Read Online Deliverance (The Maverick Defense #1) by L.A. Cotton, Jenny Siegel - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: L.A. Cotton, Jenny Siegel
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unable to understand why he wouldn’t tell me.
He snorted at me.
“Are you still pissed at me for not coming home?” I asked.
“No. But it was up to Joy to tell you. I meant it when I said things have changed.”
“That’s a fucking understatement.”
“What is the deal with Joy and Donnie?” Lex asked.
With a sigh, Mikey pushed off the wall. “Let’s go. There’s no way Donnie will even let you have a glimpse of her now.” Mikey started down the street, Lex and I following.
“He wanted this. Why else would he ask us here and bring her here on the same night?”
“You’re right.” Mikey lifted his head to look at me. “I know Donnie, and he’s a sneaky shit. He planned this. He wanted you to know about him and Joy. He wanted to get a reaction and warn you off.”
“You need to be smart, Dawson,” Lex warned and clapped a hand on my shoulder. He was right; I needed to keep my cool around Donnie. Because one thing was certain; we would run into each other again. I would make certain of that.
The three of us walked in silence, but I couldn’t keep quiet for long.
“What the fuck is she doing with him? I don’t understand it.”
Lex groaned. “Maybe she loves him.”
“Fuck off,” I barked unable to accept that.
“I wouldn’t put it like that,” Mikey mumbled, and I put out an arm to stop him.
“What do you know?”
“From what I hear, Donnie can be … intense.”
“Intense how?”
“Shit, Dawson, I don’t know. It’s up to Joy to tell you.” Mikey shoved his hands in his pockets, end of conversation.
“I don’t trust Donnie,” Lex reiterated what we were all thinking.
“You don’t say,” I muttered.
The remainder of the walk home was in silence, and once inside, we all muttered ‘good night’ and went off to bed. The evening had not turned out how any of us had imagined. In fact, the whole fucking day sucked. Even later, when I was lying in bed, I couldn’t switch off. I still couldn’t get my head around it. One thing was for sure, she was far too good for him. If she loved him and he made her happy, I’d like to say I would be man enough to step aside. But I can’t say for certain that I would. It still didn’t explain why in the hell she was with him. In what alternative universe did Joy end up with Donnie DeLuca? It was my worst nightmare come true.
I couldn’t ignore the fear in her eyes or the way she readily let me shield her. I saw the regret in her eyes when she went to him and the shiver of revulsion when he touched her. Hell, I couldn’t ignore any of it. As far as I was concerned, unless Joy could convince me of her undying love for Donnie DeLuca, then I wasn’t going to stop until I found out what the fuck had been going on with her since I left.
“D on’t you think you should take it easy?” Sherri eyed me warily.
“No,” I said bringing the glass to my lips. “The burn helps.” I gulped down the clear liquid. My throat exploded with heat as it slid down. The burn was better than remembering the disgust twisted into Dawson’s features as he realized I was with Donnie.
“I can’t believe he was going to make you dance.”
“Really?” I replied unable to hide the sarcastic bite to my voice. Donnie had planned the whole thing. He knew Dawson was going to be here tonight—probably invited him along, and I walked straight into it.
Sherri hissed through her teeth. “He took it one step too far.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t do it, did I?”
The pathetic thing was that I was going to. I was ready to step up to the podium and dance. Not for him—no, never for him, but for my last shred of self-preservation. Or desperation. I wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Except for the constant emptiness in my stomach.
My chest.
My heart.
When Dawson left me, he ruined me. Even though he didn’t want to, didn’t mean to, he ripped open my chest, tore out my heart, and took it with him. Donnie comforted me. We comforted each other …
He snorted at me.
“Are you still pissed at me for not coming home?” I asked.
“No. But it was up to Joy to tell you. I meant it when I said things have changed.”
“That’s a fucking understatement.”
“What is the deal with Joy and Donnie?” Lex asked.
With a sigh, Mikey pushed off the wall. “Let’s go. There’s no way Donnie will even let you have a glimpse of her now.” Mikey started down the street, Lex and I following.
“He wanted this. Why else would he ask us here and bring her here on the same night?”
“You’re right.” Mikey lifted his head to look at me. “I know Donnie, and he’s a sneaky shit. He planned this. He wanted you to know about him and Joy. He wanted to get a reaction and warn you off.”
“You need to be smart, Dawson,” Lex warned and clapped a hand on my shoulder. He was right; I needed to keep my cool around Donnie. Because one thing was certain; we would run into each other again. I would make certain of that.
The three of us walked in silence, but I couldn’t keep quiet for long.
“What the fuck is she doing with him? I don’t understand it.”
Lex groaned. “Maybe she loves him.”
“Fuck off,” I barked unable to accept that.
“I wouldn’t put it like that,” Mikey mumbled, and I put out an arm to stop him.
“What do you know?”
“From what I hear, Donnie can be … intense.”
“Intense how?”
“Shit, Dawson, I don’t know. It’s up to Joy to tell you.” Mikey shoved his hands in his pockets, end of conversation.
“I don’t trust Donnie,” Lex reiterated what we were all thinking.
“You don’t say,” I muttered.
The remainder of the walk home was in silence, and once inside, we all muttered ‘good night’ and went off to bed. The evening had not turned out how any of us had imagined. In fact, the whole fucking day sucked. Even later, when I was lying in bed, I couldn’t switch off. I still couldn’t get my head around it. One thing was for sure, she was far too good for him. If she loved him and he made her happy, I’d like to say I would be man enough to step aside. But I can’t say for certain that I would. It still didn’t explain why in the hell she was with him. In what alternative universe did Joy end up with Donnie DeLuca? It was my worst nightmare come true.
I couldn’t ignore the fear in her eyes or the way she readily let me shield her. I saw the regret in her eyes when she went to him and the shiver of revulsion when he touched her. Hell, I couldn’t ignore any of it. As far as I was concerned, unless Joy could convince me of her undying love for Donnie DeLuca, then I wasn’t going to stop until I found out what the fuck had been going on with her since I left.
“D on’t you think you should take it easy?” Sherri eyed me warily.
“No,” I said bringing the glass to my lips. “The burn helps.” I gulped down the clear liquid. My throat exploded with heat as it slid down. The burn was better than remembering the disgust twisted into Dawson’s features as he realized I was with Donnie.
“I can’t believe he was going to make you dance.”
“Really?” I replied unable to hide the sarcastic bite to my voice. Donnie had planned the whole thing. He knew Dawson was going to be here tonight—probably invited him along, and I walked straight into it.
Sherri hissed through her teeth. “He took it one step too far.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t do it, did I?”
The pathetic thing was that I was going to. I was ready to step up to the podium and dance. Not for him—no, never for him, but for my last shred of self-preservation. Or desperation. I wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Except for the constant emptiness in my stomach.
My chest.
My heart.
When Dawson left me, he ruined me. Even though he didn’t want to, didn’t mean to, he ripped open my chest, tore out my heart, and took it with him. Donnie comforted me. We comforted each other …
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