Page 74 of Shattered Oaths

“Oh shit,” I whisper.

“What?” Liv asks through the phone, her voice completely serious now.

“Justin is walking towards me.”

“Turn around,” Liv says and I hear shuffling through the line like she’s moving around.

“I can’t,” I hiss. “I’m on my way to work.”

“Just walk right past him. Don’t even acknowledge his existence,” she suggests but it’s too late.

“Bella.” Justin comes to a stop in front of me and I attempt to sidestep him; my phone still held against my ear.

“Is he trying to talk to you?” Liv asks through the phone, but I stay silent as he steps in front of me again.

“Can we talk?”

I move the other way, trying again. And what do you know… he follows, only this time, he reaches out a hand and wraps it around my elbow.

Liv says something on the end of the line, but I don’t hear it over the blood rushing in my ears.

I freeze, my eyes moving down to where his skin touches mine and lead settles deep in my gut. “Get your hands off me,” I say, my voice a quiet warning, tone thankfully not betraying the utter fear coursing through my blood.

“Bella, please,” he pleads, still not letting me go.

I don’t look up at him. I keep my eyes firmly trained on the spot where his hand is wrapped around my arm as I try to tug out of his hold. His grip tightens.

This time, I do look up at him, praying that the fear isn’t evident in my eyes. “I won’t say it again. Get your fucking hands off me.”

I stare at his face. At his cold, dead eyes. At the greasy curl hanging over his forehead. And all of a sudden, I’m hit with pure disgust.

I don’t know what I ever saw in this piece of shit.

And I don’t know why this piece of shit isstillfucking touching me.

I open my mouth to speak, or scream, I’m not really sure which but another voice cuts in. “Are you fucking deaf?”

My entire body relaxes in relief at the sound of Noah’s voice coming from behind me. I feel the heat radiating from him as he steps closer, his front to my back and Justin’s eyes narrow as they flick from me to Noah and back again.

He drops my arm and I take a step back, Noah’s hand coming around my waist to steady me as I stumble into him. I turn my head, looking up at his handsome face. His eyes are hard and trained on the man in front of us, jaw ticking.

Noah must feel my eyes on him, because he tears his gaze from Justin and down to me, the hardness softening. “You okay, baby?” he asks, his voice quiet, but loud enough for Justin to hear.

I nod, cheeks warming when I hear Liv – who’s still on the other end of the phone – squeal.

“Uh, I’m going to have to call you back,” I tell her and she responds quickly. “Don’t you dare-” I hang up, cutting the last of her words off and tuck my phone into my pocket.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” The grating voice causes both mine and Noah’s heads to snap back his way. Justin’s face morphs into something ugly and full of disgust as he shakes his head and laughs.

“Should’ve fucking known it’d behimyou ran to,” he spits.

“Watch your fucking tone when you speak to her,” Noah spits back, his hold on my waist tightening slightly. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay the fuck away from her.”

Justin doesn’t pay any attention to Noah. Instead, he keeps his narrowed gaze on me. “After everything he-”

“I don’t see how it’s any of your business,” I interrupt, not wanting him to finish that sentence.

I know exactly what he was going to say. And the last thing I need right now is him sparking questions betweenNoah and I when I’m still trying to figure out a way to discuss it with him myself.