Page 92 of Lance

Haylee happens to reach his side at just that moment. She gapes at me. “Youtoldhim?”

Fuck.

“Told me what?” James asks, his eyesnarrowing.

Oh, this is so not good. Haylee’s eyes widen as she realizes how badly she mistook the situation. “Nothing,” she says quickly, but I can see the panic on her face. She can’t think of a goodlie.

“Told me what?” he says again, his voice sharpnow.

“That he made Willa mad,” Dylan says quickly. “You know. Like he saidbefore.”

James turns his narrowed eyes to Dylan. It sounds feeble as hell and we all know it. When James speaks again his voice is low and dangerous. “Someone tell me what’s goingon.”

I really can’t see any way of getting out of this. James isn’t going to let up. He’s glaring from me to Haylee to Dylan, and there’s no way I’m going to let them take the heat for this. I breathe in deeply. “Maybe we should go upstairs andtalk.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on. And what it has to do withMinnie.”

Maybe I still could have come up with a good lie. Or at least formulated a better way to tell him. But as soon as he says the name, something in me snaps. Why should I have to be afraid of what he’ll think? He can’t even remember how much she hates to be called Minnie. He doesn’t get to judgeme.

“Willaand I are seeing each other,” I say, glaring at him. Layla groans next to me, but I ignore her. I’m focusing on James’s eyes, which are quickly going from narrowed to wide. Wide with something likefury.

“What?”

“You heardme.”

“You’re seeingmysister?”

“James,” Haylee says, tugging at his arm. “Let’s go upstairs, okay? We can talk about this somewhere moreprivate.”

“There’s actually nothing to talk about,” I snap. “It’s not really any of his business and I sure as hell don’t have to explainmyself.”

“Not my business?” he shouts. Heads turn all around the lobby. “Are you fucking kiddingme?”

“James,” Dylan says, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t make a scene,dude.”

James shakes him off, pointing his finger right into my face. “This ends rightnow.”

I don’t bother to tell him that I’ve already done a pretty good job of ending it. Instead I laugh. “Not up to you,man.”

“It sure as hellis!”

“How?” I shoot back. “Your sister is an adult, James, even if you refuse to treat her likeone.”

“I’m going to kill you,” he mutters, reaching forme.

Haylee grabs his arm as Dylan steps between us. “Stop,” she says, her voice firm. “You’re not doing thishere.”

“You think I’m going to lethimmess around with my sister?” he asks her. I don’t like the emphasis he puts on the wordhim.

“I’m not messing around with her. I care abouther.”

He laughs. “Oh, give me a fuckingbreak.”

“What doesthatmean?”

He pushes Dylan away and gets right up in my face. I swallow. I had forgotten just how tall he was. “It means, Lance, that I know you. I know how you treat women. And if you think I’m going to let you do that toMinnie—”

I shove him, hard. “It’s Willa, ass. And if you think you have the first idea about what she needs you’re delusional. You don’t even know her and you sure as hell don’t respecther.”