The Enemy - Kelsey Clayton Page 0,93

P.I. track her down?"

He cringes and won't even look me in the eye. "I knew you wouldn't."

A dry laugh echoes out of me. "Wow, you really are an asshole."

His head lifts until he's focused on me. "Now look, she may not have chosen to leave you entirely on her own, but I didn't force her out the door."

"So, what then? How'd you get her to leave me behind so you and I could live some half-full life?"

He squares his shoulders, like he needs the internal strength. "She was going to take you, and the courts were going to let her." He pauses. "She also wanted money, and they weren't going to give her that. There was a prenup in place when we married."

The truth barrels over me before he even says it. "You paid her off."

He nods once. "She took three million dollars in exchange for signing over her rights to you."

"You've got to be kidding me."

His hand reaches out for me, but I dodge it. "Lennon, you wouldn't have had the life you deserve with her. I couldn't let her do that."

"Of course, you couldn't!" I roar. "You've been controlling everything in my life since before I even knew! Dance, School, Cade."

He shakes his head. "He has nothing to do with this."

"He has everything to do with this!" I put a hand on my hip. "I'm in love with him, and you just threw him out like he was trash."

"That boy is bad news."

"That boy is the only one who seems to actually care about me. The rest of you use my best interest as an excuse for your own selfish gain."

I turn around and head for the door, unable to deal with any of this crap anymore. I just make it to the door when my dad tries to stop me.

"Where are you going?"

I glance back at him with disgust. "To save the one relationship that matters, if it's not too late."

IT DOESN'T TAKE A rocket scientist to figure out where Cade is. With a storm brewing off the coast, there's bound to be some intense waves, and that's everything he lives for. Colby pulls up to the beach, and my heart flutters when I see the Jeep in the parking lot. The whole thing is empty, except for two guys standing on the sand.

I jump out of the car and run as fast I can toward the shoreline. The closer I get, the more I realize that Bryce and Jayden are there, but not Cade. When Bryce sees me, confusion covers his face.

"Lennon?" he shouts over the loudness of the ocean and wind. "What are you doing here?"

"Where's Cade? I need to talk to him!"

He looks at me skeptically as he turns toward the water. When I follow where he's looking, I see him. The waves are rough—enough to scare even the best surfer—but Cade is right there in the middle of it, paddling out with all his might.

"Is he crazy?" I shriek. "These waves could kill him!"

Jayden shrugs. "I don't think he cares anymore."

No, I can't let this happen. Not without getting to talk to him first. I glance at the board on the ground and the two guys not paying attention. Before they can stop me, I grab it and run for the ocean—no matter how scary.

29

CADE

I sit on my board, waiting for the right wave to catch. One of the things about storms, is they create a killer swell. The downside, it's not exactly the safest water to surf in. It's rough, unpredictable, destructive.

A few months ago, I would've thought twice before diving into the sea when she's like this, but now, I live for the adrenaline rush. It's the only thing that makes me feel an ounce of what Lennon did. She was nothing to me, until she became everything. My light. My air. My life. If I have to live without her because it's what's best for her, then I'll do it—but it will be my own personal hell.

I turn around and go to catch a wave, when a mop of blonde hair halts my movements. At first, I think I'm seeing things. That somehow the fear and the rush mixed together to cause hallucinations. But when she dips under a wave and comes back up again, the panic sets in.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I scream at her. "This ocean could kill you!"

"Which is exactly why you shouldn't be in it!"

I shake my head. "Get out of here, Lennon. Go