Page 31 of Break Me Not

I dismounted the bike and walked toward him, intent not to engage, but then he decided to open his big fucking mouth.

“I hope she treats you better than me. At least when I fucked her, she was like a dead fucking fish. God, that pussy was always so fucking dry⁠—”

That was fucking enough. I got in his face and grabbed his shirt, picking the motherfucker up. It was only a few inches off the ground, but it was enough to show him that I was, in fact, stronger than him.

And taller.

“Being such a poor lay that you can't even get a girl wet is nothing to brag about. Word of advice? Leave her the fuck alone.”

He struggled against my hold.

“You think a restraining order is going to stop me? The police don't give a shit⁠—”

“If you threaten her or even get close to her one more time, you’re going to wish the police gave a shit because there will be no one to help you.”

I pushed him away and took great satisfaction in the way he tripped over his own two feet and fell to the ground right on his ass.

With that, I motioned for my team to leave and made quick work of getting on my bike and heading toward Liz's apartment to make sure she got there unharmed.

This was going to be a lot more work than I expected.

And I needed to be sure she was safe.

A calm settled over me as I spotted her car ahead. I tried to stay a bit behind so she wouldn’t notice I was there, but if I was being honest, maybe I wanted her to see.

I watched as she parked outside on the street—something I was not that keen on given that the area was semi-dangerous—before pulling into a spot and turning off the bike to watch her walk into the building.

I already knew which apartment she lived in. The window was four floors up and facing west. I kept my eyes locked on it with my heart hammering in my chest. After what just happened, not being able to see her, even if only for a moment, had me anxious about what could happen.

After a few minutes, the lights were still off.

Should I go in there?

My impulsiveness was at an all-time high, telling me to swing my leg over the bike and just go, but as I was about to march in there, the lights turned on.

I let out a sigh of relief.

Good. One less thing I need to worry about tonight.

I pulled out my phone and texted her security detail, ordering them to stay put just in case her ex decided to grow some balls tonight. Or in the worst-case scenario that Liz had seen me and would wait until I left to sneak back out and do something risky.

I lingered for another five minutes, watching as lights switched on and off, so I knew that whatever she was doing, she was at least in there and getting settled.

But I couldn’t see Liz.

With a heavy heart and a shocking realization of what Liz and Claire had gone through over the last twenty-something years, I left to return Sloan’s bike.

By the time I got to the club, the night was in full swing, and I did not want to deal with people. So I left her bike there and hid the key under a spare rock by the stairs, making sure to send her a text about it before I left.

I got behind the wheel of my car, but found myself not driving home. Instead, I drove back to Liz’s. By the time I got to her apartment, I could see my men there and nodded at them as I parked.

Her lights are out. At least if she’s asleep, I won’t have to worry about her for the rest of the night.

But I had a feeling that what had happened tonight was just the start of my worries.

My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I looked over the blackened window.

Having an ex like him was troublesome, but instead of pushing me away, it made me want Liz even more. It made me want to show her how someone who really cared about her would treat her and all the things she’d missed out on by being with an asshole like him.