Freeze (The Jewel Project #4)

10.2|| A New Race

"So it was the boring school girl," Mizrelle finally said.

"She's anything but a boring school girl," he replied before he could help himself.

She took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. He didn't want to, not if she kept insulting Angie. And he didn't like the feel of her freezing hands anywhere near him either. He had no idea when he'd become so obsessed with Angie, but any other girl touching him for any other purpose than a friendly one made his skin crawl. And he could see Mizrelle was beyond friendly. Her words proved it.

"You deserve better than her, Tommy."

"No, I don't. She deserves better than me."

Mizrelle narrowed her eyes. "Like Sam?"

Tom flinched. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She watched him for a few moments, and finally took her hands off him. "Have it your way. She's in. She's not worth ruining our friendship over."

"She is worth it. That's the point actually," Tom interjected.

"Is she the reason you and Sam abandoned your duties?"

Holy shit, he'd completely forgotten about that. After escaping the goons, he'd actually regrouped with the rest of the boys to finish claiming useless land, just so it wouldn't look too obvious that he hadn't given a rat's ass about Mizrelle's orders. But with Angie showing up, all that drama and the need for excuses had flown out of his mind.

"I was there. You know I was."

Mizrelle nodded once. "Oui. Petit mentioned you saved his ass. But he also mentioned Sam just vanished. What are you doing? Why are you really here?"

Tom pursed his lips, wondering how he should answer that. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that he didn't want to get Angie in trouble. But he also knew that he had to come clean if he ever wanted out of that place.

"Angie and Sam's girlfriend were kidnapped. We came to Paris to get them back. The guy who kidnapped them wired our car and we almost blew up. That's why we turned up the way we did."

Wide grey eyes stared at him with fear and fascination before narrowing and filling with anger. "You used me?"

"Um, what?"

"You aren't here to join. To lead. You're here because you wanted to use us for your own means."

That was exactly why he was there. "It's not like that, Mizrelle."

"Isn't it?" She pushed his chest, but hardly budged him. "So what now? Your girlfriend's in and you two are gonna stay here? Make pretty babies?"

"Um, yeah... about that..." Shit, this was going horribly, but he'd never had a way with words. Putting his foot in his mouth? Hell yeah.

"What?" She gave him another shove. "Let it out, Tommy. Who knows if I'll ever catch you in a truth telling mood again?"

"I want out." He needed out.

There was a pause before the strongest shove. It managed to unbalance him and he leaned one hand against the wall. His burned one. He hissed and pulled his arm back.

"I don't get out," she spat. "Do you think this is a joke?"

"You were ready to ban Sam. So ban all of us."

"Do you even know what banning means?" She poked him in the chest, coming so close to him that her body rubbed against his. "It means you get out and we hunt you. To kill."