Page 119 of Hate So Deep
“About what?” I ask and she rolls her eyes.
“You can’t have it both ways, Dirk. Stop torturing the poor girl.”
Her words batter at my already aching chest which is why I bark, “What I do or don’t do with Lauren is none of your fucking business. Back off, Finn.”
Her eyes widen before her mouth curves into a grimace, and I brace myself because I know that Finn is not going to take my words laying down.
I’m not disappointed either because she points at my chest and says, “Stop being a douche, Dirk. I didn’t take you for a coward. Yes, Colt struggles with accepting his sister, but that has nothing to do with Lauren and everything to do with that bitch she calls her mother.”
I open my mouth to respond not that I know what to say but she waves her finger in my face and says, “Either way Lauren has to live with that woman. That woman is her mother, and she needs somebody who’s going to be there for her and not let her down because right now all she feels is cold and fucking alone.”
Speechless, I turn away, clenching my hands into fists but she’s not fucking done and mumbles as I walk away, “Don’t be the one that breaks her dick. You’re not that person.”
Swinging around, I watch her retreat back up the stairs with my jaw at my knees before slipping through the door.
While I appreciate her passionate speech, the truth is that I am that person. However, Finn has always been way too idealistic, which probably works in Colt’s favor, but in this, she can’t save me.
Someday, Lauren’s going to meet her asshole prince and he’s going to lie, promising shit no one can deliver, and she’ll eat it up, as all good princesses do.
This is the gift I’m giving her.
Fuck me.
Chapter 44
NOW
Lauren
Dirk is gone when I wake up the next morning and although I’m confused as to why I found him sitting in my room in the dark, I can’t be sorry.
Although it’s always a frenzy with Dirk, this time it felt different, slower, more intense and I wonder if it’s related to his confession to Colt.
Of course, we didn’t speak about it after, and I fell into a deep sleep instead. It would be foolish to hope for more now that thecat is out of the bag, but dreams are just that, foolish fantasies that rarely come true.
Ugh.
Still, my heart feels a little brighter as I step down the stairs to refill my glass of water and find something to nibble on that won’t upset my stomach.
When I reach the bottom of the stairs though, I pause because Colt and Dirk are in the living room, facing off by the picture window.
They both turn, eyeing me with matching scowls and I ask, “What’s going on?”
For fucks sake, the last thing I need is both of them riding my ass, although I am hoping they weren’t arguing over me because my history with Dirk is so minor in comparison to the other shit going on.
“We have some news,” Colt says and the peculiar gleam in his eyes sends a shiver down my spine.
The better part of me wants to walk out that door and just keep going but I can’t. I’m stuck in this mess until the end. I just hope it doesn’t include me spending it in fucking prison.
“What?” I ask and his eyes slide to Dirk, whose head is bowed to his chest while he seemingly glares at the floor.
Shit.
What is going on? If he puts me off after what we did last night, in front of my asshole half-brother, I will lose my shit and this time, the charges will be legit because I’m not holding fucking back.
“The police found Aimee’s body,” Dirk finally says.
“Oh,” I whisper, dropping to the couch and covering my swirling tummy.
