Broken Wings (Dark Legacy #1)(64)
“I’ll be okay,” I promised, letting his familiar arms hold me for a minute more.
Dylan cleared his throat, and I shot him the meanest glare I could muster. But I did step back, my eyes hot and irritated as I tried not to cry.
“I’ll text you,” I told Dante. His jaw had a dark red splotch on it, and I wondered if Beck had broken anything. “Please be safe.”
“I love you, Riles.” He was so serious. “I’ll be watching.”
That appeared to be directed at both me and the two guys behind me. Then Dante turned and left. I watched him until he got into the unfamiliar car and then disappeared.
A part of me broke then, and I couldn’t stop the tears that trailed down my cheeks.
Evan and Dylan moved so they were framing me on either side, and while neither of them said anything, they did reach out and take my hands. Holding me while I fell apart. I wanted to hate them, because they were insane and damaged and violent. They’d forced my best friend out of my life, the controlling fucks, but … maybe it was for the best. If my life was as dangerous as they were implying, then Dante could only be in danger being around me.
It was the five of us against the world.
“Let’s go to class,” I said, freeing my hands to wipe at my tears. Dylan’s fingers gently wiped away the ones I missed.
“You’re not alone, Riles,” he said softly. “It’s better this way.”
I shrugged because I somewhat agreed with him, but they needed to work on their delivery.
All the violence was exhausting.
17
We’d missed the first class, but my teacher didn’t even bat an eyelid when I slipped into my second class with Evan’s arm wrapped around me possessively. I was too emotionally drained to argue with him about this “Riley Duty” bullshit, and his closeness was bringing me a weird level of comfort. Especially in the wake of Beck’s macho bullshit with Dante.
Evan guided me to the back of the room where two younger boys—younger as in my year group—hurried to grab their shit and abandon the desks they’d been sitting in, so we could have them.
“That was rude,” I murmured, sitting down so we weren’t causing any more of a fuss. “We could have just found empty seats.”
Evan shrugged. “I wanted these. Now stop chatting and learn things.”
The rest of my morning classes were strangely enjoyable, thanks to the little paper airplane notes which kept landing on my desk. Apparently I needed to learn, but Evan was bored as shit.
“How do you know that?” I whispered to him as we left my last class before lunch.
He grinned and waggled his brows at me. “How’d I know that Mr. Bundaing likes to dress in women’s clothes and occasionally wears the underwear to school?” He snorted a laugh. “For one, our company holds leverage over every employee—teachers included—and for two, I saw the lace thong one day when he bent over to pick something up.”
“Wait, Delta owns the school?” I frowned. Did I already know this? “Is there anything Delta doesn’t run?”
Evan shrugged. “Huntley.”
The mention of the rogue group who tried to have us all killed was like a bucket of ice water over my mood, and by the time we reached our usual lunch table, I was firmly under a dark cloud.
“Hey, girl,” Eddy greeted me with a bright smile. “Saved your seat!”
“You save it every day,” I replied, my smile much weaker. Still, I placed my food tray down and sat with a heavy sigh. Evan had finally peeled himself off my hip and gone to sit with the other boys—minus Jasper. Thinking of Eddy’s brother sent my gaze wandering over his usual spot, which so happened to be beside Beck’s.
That’s when my mood soured even further.
Brittley was sitting in his lap. Like … right in his fucking lap, and he wasn’t shoving her to the floor where she belonged.
Worse. Beck made eye contact with me over Brittley’s shiny chestnut head, and when she reached over and pressed her lips to his neck, he didn’t shove her trashy ass away. Blood rushed to my face and bile curdled in my belly. Obviously, I’d known last night was a one off but what the fuck was this all about? Did he seriously think that I was so pathetic that I’d fall in love after one—admittedly mind blowing—fuck? Was that what this was? Proving he was a player?
Fuck. Him.
Just as I was about to snap a witty, sarcastic remark, Brittley lifted her face and shot me a look of pure triumph. For a moment, a rage so potent hit me that I was half out of my chair, ready to rip her right off him, until I remembered that Beck didn’t belong to me.
That was what this little display was all about, after all.
Gritting my teeth, I sank down again and grabbed at the sandwich on my plate. Two bites and it tasted like shit, so I threw it down, and concentrated on breathing in and out and not looking in his direction.
“You okay?” Eddy asked, shooting me a concerned stare.
“Can we get out of here?” I asked. “I could use some decent food and something about this is turning my stomach.” By “this” I meant the company, not the sandwiches.
Discounting that this place served food that was like a Michelin starred restaurant compared to my last school, it was really about getting away from Beck and his whore.