Page 113 of Total Exposure

“You’re fucking crazy,” he says, finally finding his voice.

“Yeah.” I sigh. “That’s what they say. Ixion was the original bad boy of Greek mythology, right?” I smile at Jordan’s expression, which is a cross between disgust and respect. “Might as well live up to the name.”

“You tricked her,” he says, referring to Evangeline now.

“I gave her what she needed.”

“You pretended to be me. Don’t bother denying it, she fuckin’ told me the whole story.”

“I let her see what she wanted to see.”

“You’re lying.”

I hold out my hands, a mea culpa gesture. “Hey, that’s what I do best, right? Get you outta trouble. Maybe I should’ve gone into law?”

“I didn’t ask you to take responsibility for what I did.”

“You didn’t have to, Jordan.” His name comes out of my mouth with a hiss. “You didn’t have to.”

He shakes his head. “I’m sorry. How many fuckin’ times can I say it?”

“As many as it takes to mean it.”

He huffs out a breath of air that’s half laugh, half loathing. “I did mean it.”

I stand up so fast, have my hands around his throat so firm, get my face right up in his so quick the shocked expression is lost on me because we are…

Eye. To. Eye.

“You’re the liar,” I seethe. “You wanted me because Augustine wanted me. Not you. Me.”

He pushes me back so hard, I stumble and crash into the wall. “I made a mistake,” he says. “I would’ve taken responsibility for it.”

“It was a fuckin’ felony!” I yell.

“So what!” he yells back. “So what? I never asked you—“

“I was your fucking glue, Wells. I held you two together. She never wanted you. She wanted Alexander.”

“Yeah.” He laughs. “And look what that got her. Look where she is now.”

“Oh, I know exactly where she is now, asshole. Chella called me two nights before I left Denver. And you know what she told me?”

Jordan shakes his head. “That’s not why I brought you home.”

“Bull. Shit!” I fuckin’ scream it. I point my finger in his face, using every ounce of self-control I have not to choke the life out of my former best friend. “You’ve been playing a game with me since we were kids. You don’t know how to stop. You’re a fuckin’ addict, Jordan. And your drug is deceit.”

He swallows hard. Unable to deny it. Which just pisses me off even more.

“You came here to bail me out why?”

“That’s not why,” he says.

“Why?”

“I didn’t know she was in Denver until you were already back.”

“You’re a fucking liar. You can’t stop. You’re lying to yourself now. You knew Augustine was in Denver. That she was looking for me! She told Chella. She looked you up the first day she got there. You two had lunch. She asked about me and—“