Page 50 of Fractured Mind

“Mmm . . . And why is that?”

“It’s because he would’ve been all bent out of shape seeing you with Theo.”

I sigh. “Nothing was going on with Theo. We met on my first day at the bakery, then I saw him again at the football game?—”

“So that was him,” Ruby cuts in. “I only saw him from the back.”

“Yes, and then I went for a run after I got a call from my mom, and I ended up toward the road that leads to the MC clubhouse. Theo saw me, stopped, and took me home because it was raining. All innocent... I swear that was it.”

She gazes off, lost in thought. “Theo is our age, but he went to a different school. I think he was just starting in the underground fighting scene, but I’ve heard about him fighting other people and him being a one-punch knockout. Someone told me he wants to join the War Brothers Motorcycle Club.” Ruby smiles devilishly. “I wish I was there. Two of the hottest guys around fighting over you.” She fans herself. “So hot!”

If only I could feel the same. “It was scary. And the look on Ashton’s face...” I shake my head as if trying to rid my mind of the thought. “I’ve never seen him like that.”

“Ever since you arrived, Ashton practically warned everyone to stay away from you. Think about it... the way he tried to wait for you after each class or had someone else walk you. The flirting I’ve never seen him do with anyone else, may I add. It’s the sweetest thing to see someone make him happy.”

Happyis not the word I would use. “When did Ashton start fighting?”

“Hmm...” She looks up and rubs her chin. “Well, freshman year he was picking fights with everyone. Not a week went by that he wasn’t in a fight with someone, whether at school or when we went out. His mom got him into boxing, and he did that until the last year, when the MC let him fight at their warehouse.”

The server arrives with our coffees and puts mine and Ruby’s in front of us. I take a sip, cringing at how hot it is, but I’m in desperate need of a caffeine hit.

“How are the four of them friends?” I ask. “They’re all so different.”

She lifts one of her manicured brows. “What makes you think that?”

“They don’t share the same interests, and their personalities are so different. Roman is genuine, Levi is the joker, and Jackson is reserved but cold.”

Ruby snorts. “I’ll stop you right there. They might appear different on the surface, but they’re all the same. All of them have got into fistfights with other people. I’ve seen Roman beat a man when he saw him slap a woman across the face. Levi, the happy joker, as you call him”—she lets out a dark chuckle—“can be an outright asshole. You’ve seen him joke, but you haven’t heard the venom that can come from his mouth.

“And your soon-to-be boyfriend...” She gives me a pointed stare, and I grimace because I haven’t told her about the kiss and the “you’re mine” comment. “You’ve never seen him in the ring, fighting, to see how ruthless he can be. You’ve gotten what he wants you to see—the sweet, flirty guy—but a word of warning... he can be a full-blown psycho. And believe me, my love, you are his detonator.”

“And your brother...?” I ask curiously, because he’s detached from everyone except the people in the group.

“What you see is what you get with him. I’m sure you can tell from the fuck-off sign on his forehead he’s not a people person.” She takes a drink from her cup and sets it on the table. “How was the conversation with your mom?”

Sadness and anger crash over me, making my body vibrate with tension. “She’s doing well. I asked her to tell me about my accident... and she did, reluctantly.”

Ruby’s lips curve downward. “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you about it, but I thought I had already said too much.”

“My mom should have told me years ago. It’s on her, not you.”

Ashton’s name flashes across my phone screen. I hold my breath as I open the message.

I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you. I’ll pick you up before sunrise tomorrow. I promise it will be worth it.

Sunrise... I freeze. My heart.Thud.Thud.Thud. I grab my throat and try to breathe. It’s constricting. Does this have anything got to do with my dream? Dark-brown eyes... messy black hair... was it a memory?

I feel a hand on my arm, pulling me back from my haunting thoughts. Concerned eyes stare at me across the table.

“Oh, Mia... are you okay? What’s wrong?” Ruby asks in a rush of words.

I glance down at my phone and type out a reply to Ashton.

Okay. See you tomorrow.

CHAPTER

SIXTEEN