back then, I thought I wanted stability. Perfection. Or at least the appearance of it.

The resume-worthy boyfriend with the golden smile, the fake-chivalry act, the perfect photos for the feed. I got caught up in the packaging and ignored the fact that the box was empty.

I slid all my notes back into the folder with precise care, tucking the edges square and smooth. Then I slipped the manila envelope back into its spot on the shelf. Spine facing out, perfectly aligned.

No one would suspect a thing. Not from me.

I kept things pretty. Polished. Safe.

***

The air was thick and humid, coating my skin and making me sweat even though I was barely moving. Fucking gross.

Summer here was just all kinds of wrong. I shouldn’t be pooling in sweat just because I stepped outside.

And it was only June. The worst of it hadn’t even hit yet. Just like everything else in my life right now — hot, heavy, and only getting harder to breathe through.

My steps echoed through the mostly empty parking garage. With so many people gone for the summer, there were more spots available than I’d ever seen.

Like the shadows surrounding me, I lurked, watched, and bided my time. I was a ghost from David’s past who had just begun to haunt him.

The advantage of having once been his girlfriend was that I knew what made him tick — at least to a certain extent. The best place to intercept David was easy to figure out, seeing as how much he loved his car.

Now that I think about it, that poor car had probably witnessed more action than a porn director. Yuck .

The sound of distant, echoing footsteps reached my ears, thudding briskly on the concrete. I leaned against his car, out of his line of sight. But he would have to get past me to get to the driver’s door.

And there he was — gym bag slung over his shoulder, hair freshly gelled, those stupid boat shoes on his feet. Gross. The smug confidence radiating off him made my anger spike all over again.

Anger at him. At this entire situation. At the fact that they were still strutting around like they owned the place, spending money that wasn’t theirs. They wouldn’t — they couldn’t — get away with this. Over my fucking dead body.

People always smiled when they sank the knife in. I’d learned that as the girl everyone wanted to be — until they didn’t. Until they saw a crack in the crown and rushed to rip it off my head.

That kind of attention didn’t come with real friendship. It came with hidden agendas and loyalty that vanished the moment it stopped serving them.

Letting anyone in had never been an option, especially when everyone was just waiting for me to mess up. Every connection was a calculation. Every secret, a weapon waiting to be used the second I slipped.

And when the betrayal came from the people who were supposed to protect me? That rewired something in me. I didn’t just expect betrayal anymore — I planned for it. I braced for it. It was instinct now, burned into my reflexes.

So yeah, I’d been paranoid. But I’d also been right. Again .

And David? David was just the latest asshole to prove my point. Another walking, talking red flag in a sea of them.

He rounded the front of the car, whistling, then raised his eyes … and froze, rooted to the spot.

I pushed myself off the shiny metal, turning to face him with a blank expression. Calm, collected. I was in control.

“Sierra, what—”

“I’m curious.” My gaze pierced him, unblinking, emotionless. “What did they promise you to get you to go through with the act?”

He scoffed. “I don’t know what you-”

“Please, don’t insult my intelligence.” With a shake of my head, I held up a hand. “So, what did you get? We both know perfectly well you wouldn’t do anything without gaining some kind of advantage.”

David clenched his jaw so hard that I thought I heard his molars grind. The tight pull of his mouth erased whatever charm he had left; his features twisted into something sharp and sour.

“You were obviously too stupid to realize what was going on. How anyone can fail to realize their boyfriend isn’t into them is beyond me.” He sneered.

That one stung a little. Not because I still had feelings for him, but because I was pissed at myself for falling for it. I’d chosen to ignore the red flags, and I loathed the kind of person I’d become in the wake of this decision.

Never again.

“Thanks for the confirmation.” I hissed.

“Why else would I have bothered with you? Because you’re such a delight to be around? Because you spread your legs so willingly?” His mouth pulled sideways, equal parts amusement and disdain.

A flush of anger rose to my cheeks, but I forced myself not to show any outward reaction. That miserable little rat.

With deliberate slowness, I arched my eyebrows and scrutinized him from the tips of his toes to the crown of his head until our gazes met.

“Don’t flatter yourself. You weren’t a distraction. You were a speed bump. Barely felt it.” I uttered the words slowly, as if I was twisting a knife.

“Right,” he laughed, disdainfully. “She wasn’t the only one, you know. The one you caught me with? If you hadn’t been so stupidly blind, you would’ve noticed it sooner. But I figured, if you wanted to turn a blind eye so badly, who was I to force you to face it?”

My smile was saccharine. “Yeah, that’s on me. I should’ve expected it. But don’t worry, I’ll return the favor.”

David gave a slow, lazy shrug, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Try me. Do your worst.” He chuckled, low and dismissive, like I’d just threatened him with a paper cut.

I tilted my head and gave him my coldest smile before striding toward him. He took a tiny step back, as if I were about to attack him, but I simply paused when we were on the same level.

“Oh, I will.” My words were soft, but he stiffened as if they’d been a physical blow. The silence was deafening.

Satisfaction rushed through me, warming my chest. I’d rattled him, and for the moment, that was enough. Because I wouldn’t give up.

Let him keep pretending he was untouchable. Dead ends had a way of looping back around, whether he liked it or not.