“Holy shit, you actually blew a hole through Daniel’s hand.That was awesome,” I said.
She sighed heavily, looking just as annoyed as I usually did.“It won’t be awesome when I have to explain it to Darren later.Come on, let’s get you inside.”
But the opportunity to explain later would never happen because it chose to appear a single minute later.The second I stepped onto the first step of the main stairway of the lobby, Darren walked through the front door, looking pissed off already.
I ignored him as I beelined it for the stairs because all I could think about doing was clawing his eyes out for what he did to Camaro.
Hey!”he called after me, but I refused to acknowledge him as I took another step up the stairs.
Darren moved swiftly, grabbing my arm and hauling me away from the stairway, but my other arm was just as quick as my fist connected with his mouth.He grunted upon impact, his teeth cutting into his bottom lip and my bare knuckles.
“Get the fuck off me you bastard!Don’t fucking touch me!”I shouted as I tried to pull away from him.I didn’t even want to look at him, let alone be anywhere near him.“Let go!”
“Jaden, enough,” he warned dismissively, not a hint of sympathy in his rising voice.
Enraged, my arm struck out a second time.“Let go!”I screamed, but Darren caught my fist in his palm this time, squeezing it painfully.“Ah!”
“Knock it off!”he barked down at me, the sharpness of his voice subconsciously causing me to angrily freeze in place.
When I stopped fighting him, he righted me in his arms and his eyes suddenly lit up with rage the second he saw the mark on my face.
“What the fuck happened?”he growled at Sloane as he turned my chin so he could see the deep red scratch on my cheek.Revulsion hit me at his touch, and I refused to meet his gaze as I loudly groaned in annoyance.I wanted to beat the fuck out of him so badly, but I knew Sloane would stop me.
“Daniel tried to strike Jaden, and she lost her balance dodging him as I knocked him away,” Sloane answered calmly.“She hit her cheek against the railing as she fell.I warned him to back off, and when he didn’t, I put a bullet through his hand.”
Darren growled under his breath as his eyes turned to find mine.“He tried to attack you?”he asked me.“Why?”
I glared back at him, not wanting to utter a single word in his direction.“Because he’s a volatile piece of shit, just like y?—”
Sloane coughed over my insult to regain Darren’s attention.“It wouldn’t be the first time,” she reminded him.“He didn’t think I would kill him for trying.”
She should have.Maybe then we’d be even…
Not yet, Jaden.Don’t waste the opportunity.
Darren’s eyes narrowed as a dark rage began to build behind those deep ocean blues.“Where is he now?”he asked as his gaze remained fixed on my blemished face.
“With Sid,” Sloane answered.“Likely receiving medical care for his injury.And perhaps a tranquilizer.”
A deep rumble of a groan echoed in his chest, his features slowly softening as his eyes returned to my stomach.“Are you hurt anywhere else?”he asked, his hand pressing gently against me.
“No,” I snapped, swatting his hand away.
Ignoring my rejection, his brows suddenly narrowed at the obvious detail he had clearly missed.“Why are you all wet?”
I growled in annoyance.“Because fuck you, that’s why.”
Darren rolled his eyes, exhaling in frustration before he let me go.“Get upstairs and change.”
Ripping myself away, I practically ran up the stairs to get away from him.Sloane could fill Darren in on the rest of the details.Right now, I needed to start planning my next phase of projectvengeful nonsense.Hopefully, Katherine had already gotten started.But first, I needed to wash all this damn salt water off me.
11
OPPORTUNIST
* * *
Bursting through the door of the private medical suite, I locked eyes with my brother while Sid looked over his hand, confirming Sloane’s story.