Page 36 of The Triangle

I remember the bond between us like it’s still there.

And it is. We just need to find it again.

“Go back inside, Christine. I’ll be up in a second.”

I stare at Danny as the moments tick off, then slowly shake my head.

“Christine,” he barks. “Do what I say.”

“She doesn’t take orders, bru. Not from you or anyone else.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Danny growls. “She’s in this situation because of you.”

“I’m in this situation,” I say, forcing my voice to be loud and strong even though I feel so very soft and weak right now, “because of you, Danny Fortnight.”

Alec huffs out a laugh. “See? She knows. So why don’t you just calm down, shut your fokken mouth for once, and listen to what I’m trying to say.”

Danny’s glare is filled with rage.

But he doesn’t scare me. The world is filled with unintended consequences. So many ways for things to go wrong. And I may not be sure of many things, but even in this leftover state of amnesia-induced denial I know one thing for certain.

He would never hurt me.

“I’ll go inside,” I say, meeting Danny’s ragey stare, “if the two of you come inside with me.”

“No, he was just leaving.”

“Not so much, bru.” And just like that, Alec is climbing the stairs. Coming toward me with outstretched arms. “Are you all right?” he asks, folding me into his embrace. “You gave me quite a scare, my luv.”

I sigh, let myself accept the heat he’s wrapping around me, and stare at Danny. “I will be. Now that I’m back here with you two.”

Danny folds his arms across his chest. Defiant.

But Alec is already pushing me through the open apartment door. “Don’t worry. He’ll follow. It’s his fokken apartment, isn’t it?”

My eyes are still locked with Danny’s when I disappear inside.

Alec kicks the door closed, pushes me up against the wall, places both hands on my cheeks, and kisses me on the mouth.

Fuck.

I sink into him.

Absolutely sink.

The door slams open, hitting the wall so hard I know there’s a hole in the sheetrock. “Get your fuckin’ hands off her,” Danny says, pulling me away.

I spin into him. Bounce against the hard muscles of his chest. And an instant later his arms are wrapped around me, replacing the heat of Alec with the heat of him.

Sinking is something I could get used to. Because I do it again.

“Now you’re getting the idea,” Alec says.

“Oh, I’ve got ideas,” Danny says. “I’ve lots of ideas. And all of them involve me cracking that pretty face of yours into pieces.”

“Promises,” Alec huffs, taking a step forward.

“Back the fuck up, van den Berg. Now.”