Unwanted (bxb)

Chapter 10

Cole's POV

I watched him walk off and understood nothing. Then I looked at the message under the photo.

This is what happens when you leave town. Did you really think Maddie would wait forever for you?

Who the hell was Maddie? And what bitch said it was okay to send a message like that?

I didn't hesitate to open the photos on his phone. There were tons of pictures of him with some brunette dude, the same one in the other photo, I thought, and then some more with friends. And one in what looked like his old school. There I saw what I was looking for.

This so-called Maddie had Justin's hands on her face and was kissing him and he couldn't stop laughing. Why would someone want to hurt Justin? Oh wait, this bitch cheating on him.

I turned off the screen and put his phone in my pocket. I had no idea why, but I wanted to toss it in the bottom of the ocean. Something got to me when I saw that picture of Justin kissing a girl. I suddenly wanted to punch anybody who decided to get in my way that night.

I went to the table with a card with my name on it. Justin was supposed to sit on one side of me and Katie on the other. Across from me would be my father and his wife. There were two other couples whose names I couldn't remember, but Dad had said I needed to show them the most charming and perfect version possible of Richard Williams offspring.

Not two seconds after I sat down, Katie appeared next to me. I could smell her perfume as soon as she did, and I leaned over to take a sip of the bloodred wine that had been poured into all the glasses.

"Where's your brother?" she asked insolently.

"He's upset because some girl cheated on him."

Katie laughed. It pissed me off, honestly.

"It's to be expected. He's a little kid," Katie said, and I could sense the contempt in her voice.

I observed her for a moment as I analyzed her response. She sure seemed to hate Justin even though she barely knew him. It was true she must not have appreciated Justin punching me in the face the night before.

"Talk to me about something else. It's enough having him in my house," I said, setting my glass back on the table.

Without realizing it, though, my eyes were already scanning the room for Justin. Most of the guests had already sat down, but he was at the bar on the other side of the room waiting for the bartender to come over.

I stood up when I saw who it was and walked over firmly. I was absolutely not going to let Xana get to know my new stepbrother. But I got there too late, hearing the words "See you at the door in five minutes."

"In five minutes, you'll be sitting in a limousine waiting to go back home," I interrupted them.

"Hello to you, too, Cole," he said.

"Don't be an idiot," I said. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Xana was part of my past, and she absolutely couldn't get acquainted with Justin. It was too risky. She clearly knew what I was thinking, and that was why she hadn't hesitated one second to suck up to him.

"Not everything concerns you, Cole," Justin said, and I had the urge to shut him up. "Can I have my phone back?" he asked, stretching out the palm of his hand. There wasn't a trace of anger I'd seen in his eyes before. Nothing. He was cold as ice. "Today, not next year please."

He was pushing it that night. Xana laughed and raised her hands as if to say she was giving up.

"I wouldn't mess with him," she said, as though she'd known him her whole life.

"Justin, stop playing. You don't even know her, plus you don't even have a car," I told him, trying to reason with him, while I took the phone out of my pocket and slapped it down on his hand.

"I guess you do? Anyway, for your information, I'm going to those races you're trying so hard to keep secret. And she said she'll give me a ride."

I stepped in close. Whispering in his ear.

"What have you been smoking, you little shit? You better stay as far as you can from where I'm going, got it?"

But Justin wasn't daunted.

"I can go and not say a word about where we're going tonight, or I can stay here and tell your father everything. Your call."

Goddammit!

I didn't get the attitude from him. Most people, if their partner cheated on them, they would break down and run off to cry in a corner for days, but his reaction was to try to get under my skin?

I was tired of all this. I couldn't waste my life dealing with him. I turned around and went back to my table. My biggest worry was that my father would find out what I was up to when I was out of the house. I'd always tried to keep my private and family lives apart, and now I had this miserable little snotnose here who not only didn't care what I said, he had even decided to get mixed up in my business.

After about twenty minutes, I stood up and went to the bar, where my father and his new wife were drinking and chatting with a couple of friends. When he saw me coming over, he smiled, and when I got there, he clapped me on the back. I hated that. I needed my space, and the fact that he was the one invading it only made matters worse.

"Are you headed out already?" he asked. There was no reproach in his tone. Good. That meant I could leave without any problems.

"Yeah," I said, leaving my drink on a bar table. "I've got to get up early tomorrow to keep working on the case."

My father nodded.

"Justin already went home, so don't worry about it. You look tired. Go on home."

I nodded, satisfied, and walked out with Katie by my side.