Page 90 of Merciless

“Why are you protecting him?” His expression darkens, and he steps forward, easily closing the gap between us.

I take another step back. “I’m not protecting him.”

“Then give me your phone.” Step. “I won’t know who it is unless you show me.” Step.

“You won’t know.” My back meets the door, and I take a breath as I tilt back my head.

Elijah rests his forearm beside my head, and he stares into my eyes as he fishes in my pocket with his free hand. I shake my head and fight to get the phone back from him, but he easily overpowers me and holds it out of reach. He turns the screen toward me to use my face to unlock the phone before he scrolls through the messages.

“Elijah, please,” I whisper.

I swipe for the phone, but he raises it higher and keeps scrolling. Every second that passes, his eyebrows dip lower and lower until he’s scowling at the screen.

After he finishes, he turns his glare on me. “He touched you?”

My arms fall to my sides, and I drop my head against the door. Tears pool in my eyes, and I nod once.

“I’m sorry that he’s bringing you into this, too,” I whisper.

Elijah shakes his head and mutters a curse under his breath. “I’ll take care of him.”

“How?” I let out a dry laugh. “Do you know who it is?”

“I don’t. But I have my ways.”

“Elijah—” I swallow around the lump forming in my throat. “I’m sorry.”

His features soften. It has to be the first time he’s looked at me like this. As if he feels bad that I’m going through something traumatic and feeling hopeless. He cups my cheek and strokes it with his thumb.

“Don’t be sorry,” he whispers. “It’s not your fault.”

“It feels like it.”

He lowers his head until his mouth hovers an inch away from mine. “Eden, it’s not your fault. Whoever this guy is, he’s fucked in the head. He’s the one that’s⁠—”

“Eli!” a woman squeals.

His lips clamp shut, and his eye twitches before he peeks over his shoulder at her. I follow the line of his gaze and frown at Ashleigh. Elijah straightens and puts space between us so we don’t look like two lovers caught together.

“Oh, it’s you,” Elijah says, his tone dry. “How pleasant to see you, Ashleigh. I’ve been avoiding you all morning. How’s your boyfriend, Max?”

Ashleigh walks toward us, her steps more like skipping than anything else. “We’re not together anymore.”

“I’ll let you two catch up.” I shove the bar on the door.

Elijah catches me by the elbow and drags me back to him.

“We’re not done talking yet,” he whispers in my ear.

Releasing me, he turns back to Ashleigh, his features blank, but his lip curls as if she smells like shit.

The same look he always gave me before he started helping me.

I shudder and rush through the door.

He can say we’re not done talking, but I can’t stand talking more about what’s been happening. I’m at the if I don’t acknowledge it, it doesn’t exist phase. I also don’t trust that Elijah will take care of the problem. I think he’ll make it worse.

I take a deep breath before starting my trek back to the house. It’s a twenty-minute walk, and I need it to clear my head.