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She practically jumped out of her skin. “Oh, hell. I didn’t realize you were here.” Ari pinned me with an intense stare, and I wondered if she was trying to figure out who the man was behind the mask.
I strolled over to her and reached out, my fingertips skimming along her soft cheek. “You’re stunning.”
Her tongue darted over her lower lip. “Then why did you hightail it out of the room when you saw my face the last time?”
A bark of laughter tore from my mouth. It never occurred to me that she thought I bolted because she was ugly.
“I had an unexpected call.” I doubted she would buy my lie, but I wasn’t going to tell her the truth . . . yet.
Her full lips pursed into a thin line. “I see. Well, I’m here again, so I guess I’ll have to believe you.”
I wrapped strands of her hair around my fingers as my brain skipped through the stupid tulips and betrayed me with the memories Ari and I had together.
“Kneel, pet.”
Ari sank to her knees, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly. She liked it rough when we were teenagers; apparently, that hadn’t changed. I was okay with it.
“Do you want me to fuck you, Phoebe?”
Hunger flashed in her blue eyes. “Yeah.”
“Is your cunt wet for me already?” I grabbed a handful of her hair and forced her head back.
“Why don’t you find out?”
Even though she couldn’t see my face, I smiled. There was the feisty girl I’d fallen in love with.
“I have other plans for you tonight.”
“Okay.” Her sweet and obedient voice coasted over my skin, and I wanted to bury myself inside her.
“Tell me, Phoebe Jenkins. Do you know what it feels like to be so deeply betrayed that it carves your heart out of your chest?”
She blinked several times before she spoke. “No. I . . .”
I gripped her chin and forced her to look at me. “Tell me.”
“I was the betrayer.”
Thank God she couldn’t see my shock beneath the mask. “What do you mean?” This was about to get good.
“I betrayed someone I loved and it . . .” She jerked out of my grip and stood. “I can’t do this.”
Ari darted for the door, and before I realized it, she disappeared.
“Son of a bitch!” I fisted my hands, frustrated that the evening hadn’t gone as I’d hoped. It was time to step it up a notch.
* * *
An hour later, I looked at the new piece of furniture Coach had promised. My chest tightened with gratitude when I saw the twin bed with new blankets, pillows, and pillowcases. The navy blue was a nice splash of color against the white walls. I wondered if Coach’s wife helped pick the bedding out. The idea that she cared enough to keep my secret softened my hardened heart. Maybe my mom would have done the same, but I never gave her a chance after Gunner found me.
I sank onto the mattress and stared at the ceiling. Ari had thrown me for a fucking loop earlier. Hopefully, the guilt of deceiving me for years was eating her alive from the inside out.
“Dammit.” I scrubbed my face with my hands and groaned. I still had to deal with Peter, or rather what was left of him. I grabbed my burner phone for the society and placed a call to Anderson.
He answered on the first ring. “What’s up, man?”
“I’ve got a sitch.”
