Fractured Freedom(21)

“You’re not— You owe it to me to tell me what is going on here, Dante,” I practically screeched.

His piercing green gaze narrowed on the road, and his muscles bunched as he gripped the wheel. Dante was harder, colder, fiercer than I remembered. “I owe you your safety, Lilah.” He glanced at me as he stopped at a light. “I won’t coddle you. You get what I give you. That’s it.”

“Izzy has been in jail with me for two days. A lot has been said, and none of it was that she wanted to stay holed up there,” I snarled before he could continue.

He nodded and rubbed a hand over his buzz cut. I used to love when he did that, like he wasn’t sure how to continue the conversation. Now, I hated that I knew all his stupid mannerisms. It just proved that I’d never had a chance at escaping him. Memories lasted a lifetime, whether you wanted them to or not.

Dante didn’t have brothers and sisters, so we became like a second family to him. Mostly he, Izzy, and my older brothers would run around like lunatics, and I’d sneak glances at him from the table where I did my homework.

“When Izzy called me—” he started.

“Izzy called you? From jail? Why the hell would she do that?” My mind pieced it all together, and I hated how fast I came up with the most logical conclusion. “Are you fucking her still? I thought you guys broke up!” I wanted to punch him in his big bicep and then go cry about the fact that it still sent pangs through my gut to think they were together.

We’d only had a minute together, but it seemed to last a lifetime when you fell in love with someone. I’d done that with him. And I’d ended it to save us both.

We would never have worked. The man was so far out of my league that I’d done us both a favor by cutting things off, especially with what happened after. Plus, he’d been trapped. I’d put the burden of my virginity on him. I knew Dante, he was raised like a gentleman. He’d always made the extra effort to be cordial with me, but that’s all it was.

We were never a real option, even if for a few weeks, I thought we could have been.

“Break up? We were never together,” he replied quickly, then shook his head and closed his eyes as we stopped at a light. “I mean, sure, I contemplated it. That’s not the point.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “What’s the point then? Why is she calling you from jail instead of calling my parents or a fucking lawyer or something?”

“You swear like this all the time now?” he almost growled at me.

The audacity he had to call me out on how I talked was infuriating.

“Yes, I do.” I didn’t. I only swore when I was mad. “And fuck you for thinking I don’t talk like this.”

He sucked on his teeth. I knew that sound from him. Good. We could both be irritated.

“And let me guess, this is what you wear all the time now? Even to an airport,” he grumbled.

If I throttled a military official, would I end up back in jail? “Is what what I wear all the time now?”

“That bra.”

“It’s not a bra. It's a crop top.” What a jackass. I’d left my sweaters at home and embraced this casual look. I had maxi dresses, flowy skirts, and bright colors to wear for my stay here.

“Your tits and stomach are on display. It’s a bra.”

Jail didn’t seem so bad at that point. I mean, I was willing to go back if it meant I could knock one of his teeth out. “We can agree to disagree.”

“Your brothers would agree with me. They’d be pissed.”

“Oh, you’re concerned with my brothers being mad at how I dress now? Get real. You all hook up with girls dressed in half of what I wear all the time back home.”

“You having someone keep an eye on who I’m hooking up with back home, Lilah? Because from what I know, you haven’t been home in years.” He smirked like he’d won a point. “Even if that’s the case, I know your brothers wouldn’t want their baby sister drawing unnecessary attention with hundreds of guys around.”

“Well, I drew enough attention when the TSA officers took me away like a criminal. You can tell them I graduated from ‘baby sister’ to felon,” I threw back, so frustrated with myself that my stomach dropped at him calling me their baby sister.

I should have been happy I was nothing else to him now, but the title still hurt, like it always had, coming out of his mouth.

He took a deep breath, and then I saw his hands tapping on the wheel while he murmured something to himself.

“Are you seriously meditating right now?” Like I was the one pissing him off.

“If I don’t, I’m going to lose my shit on you,” he said, his voice low.

“You’re the one critiquing my outfit.”

The light turned green, and he practically floored the gas as he snapped back, “You’re the one dressing like you want a guy to lick you all the way from your pretty head down to those toes.”

“Oh my God.” I couldn’t believe this was where the conversation was going. “I’m so happy you haven’t seen the rest of my wardrobe.”

“If it’s anything like what you’re wearing, you’ll be getting a new wardrobe.”

I scoffed. “You’re ridiculous.” He’d always seen me as this young girl. And even after everything, he still wasn’t veering from it. I was an adult now. I’d had my legs around his head, for God’s sakes.