Collide (Collide, #1)(108)

“Fiancée?” Gavin asked, trying to ignore the cracking in his voice and the sudden spike in his body temperature. “She broke up with you.”

“Yeah, but I talked to her, and the wedding’s back on.”

Dillon continued to speak, and although Gavin was staring straight into his eyes, he didn’t hear him. He couldn’t. Swallowing hard, Gavin’s ears stung from Dillon’s announcement, its insidious whisper settling like acid in his lungs. Searing pain—deep and brutal—pumped through Gavin’s veins, manifesting itself like a deadly cancer.

Lifting his arm, Gavin slowly ran a nervous hand through his hair. “The wedding’s back on?” he asked, his voice low, bleeding with confusion.

“Yeah, man. I just went through the whole thing with you. It’s back on,” he replied, a hint of confusion tainting his tone as well. Dillon let out a breath and shook his head. “Look, I get it, okay? You’re right. I shouldn’t have used the drinking as an excuse. Though I remain firm that you shouldn’t have hit me, I’m willing to forgive you.”

“You think I need your f*cking forgiveness?” Gavin snapped, still trying to recover from the hurt anchoring itself in his chest. “You have some balls coming to my f*cking office, telling me that you’re willing to forgive me. You’re lucky I’m not knocking the shit out of you right here.”

“See, this is what I’m talking about. I’m trying to smooth things out with you, and you’re acting like a f*cking lunatic. What the f*ck, man?”

Gavin glared at him for a long moment as flashes of Emily flooded his mind. Crossing his arms, he turned and walked over to the window. The sun had long since made its descent below the buildings, and a full moon had taken its place. Inhaling deeply, Gavin nodded. He was in no way being benevolent, and he sure as shit wasn’t forgiving Dillon. His sole purpose was to end the conversation and get to Emily in whatever way he could.

Therefore, he would play the game.

He vaguely remembered her saying that she was covering a dinner shift tonight at Bella Lucina. Just as he did so many months ago, he would pay her an unexpected visit. However, this time he would go to her a very broken and very confused man looking for answers.

He just hoped he would find them.

“You’re correct, Dillon,” he said, his voice devoid of any emotion that it shocked even him. “I am acting like a nut.” He turned and faced him, his facial features smoothing into unreadable impassivity. “If you’re able to forgive me for doing what I did, then, surely, I can get over what you’ve done to Emily.”

Gavin carefully watched as the guard in Dillon’s eyes seemed to evaporate into thin air.

“Okay, so we’re good then?” Dillon asked.

Crossing his arms and without a word spoken, Gavin simply nodded.

“Alright, cool,” he said, looking down to his watch. “I’m going out for a couple of drinks with some buddies from work. I think we both could hammer back a few after this. Why don’t you come along?”

“I have some business to attend to,” he replied, his voice even. “Very important business.”

“Well, if you get done early enough, I’ll be at Ainsworth Prime over in Penn Plaza.”

Gavin nodded, and with that, Dillon walked over to the door to make his way out.

“One more thing,” Gavin said, walking across the room, his voice low.

Dillon turned to face him.

Gavin pinned him with a look, and in that moment, he knew his expression told all. “If you ever touch her again, I’ll f*cking kill you with my bare hands.”

Cocking his head to the side, Dillon returned his glare and went to speak but didn’t. He shook his head and walked out the door.

As confusion rolled off his body in waves, Gavin took a few minutes and tried to compose himself. His body shook as he tried to breath. Still in shock at what was happening around him, he moved across his office and sank himself into his chair. With Emily’s words tumbling around in his head, it was no use. Composing himself was unobtainable. His head pounded, and his vision blurred. Emily swallowed him whole, lied about wanting a future with him, and spit him out once Dillon came back. Not capable of waiting any longer, Gavin closed his eyes for a beat, inhaled a breath, and dug his keys from his pocket. He rose from his chair and stalked from his office. Hurt, anger, and pain tightened his chest with every step he took. He knew it would be a few hours before Emily’s shift ended, but when it did, he would be there waiting for her.




“Country,” Antonio said, approaching the table where Emily and Fallon were sitting. “If your side work’s complete, you can get out of here.”

Emily lifted her eyes to him as she screwed the top onto a salt shaker. She nodded. “Thanks, Antonio.”

“What about me?” Fallon asked, tossing a wrapped piece of silverware into a plastic bin.

“You’re out of luck, kid,” he chuckled. “You’re the scheduled closer tonight.”

Fallon pouted her lips. “Come on, Antonio. It’s pouring outside, and I’ve only had two tables in the last three hours. It’s already eight. It’s so dead in here right now; you could handle the place on your own.”

Shaking his head, he mumbled something in Italian and walked away.