Because of You - By T. E. Sivec Page 0,93

But what the hell does it even matter if I have no one to share it with?

“Things are going to change. We’re both going to finally get what we want,” Finn says more to himself than to me, and I turn to look at him, wondering what he’s talking about. “People are finally going to know who I am.”

Before I can question him and ask him what the hell he means, the vehicle suddenly jerks to the side with enough force to smack the side of my head against my window. The sound of breaking glass, tires squealing, and metal crunching fills the SUV like a booming explosion, and I squeeze my eyes shut as we spin and spin before finally slamming roughly into something else and coming to a halting stop.

I feel a trickle of something warm running down the side of my face, and it gets into my eyes, blurring my vision. I try to move but the seat belt is locked in place and my hands are shaking too much unbuckle it.

“Finn?” I croak as loudly as I can over the hiss of the busted SUV and look to my left to see him slumped in his seat, the seat belt holding him upright with his head down and his chin resting on his chest.

I struggle against the seat belt and reach my arm out to him, grabbing onto his upper arm and shaking him gently. He groans in pain and a feeling of relief washes through me for a minute, blocking out the pain that screams through my body.

“Finn, wake up,” I tell him, the effort of speaking forcing me to cough and making me wince in agony. It hurts to cough and it hurts to talk, and I’m guessing it’s from how tightly the seat belt is pressed against my chest and how roughly I slammed against it during the collision.

Finn finally raises his head and turns to look at me. His eyes quickly leave mine as he stares in horror behind me out my window.

“Oh God, Layla. Oh God, I did something bad,” he says with a shaky voice.

My door wrenches open and a feeling of relief washes through me when I realize the paramedics must already be here and they made good time since the accident just happened seconds ago. I turn my head slowly to look out the door, and when I see a strange man standing there staring at me with a calculating grin, I open my mouth to scream, recognizing immediately that he isn’t there to help us.

He lifts his fist and slams it into my cheek, cutting off my scream before it could even leave my throat, and the world goes black.

It’s all I can do not to turn and punch a hole in the wall next to me as I watch the door close behind Layla.

I stood here and did nothing, like an idiot. Why the hell didn’t I say anything to her?

“You live two completely different lives.”

“The media would know all about you. They’d know about the mistakes you’ve made, and they’d know about the secrets your sister is hiding.”

Eve’s words come rushing back and guilt overwhelms me.

I should never have even started anything with Layla in the first place. It was a bad idea for so many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that we live two completely polar opposite lives. But just like always, I hadn't given a shit about consequences. I wanted something and I took it, only thinking about myself and not those around me who could be hurt by my actions. I'm a fool for thinking I could have had any kind of relationship with someone as high profile as Layla Carlysle. And what the hell would she want with someone like me in the long run? A washed up Navy SEAL who couldn’t hack it with the Nashville PD and owns a floundering PI agency and might be able to pay the electric bill this month, but who knows what will happen down the road? I have nothing to offer her, absolutely nothing.

With a sigh of regret, I turn away from the door and face Gwen’s glacier look head on. Her foot is tapping against the floor, her hands are on her hips, and her eyes are shooting daggers at me.

“I know what you’re going to say, so don’t bother. I don’t want to hear it,” I tell her as I roughly yank out one of the kitchen

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