Page 17 of Unmask (Crew of Elmwood Public #2)

KREED

T he burn of whiskey hit the back of my throat, but it didn’t do shit to quiet the war in my chest. I sat hunched at the end of the bar, elbows on the scratched wood, half-empty glass in one hand as if it were the only thing keeping me sane.

I’d started my day here. Seemed only right I ended it here, too. Full circle in the worst way possible.

I could still see Kaylor in Carson’s arms, her fingers tangled in his shirt like she needed him. Like he was her safe place.

I didn’t think. I didn’t breathe. I saw red, and the next thing I knew, my fist was in motion and Carson’s mouth was split open.

I’d hit him. Her best friend, and I hated myself for how right it had felt. It was second nature to rely on my fists.

“Word is you had a little altercation with the best friend,” Raine drawled, sliding onto the stool beside mine.

His leather jacket creaked as he leaned forward, elbows on the counter to signal the bartender.

That lazy grin tugged at his lips, the one that always made me want to land a punch just to wipe it clean off his face.

Running a finger over the rim of my glass, I stared at the amber liquid. “If the twins sent you here to come get me, you can see yourself out.”

He let out a low whistle, reaching over the bar for a half-melted ice cube and popping it in his mouth. “Well, someone needs to babysit your sorry ass. Honestly, though, I’m surprised it’s you. Not sitting in the corner like some exiled prince, but jealousy? That’s usually Maddox’s lane.”

I downed the last of my whiskey in one drag, the burn barely registering. “I’m having a moment,” I muttered, glaring at the empty glass.

Raine raised a brow. “Getting wasted every day won’t win her back.”

I stiffened. “Why the fuck would I want her back?” I hissed.

He didn’t back down, just tilted his head and smiled wider. “Then you won’t mind if I shoot my shot?”

I was out of the stool before his last word hit the air. My fist flew, landing with a sick crack against his jaw. Raine stumbled back a step, hand flying to his face, blinking like he hadn’t quite expected me to move that fast. “You done?” he growled.

Every nerve still hummed inside me from the hit.

Raine straightened, working his jaw with a wince. “That’s what I thought. If just hearing me say her name sets you off, maybe stop pretending you don’t have feelings for her. You do. We both know it.”

“Fuck. Off.”

“Still got a hell of a right hook,” he muttered, rubbing his chin. “Though you might want to work on your impulse control, Romeo.”

I sat back on the stool, my blood still rushing through my veins. “Keep pushing me and you’ll lose more than your pride, old man.”

“Old man?” Raine laughed under his breath. “Ha. I can still take you. Besides, you’re the one unhinged. So dramatic.”

I ran a hand down my face, the stress pressing into my skull. The anger was already burning out, leaving only the ache. “I need to see her.”

“You’re not driving,” he said immediately, already anticipating the next fight.

“Then get out of my way.” I shot him a look. “I’ll walk.”

He sighed, grabbing his keys and tossing them in the air. “You’re lucky I’m in a charitable mood. But you owe me. Gas, emotional trauma, dental work…”

“Yeah,” I muttered, heading for the door. “Add it to the list.”

The night air hit like a slap, but it didn’t clear my head.

Nothing would, not until I saw her again.

Even if she hated me, even if she slammed the door in my face, I just needed to explain.

One more chance to see her eyes before she looked through me like I didn’t matter because she still fucking did to me, and I didn’t know how to stop giving a shit about her.

Raine had that annoying charm about him that made people soften before they even realized it. Gender didn’t matter. Age didn’t matter. He walked into a room, and people instinctively leaned in, drawn to whatever calm confidence he bled without even trying.

It made getting through the gated community too damn easy. The same rent-a-cop from last time sat at the booth. His eyes flicked to Raine, then me, and he grinned like we were old buddies. “I’m good with faces,” he said, lifting the gate.

Thank fucking God.

I wasn’t in the mood for obstacles today.

Clearly.

“Apparently not good with judgment,” I muttered under my breath as Raine rolled his car past the gatehouse.

My older brother smirked. “Be grateful. You’ve got all the charm of a mugshot right now. You wouldn’t have made it inside without me.”

I didn’t answer. My pulse had started to spike the moment we turned onto her street. “Fuck” breezed through my lips at the sight of a familiar BMW as Raine pulled into the driveway.

He followed my gaze. “A friend of yours?” he asked, nodding to the car.

I shoved the passenger door open, barely waiting for the engine to cut. “Hardly. That asshole’s climbing the charts on my enemies list.”

“Ah. The best friend,” Raine concluded, dragging the words out like a sigh as he leaned on the steering wheel. “Try not to kill him. These are new shoes, and blood doesn’t wash out of suede.”

But I wasn’t listening anymore. Not really.

The minute my boots hit the pavement, the buzz that had clung to me like a second skin started to evaporate. What was left was fire—hot, reckless, coiling under my skin as I spotted Carson.

The douche was already halfway down the steps, tension pouring off him in waves, shoulders locked, fists flexing at his sides, and jaw tense enough to snap.

His eyes met mine, fury radiating in them with no attempt to mask it, no veil of civility.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he bit out, a scornful breath of disdain slipping from his throat.

“You just can’t take no for an answer, can you? ”

I stepped forward, my shadow swallowing the sidewalk between us. “Would you?” My voice dropped, rough around the edges. “If you had a shot with her, are you telling me you wouldn’t burn down the whole goddamn world to get her back?”

Carson stopped at the end of the porch, his expression dark. “You never had her.”

I smiled, but it was all teeth and bad intentions. “I’ve had more of her than you have.”

His hands curled into fists at his sides. “She deserves better. You’ll never be good enough for her.”

My breath burned in my chest. “The only thing we can agree on. But I’m a selfish bastard, and I want her. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you look at her. She might not be aware that you’ve been harboring a hard-on for her, but you couldn’t be more obvious where I stand.”

Carson took a slow step toward me, his voice a low warning. “If you hurt her again…”

Behind us, Raine let out a long sigh and muttered something about testosterone and therapy.

I cocked my head. “You’ll what?” I baited, and neither Carson nor I looked away because this wasn’t just about a girl. This was a declaration of claim, and I had no plans of losing. Not this time.

An arrogance I hadn’t anticipated descended into his pretty-boy preppy features. “You’re not the only one with resources available to them.”

The corner of my mouth twitched. “Stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours. We don’t need to be friends. Hell, we don’t even need to like each other.”

He scowled, but he stepped aside, brushing past me and then Raine. I didn’t miss the way he hesitated, glancing back at the house as if he didn’t want to leave her alone with me.

Smart man.

The front door creaked open, and Kaylor stood framed in the threshold like a guardian angel with fire in her eyes.

One hand was braced against the door frame, knuckles white with tension, and her brows were drawn together in a line of barely contained fury.

Her gaze volleyed between Carson and me.

“What the hell was that?” The words cracked through the air as she stepped out onto the porch, her bare feet silent against the tile.

She crossed her arms over her chest, creating a barrier between us and the vulnerability flickering beneath her anger.

The afternoon light caught the silver highlights in her hair, haloing her in flame.

I forced a breath through my nose, slow and measured, trying to keep the jagged edge out of my voice before it could betray just how much seeing her again was unraveling me. “Nothing. Just clearing the air.”

Her icy blue eyes narrowed, storm clouds gathering behind them. “What are you doing here, Kreed?” My name on her lips was both a caress and a condemnation, and I felt it in places I’d tried to forget existed.

“He’s having a bad day,” Raine cut in smoothly, appearing at my side as if he’d materialized from thin air.

His hands were shoved deep in the pockets of his worn leather jacket, shoulders loose with that practiced nonchalance he wore like armor, his tone breezy as if we weren’t all standing in the middle of an emotional land mine.

“Thought we’d drop in. You know, for mental health. ”

Kaylor didn’t move, didn’t even blink, but I caught the subtle shift in her posture, the way her weight transferred from one foot to the other like she was calculating distances, measuring her chances of getting back inside before either of us could stop her.

Her fingers twitched against her arms, a nervous flutter betraying her composure.

Then she bit down on her bottom lip, teeth catching the soft pink flesh in an unconscious gesture that had always been my undoing.

God, that habit. The sight of it hit me like a sucker punch to the solar plexus, stealing the air from my lungs and making me forget how to fucking breathe, especially now, when she was looking at me like I was the biggest asshole.

I probably was.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” she said, studying my face with the intensity of someone trying to solve a particularly complex puzzle.