Page 85 of That Pucking New Girl

“Bullshit!” a man with slicked back blonde hair and covered in tattoos calls out, shutting a door on the other end of the store.

We all jump, and I catch Noor from falling over as she turns too quickly. I let her go once I know she’s steady again, and clasp my wrists behind my back to keep from touching her.

I’m so fucking fucked. How do I tell my friends that I’m catching feelings for Noor?

“Elijah, what did you just say?” she asks weakly, watching as Elijah barrels through the store toward us. I’m fighting the instinct to step in front of her because his dark eyes are blazing with anger.

“Haven’t you caught on yet?” he asks, his hand rising and falling at his side, hitting his thigh loudly. We’re the only ones here, which I suppose shouldn’t be a surprise with the fact that it’s almost eleven. “You’re stuck with us, Noor. It hasn’t been more than a couple of weeks, which is why we haven’t pressed the issue, but we want to adopt you. Is it fast? Yeah. Do I give a shit? Not really.”

“Can you adopt someone that’s almost eighteen?” Draven asks. “Isn’t that kind of outside the norm?”

“Again, I don’t care,” Elijah says. “You shitheads should leave. Stop bothering her, stalkers. The rules don’t apply to people like us, Noor. You deserve a family who will handle the rough days and celebrate the good ones.”

“I’m so much work,” Noor wails, making my jaw drop. This is such an intimate conversation, but I can’t force myself to leave.

“So fucking what?” he asks. “We all have our shit. Rachelle and Jared walked into that meeting knowing you have baggage. Trust me, you fit right in. We can wait a couple of months to make it official, or we can do it tomorrow, but you need to know you’re part of this family.”

He catches her as she throws herself at him, hugging her as she cries.

“Get out,” he growls, his eyes on us. “I don’t know what kind to shit you’re up to, but I will protect her from you. Where the fuck did Brea get to?”

“I’m here!” a woman says, hurrying from another corner of the store. God, how many different secret entrances are there in his place? “I just went to eat before Noor finished her shift.”

“Let’s go,” Ciaran says softly. “We shouldn’t be here for this.”

Turning away, we walk out of the store.

“Damn,” Ciaran mutters. “What are the odds that she would end up with parents who give a damn after being in the system for so long?”

I’m not sure, but I have a feeling we’re going to need to watch our backs.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-ONE

CIARAN

My mind is reeling as I help Alastair navigate the back streets of Montecito. It can get really confusing with how they set up this grid on the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains, especially in the dark. You’ll find cemeteries nestled between grocery stores and houses. The entire area is a free for all.

It’s always felt creepy to me, and I rarely have a reason to come out here.

“Take a left up here,” I say, sighing as Alastair misses it.

“Sorry,” he mutters. “I’m distracted.”

As if it’ll help him focus, he shoves his hand through his loose brown hair and pulls on it hard, making me wince.

“Dude,” I sigh. “What’s your deal? Is it her?”

“Who else would it be?” Draven mumbles. “I thought her foster dad was going to eat us alive. Noor rarely shows her emotional scars like that. I know we’ve read some of her files and shit, but damn.”

I’ve read everything I can get my hands on. It’s become an unhealthy obsession. I swing between wanting to destroy her and save her. Alastair and Draven don’t know that she’s been pinned by a few of the football players while trying to get to classes. I told them to fuck off once she wrestled free. Nope never saw me, but I’ve become a ghost that follows her.

I saw when Alastair yanked her into the classroom, and the way Noor escaped looking spooked and very well fucked. We have to keep our shit together. We don’t need any distractions to hijack what we’ve been working for.

I also need my best friend to stop fucking lying to me.

“So what if she’s had a shit hand in life?” I ask, watching the GPS reroute us.