“You don’t think I will?” Tanner demands, tugging against his cousins and grabbing hold of my challenge with both hands, rising to the bait. “You were a fucking bet, nothing more than a bitch with nice tits who needed the attitude fucked out of her, and look at you now, chasing after me in the middle of the night as if you mean anything to me. You’re pathetic.”
His words sting and tear at my chest, killing something within me, but I hold my head high, not afraid of him or his ugly words. “I’m pathetic?” I laugh, more than prepared to throw it right back in his face. After all, if I’m going down, then I’m not going without a fight. “Look at you, Tanner. You’re falling apart because you’re too fucking scared to allow yourself to feel something. Colby hurt your sister again and instead of doing something about it, you’re going to waste away on a fucking track and get yourself killed. Congratulations, you’re going to leave your mom without any of her kids while Colby’s still out there, free as a fucking bird to hurt the next girl who comes along. You’re a real hero.”
“You don’t fucking know me at all,” Tanner tells me, that fire in him only burning brighter. “You think I just found out what he did and came here? No,” he scoffs, needing to lash out more than he needs his next breath. “I went to his fucking house, kicked in the door, and if it wasn’t for the fact that little bitch has been hiding out, he’d already be dead. I’m here, racing fucking laps to keep from going home to you because you’re the fucking reason I wasn’t there for her in the first place.”
My heart shatters but I don’t dare break, don’t let him see how much he’s hurting me, despite the horrid truths spurting from between his lips. “Wow, that’s two out of four,” I tell him, welcoming his insults just so he can get it all out. “Riley’s down and you pushed me away. How quickly can you make Logan and Jax hate you too? You excel at everything, right Mr. Captain of the football team? Gotta be the best. Let me guess, you’re lining up a cheap shot at Chanel for Logan and preparing a stab at Jax’s ego just to hit him where it hurts. It’s like a fucked-up little game. I know how you like those. We’ll call it how much can Tanner Morgan lose in one night?”
Tanner breaks free from the twins’ tight grasp and steps into me, his hand striking up and gripping my throat, much like Colby had done to me when he held me down in the bushes. “That’s just the thing,” he tells me, drawing me in until I feel his breath against my cheek, making it hard to believe that only a few short hours ago we were this close, only his arms were wrapped around me and his lips brushing against my temple in the sweetest kiss. “They’re my cousins and Riley is my best friend, no matter what happens, they’ll have my back, but you … you’re nothing, just the kid of the gold-digging whore from next door. You’ll be gone in no time. Channing will send you on your way and he’ll be fucking the next bitch before you’ve even walked out the door. You’ll be left with nothing, and you’ll be so far below me that I won’t even remember who you are. You’ll be cleaning up after assholes like me the rest of your life unless you play your cards right. Jensen might take you in as a pity fuck, but if he’s not interested in used goods, there’s a brothel just out of town. I’m sure they’ll take you. Your tits are nice enough, and I’m sure a girl like you would be happy to shake her ass for a dollar.”
My hand cracks across his face. “You know what, Tanner?” I say, shoving him hard in the chest and hating how he doesn’t even rock back a step, but at least he releases my throat. “I’m done with you. Maybe I will fuck Jensen. Hell, maybe I’ll fuck Riley too and you guys can form a special little club for assholes who’ve screwed me over and trade notes on just how well I suck dick. Do what you want, kill Colby for all I care. Throw your future away and be this pathetic version of yourself who doesn’t know how to control his emotions and lashes out at the people who only want to help you. You’ll get nowhere in life like this, but what does it matter? You’ll either be locked up or dead and when your sister eventually wakes, she’ll have no one to lean on. Push me away all you like, Tanner, it doesn’t matter to me, but don’t let yourself spiral out of control because soon enough, Addison is going to need you, and you won’t be there. Don’t let her down like you did me.”