Beautiful Broken Rules (Broken, Series #1)(53)

Me: I’m coming back tonight. I need to make things right with Jaxon.

Quinn: Err… Call me before you do anything Jaxon-related.

Me: Ok? I’ll just talk to you when I get home.

Quinn: Drive safe. Xoxo



Chapter Nine

Who’s She?

I pulled up to the apartments and parked the car. As I was hauling my bag out of the trunk, I saw Jace jogging down the steps toward me.

“Hey, stranger, I missed you.” He smiled and pulled me into a bear hug.

“I think I kind of missed you too,” I confessed. He grabbed my bag and slung it over his shoulder. “Is Jaxon here?”

“Uh... yeah, but I think he’s busy right now,” he replied awkwardly and walked up the stairs with me to my apartment.

“Why is everyone being so weird when I mention Jaxon?”

When we got down the hallway, a tall brunette in cute little pajamas walked out of Cole’s apartment and I heard Jace sigh under his breath.

“Is she here for you?” I asked him in a whisper.

“Hell no,” he replied irritably.

“Oh,” was all I could say.

That could only mean one thing, because I knew she sure as hell wasn’t here for Cole. My stomach hit the floor along with my heart. It figures though, right when I decide that maybe I can try this relationship thing on for size, the person I wanted is already taken. It serves me right for being such a bitch to Jaxon in the first place. He finally went off and found someone that actually wanted him.

“You must be the golden girl, Em, all of my boys are talking about,” she said to me icily when we approached her.

“Audrey, we aren’t your boys, so turn around and walk back inside,” Jace seethed at her.

Before either of us could say anything else, Quinn whipped our door open and pulled me inside. Jace squeezed in behind me before she could slam him out.

“Ugh! I was hoping you wouldn’t come across the she-devil,” Quinn said.

“Who is she?” I asked softly, not sure I wanted to know the answer.

“Audrey,” Quinn said in her high-pitched sing-songy voice that I knew meant she didn’t like someone.

“Well I got that much, but what’s going on?” I asked.

Jace put my bag down on the dining room table and went to join Cole on the couch. Both of them looked at me apologetically; that’s when I knew this wasn’t good.

“These guys won’t help out. Trust me, I’ve been drilling them all week.”

“It’s not for us to tell. It’s Jaxon’s business, baby,” Cole claimed looking defeated.

She ignored them and dragged me down the hallway to my room. I placed my bag on the bed and opened it up to unpack. I decided to bring back a couple of outfits I had previously forgotten from home, and some more that Ellie had bought while we were out shopping. Going home was so relaxing and I’m thankful I was able to get Ellie all to myself. I’d only been back here for two minutes, and I feel like all that relaxation and reassurance was flying out the window faster than I could catch it. Quinn sat down in a blue wing chair that I had at my desk while I sat on the edge of my bed.

“She’s the worst, Emmy. I refuse to even step foot into their apartment as long as she’s there.”

“I’m so confused. I have no idea what is going on. You have to remember when I left, Jaxon was asking me out!” I responded.

“I don’t know who she is, just that she showed up here earlier this week. Cole said that she went to high school with all of them and she has history with Jaxon. Their stupid bro-code is stopping them saying anything. I can’t hold Jaxon down long enough to ask him. It’s so frustrating. I’ve barely talked to Cole all week.”