Shattered

Chapter 44

(Because the world is cruel)

"That's enough, Nakoa."

One hand of his came around my waist, the other reaching for my hair to, as gently as he could, get Nakoa to release her grip over me. She didn't hesitate, barely allowing him to touch her before she pulled her hand down to her side. A look washed over her face, something like regret, but she didn't speak another word to me, only glanced at Lucas and began moving towards the stairs.

Chandler ran his fingers through my disheveled hair, smoothing out the waves and slightly easing the throb in my scalp from her harsh tug. I momentarily shut my eyes, willing myself to not shed a single tear more today. After all, it was my birthday.

"What happened here?" Lucas asked, his tone stern. I couldn't tell whether it was my presence or the stance they found Nakoa and me in that seemed to anger him, and I didn't try to figure it out.

But I did know that I wasn't about to throw her under the bus and say she started it all, because in the end, none of this was caused by her. While I felt hurt, I understood that she was going through hell, and there were many other things that could be happening to her that she didn't want to tell me about it. The situation was the cause. Our captors were the cause.

"We had a disagreement," I answered while facing him, still in Chandler's hold. Lucas squinted his cyan eyes, thoughts of god-knows-what running through his mind. He wasn't someone I felt I could ever understand, but not in the same way I felt about Chandler.

"That didn't look like a disagreement," he retorted incredulously. "What actually happened?"

My jaw clenched as I rapidly processed thoughts, trying to figure out how to respond without painting myself as a victim. It was hard, deciding what to say to him without knowing how Nakoa would react when he undoubtedly asked her the same question. Lucas stared right at me, his body language neutral, but his face tense.

"Lucas, don't pressure her," Chandler said, rescuing me from a situation I didn't want to get caught in. Or so I thought.

"Chandler," Lucas replied, mocking his tone. "You saw what I saw, and you know she won't tell us the truth." He turned his gaze from me to Chandler, his tone cold and annoyed.

Beside me, Chandler sighed, glancing between the two of us before giving me a pointed look. "She was pulling your hair, Jess," he stated, crossing his arms and staring down at me.

"Why does it matter?" I asked, exasperated, overwhelmed by the content of the day.

Lucas rolled his eyes and stepped around us, moving toward the stairs. "I'm going to ask Nakoa, at least she knows not to be so fucking disrespectful."

For a twenty-nine-year-old man, he had the pettiest, saltiest, and most arrogant attitude I had ever seen, like that of a pubescent boy. It was incredibly bothersome, but there was only so much I could get away with before I was scolded, lectured, or punished. My senses and knowledge of Chandler's temper told me I was reaching my limit for misbehavior and it was only a matter of time before he got fed up with me.

When Lucas left the room, I took one step toward the hallway, fully intending to run away from my problems and ignore them, but my forearm was grabbed, not gently, yet not roughly, and I was pulled back to face Chandler.

"Not so fast," he said. "You're going to tell me what went so wrong in the hour we were gone."

"Seriously, why is it relevant? Am I not allowed to talk to Nakoa without reporting every conversation back to you?" I spoke angrily, redirecting my frustration from Nakoa onto him.