Page 141 of Unexpected Prejudice

“Got that?”

He nodded.

“So, are we good?” Ty was in love with Jordy, so playing with his emotions was easy. It wasn’t fair, but when did I ever play fair?

“Y-yeah.” Squeezing his eyes and looking down at the floor, he nodded again. “I-I’ll tell the court what I told the police.”

“Good.” I patted his shoulder and then looked at the door. “You said you came here to visit him, right?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Well, he’s asleep. Maybe try again tomorrow.” When he’ll no longer be here.

“O-oh. Okay,” he mumbled before he stepped back and left the room, finally leaving me alone.

The moment the door closed, I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. It didn’t work; I clenched my fist tight, turned around, and punched the wall.

“Fuck!” I shouted, not giving a damn about the pain that spread through my fist as I hit the wall again and again until my skin ripped and I bled. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Everything that had happened was too much, and the last thing I wanted was for stupid Ty to see Jordan. Today, I managed to stop him, but that wouldn’t always work, and eventually, they’d meet. And if it wasn’t Ty, it would be someone else. Eventually, Jordan would move on, and even though I hated to do it, I had to accept that fact. I had no other choice but to let him go.

He won’t let you keep anyone by your side.

He wants you alone.

“Well, that was quite an interesting conversation,” a low, raspy voice said. It felt like a knife dancing on my nerves, and I turned around to see two black eyes gazing at me from the far end of the room.

A cubicle curtain had been drawn back and someone was lying on the bed with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

Diesel.

Realizing that I was wrong in thinking the room was empty when we entered, I swallowed. I had no idea what he was doing in the hospital—not that I gave a damn.

“So, you heard me say some shit, who gives a fuck.”

“Heard?” He pretended to be surprised before shoving the cigarette he had tucked behind his ear between his full lips. “I didn’t just hear you say some shit. I listened very carefully.”

Standing on the bed, he stretched his tall frame until he reached the smoke detector on the ceiling and opened it. While his long fingers tangled with the wires, his black hoodie rose, and I saw a strip of his tan skin and the edge of a bandage. After handling the wires, he jumped to the floor and lit his cigarette. Blowing up the smoke, he pulled out his phone and tapped the screen.

“Let’s stop using the term false testimony because if we’re honest, we both know those jerks are homophobic assholes on top of being rapists.”

My eyes were locked with his as he continued to play the recording of the conversation I’d just had with Ty. To think I was stupid enough not to check that the room was empty. What a rookie mistake.

With a cruel smile pulled on his lips, he paused the recording and shoved his phone back into his sweats pocket before walking toward me. He stopped an inch away and then blew the smoke in my face.

“Sounds like you’ve been plotting around.” He grinned. “What a naughty, little Perra.”

The hell he thought he was to call me a bitch?

“Fuck you,” I hissed, putting my hands on his chest to shove him away.

He didn’t budge but flashed me a toothy smile, and the next thing I knew, my back was plastered against the wall while his fingers were wrapped around my neck.

“Always so whiny,” his raspy voice chuckled.

From the first time I’d met him, I hated this guy.

I hated that he was taller.