I silently fume, hating that he brought that shit into it. “If I wasn't ready to allow a man to touch me, I wouldn’t have. What happens between me and Colton is none of your damn business.”
“I know that,” he snaps back. “I wasn’t fucking thinking. I was just so … angry. A smarter man would have saved that favor for something else, something big. The DeCarlo’s have a huge pull and I could have benefited from that but as it is, I was too fucking selfish to see past my own needs.”
I cross my arms over my chest and desperately try to bite my tongue. The bell will go any minute now and despite how much I want to hate him right now, I really want to hear what he has to say. “Go on,” I tell him.
“Everybody knows about the bullshit between Carrington and DeCarlo. It’s been going on for twenty-odd years. All I had to do was call Vincent and tell him that I wanted Colton to hurt. That's all I said, and the rest was left up to him. He fucking jumped at the opportunity and when I saw what was going on, I knew instantly how badly I fucked up. I was never going to get there in time. They ignored my fucking calls when I tried calling it off. It was their fucking show. I thought they were just going to go in there and terrorize Carrington, make him shit his pants as a way to scare him into giving up the company, but what they did … I didn’t expect that at all, and that’s on me.
“I should have known that they’d take it too far. Vincent’s sons are … Ocean, they’re fucked up, twisted bastards and you have no fucking idea how sorry I am that I sent them to you like that. I saw the way they terrorized your friends and destroyed your home. I saw you running down the hall and then trying to go back for your mom when you realized what was going on, I saw Colton do everything he could to keep you safe, and I saw the fucking terror in your eyes babe. That is all on me. I will never forgive myself for sending that to your fucking doorstep.”
The bell sounds loudly through the school and I look back up at the campus, watching as the students begin moving around but I find myself rooted to the spot. “Please, O. Say something,” Nic says, reaching for my hand.
I hastily pull away from his reach and take a hesitant step back. “I have to go.”
“Babe, no. Just talk to me for a minute. I need to know that we’re alright.”
“Alright?” I cry. “We will never be alright. Maryne is dead. You sent murderers to my home because you were too fucking jealous over the fact that Colton means something to me. What kind of messed up shit is that, Nic?”
“I know it’s messed up. I didn’t know they were going to hurt anybody. I figured you’d be safe in a place like that.”
“You figured wrong,” I tell him, taking another step back. “I think you should go.”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “We need to sort this out.”
“It’s not going to get sorted out today, Nic. I’m too upset and hurt. I’m still in shock that you could even do something like this, let alone process the hurt you caused with your misguided need to get me back. I just … I need time. I need time away from you to clear my head and if you want any chance at all of fixing what you broke, then you’re going to have to give me that.”
“Babe …”
“No, Nic. You need to go. I’m late for class and I just … I can’t do this right now. I need to think.”
He takes a heavy breath and meets my eyes with regret shining so fucking brightly that it hurts. “I’m sorry, O. Please know that it wasn’t my intent to hurt you, I just wanted to rattle Carrington a bit. If I knew … I never would have done it.”
I nod and we hold each other’s gaze for a minute too long before he reluctantly steps back. “Time,” he murmurs.
I nod and he takes another step followed by another until he finally turns and walks away, leaving me a fucking mess of emotions.
Chapter 14
I walk through the door of the Carrington mansion completely deflated. Today sucked, like really sucked. I went to school thinking I could forget about everything Nic had done. What a joke that was.
Sure, there were a lot of things I expected to happen today. A million phone calls, text messages, hell even the odd email or two. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine Dominic Garcia storming through the cafeteria of Bellevue Springs Private School and forcing my hand in front of the entire student body. Then after that, I had to spend the rest of my afternoon dodging questions from Jess and Drix, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
I wasn't ready to see him. Not in the least, but I should have known. That was stupid of me. This new version of Nic is unpredictable. He's wild and out of control. I should have known that he'd shit all over the limits I'd put in place. I’ll be better prepared next time because, with Nic, there’s always a next time.
I don't even know who he is anymore but one thing is for sure, the old Nic no longer exists, at least,
