Like always, his ring catches the light.

A taunt.

A tease.

A promise of pain to come.

41

JUNE

I jump off my stool to race for the door, but Geneva takes a better angle and shepherds me into the living room. “June—”

I turn to her in shock. “You planned this! You didn’t want to talk; you wanted to ambush me.”

“Only because I knew you wouldn’t hear me out otherwise!” Geneva says desperately. “Listen, I came home three days ago and Adrian was standing outside the apartment waiting for me. He explained everything.”

“I bet he did,” I scoff, trying to move past Geneva to get to the door.

She and Adrian both come together to block my escape route. “Baby, just hear me out,” Adrian croons.

I’ve heard that tone too many times in the past for me to be bought in yet again. Actions speak louder than words—and his actions have been to hurt me, each time worse than the last.

“Get out of my way.”

“Junepenny, please—”

“I have a car full of security waiting for me downstairs,” I snarl. “One call and they’ll be up here.”

“Exactly! So why would I risk coming here to meet you unless it was really important, huh? Unless I cared more about you than myself?”

“Says the dead man walking.”

“I’ll admit, I made a mistake,” he says, hands upraised. He’s acting as though he just missed an anniversary dinner, forgot a birthday. Like I’m the one making a big deal out of a little bitty oopsie. “I shouldn’t have gone about things the way that I did. But my instinct, my first motive, was always to protect you.”

“And what was your second motive?” I demand. “Gaslight and hurt me?”

He sighs deeply. “He’s really gotten into your head, hasn’t he?”

“Stop it. Don’t do that. Don’t you dare fucking do that. Just because I don’t agree with you, just because I don’t believe you, doesn’t mean I’ve been brainwashed.”

Geneva is looking between us helplessly. Her eyes are tinged with an undercurrent of doubt, but she still remains steadfastly at Adrian’s side.

I swing my glare towards her. “Is it your mission in life to find every man I want to avoid and lead him right to me?”

Her brow furrows. “I’m your big sister. It’s my job to make sure you’re okay.”

“You’re about ten years too late with that.”

“What happened to you, Junepenny?” Adrian asks, still in that wheedling, what’s wrong with you tone that’s driving me insane. “You didn’t used to be like this. So… angry. So ready for a fight.”

I laugh darkly. “Of course you would say that. But you’re right about one thing: I didn’t used to be like this. I used to be meek and quiet. I used to let you walk all over me, and now, I’m done with that. So you bet your ass I’m going to fight back, Adrian. Especially when I feel I’ve been lied to.”