C24 I liked it

"I liked it," he winked, picking up his drink.

The room suddenly became too hot all of a sudden. A million thoughts assaulted me at once. He lifted the tip of the bottle to his mouth. Something inside me flared, a blinding light that pierced my doubts. I snatched the beer out of his hand before he could drink.

"Don't drink that!" I shouted. He jumped back and the bottle crashed onto the table. The drugged beer dripped onto the floor.

"Lara?" he replied inquisitively, straightening the bottle before it spilled any more. "What's wrong?

Grabbing my purse, I ran to the women's restroom, ignoring the stares. I needed a moment to breathe, a damn moment to breathe.

Hands shaking, I looked at myself in the mirror, not knowing what to do next.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

What had happened?

The kiss. His words. All of it. I couldn't do it. Seeing him so close to drinking the drugged beer, I lost my mind. Reality came crashing down. The repercussions. The fear that he would hurt himself. My hand had acted before my brain, leaving me wide-eyed in shock. The numbness was gone in an instant and my morale ripped me back from the edge of the cliff.

What had I been about to do?

The sobs took over my body. Tears spilled down my cheeks into the empty bathroom.

I'm so sorry, Spencer .

All the nerves, the fear, the worry from the moment Scott's men had pulled me off the street came rushing out. All the shit about Paul , added to the shitty situation I was in, hating the thought of putting him in danger or leaving him behind, threw me into turmoil.

"Get a grip, Lara." I took a deep breath, my chest heaving with another sob. I rubbed my tears with my palm, trying to catch my breath.

You can handle this. You can find another way.

How? I had no idea. I had nothing. But I couldn't stay here forever. I had to move. I had to face the consequences and survive, making sure no one died in the process.

PAUL

I waited for Lara outside the bathroom, leaning my head against the wall, remembering the look on her face when I went to drink the beer.

It all made sense now. Her eagerness to get me away from the city, her insistence on driving and buying the drinks. She had come back from the bar looking bad and her eyes flickered to the beer she had bought for me.

Unsure, I had wanted to unnerve her, to back her into a corner. But only the truth had come out of my mouth once I'd held her in my arms as we danced. Mery was right. No good would come of playing. And the state Savannah had gotten herself into confirmed that there was more to it than her chasing me to collect.

"Shit "I muttered to myself.

"You can say that again, " Manala agreed, joining me in the empty hallway.

I had forgotten I had asked her to come. He had hidden in the crowd, ready to provide backup if needed at Mary's request . Or Mery's . But Lara had already protected me from herself.

"He's in there ." I pointed toward the bathroom door.

"I solved it myself, Sherlock." Manala stood beside me. "I have to say, when you called me to come here, I was doubtful. I thought Savannah would go through with her plan until I saw the two of you on the dance floor. She's fallen for you, man. Believe it or not."

" I don't know what to believe " . I sighed. "But I think he's in trouble. Rose said he didn't leave his room all day, and he looked awful this morning at breakfast. Lara was nervous with me too "

" Maybe it pricks her conscience? "

" I think it's more than that. The things she has said don't make sense ". Something is going on, and tonight.... I remembered the devastated look on her face when she took the beer out of my hand. "She stopped it. She stopped it for me."

"Do you trust her?" he asked me. I thought about it.

"After that? Yes, I trust. How much does that make me a bitch for mating magic?"

"Zero. Trust your reaction. Mating magic is only there to give us a boost and help us in bonding with our partner. Everything else is up to you."

"I need to talk to her."

"Yes, you do." He hesitated. "I'll call Mery and update her when I get home. She's worried about you."

"Mery worries about all of us."

"She saw Lara was the one," he murmured. "She trusted her from the first moment. That girl scares me."

I had to laugh at that. "Mery called her before I could reach her. And she gave Lara a chance when I didn't."

"You had to protect the city. And your own back."

"Yes. But knowing what I found out about her, I should have confronted Lara the first day. Maybe she would have confided in me and saved us all this drama."

"Hindsight is a mighty power, my friend," he laughed sardonically. "You weren't going to know she was your potential mate, and you weren't going to know her intentions. Now go do what you have to do. We can discuss a way to get rid of Gideon once and for all during the meeting, when Max and Harrison arrive. For now, I'm going home. But I'll call Ulrich and tell him to keep an eye on you. Living on the outskirts of town, he already thinks he's the keeper of the creek, so honk when you get back so he knows you're back. Have him call me when you're back.

I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Dad."

Manala shrugged. "Call me cautious. Figure this shit out."

Patting my back, she turned and left.

Lara still hadn't come out. I promised to give her five more minutes, and then I'd demand she come home with me.

My partner. And when she took the beer out of my hand, protecting me, I fell over with a fucking thud.

A door creaked open and Lara appeared with bloodshot eyes and almost no makeup. She looked at me in surprise.

"We need to talk," I told her.

Resigned, she nodded and followed me out.

I held out my hand to take her keys when we reached her truck. "I'll drive."

She rummaged in her purse for them, without complaint, and shoved them into my hands.

I opened the door for her. She climbed in and I went back to the driver's side. I slammed the door shut and asked, "Are you all right, Lara?"

She nodded her head leaning against the window. I turned on the heat and started the van.

"Do you want to tell me why you took the beer out of my hands?".

"There's so much I have to tell you," he sighed. "I don't know where to start. And you won't be happy when you learn the truth."

Sighing, I released her. "I know, Lara . Or should I say, Lara Swan ?".

She took a sharp intake of breath. "You know?"

"I know enough. I knew who you were a few hours after you entered the city."

"Shit!" He pounded on the inside of the door. "I should have known by the way you behave, the way you take care of your people. I'm stupid. I'm fucking stupid." Her head dropped between her hands, her fists clenching her hair.

"Stop it," I ordered him. "You'll hurt yourself."

"That's the least of my problems right now!" he shouted, his breathing becoming erratic. "I've fucked everything up! Everything! Scott Smith is going to kill my uncle. You're not going to trust a goddamn word he says, and I'm going to have his blood on my hands, all because I'm a selfish, stupid, pussy bitch!"

He kicked the dashboard, his anger palpable.

"Calm down. Punching your truck won't solve anything."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything," she whispered. "I came to town to look for Paul Reeds . When I saw you at the bar, I noticed you because of the sketch." His chest heaved. "Then I knew I had to finish you. And I just wanted to breathe, to rest, to take a damn moment to breathe. But I saw you with the people in town, how you were with me. And when you took me to the creek, I saw you. I don't think I realized it until I drew the picture. My attraction turned into feelings, in such a short time, it scared me. I had no idea how to deal with it or how to deal with you. It became so twisted." He exhaled and hit the dashboard. I flinched at the crunch and grabbed her hand. I wouldn't tolerate her getting hurt.

"We'll work it out, Lara."

"I couldn't do it," she continued. "I couldn't watch him get hurt. But I couldn't let you kill him either. I would have taken you to him, but I would have saved you. I wouldn't have left you once my uncle was safe," she breathed. "Please believe me."

I rubbed her back, urging her to take a deep breath. "I believe you. Breathe, sweetheart. Breathe."

She found me, wrapped her arms around my neck, grabbed my hair and clung to me. "I'm sorry," she said again.

"We'll work it out," I reassured her, hugging her. She had put me before her family. She had chosen me. She had sacrificed everything and put herself in danger. "We'll work it out.

Whatever it takes. No matter what disaster loomed ahead, I vowed to ruin Scott Smith just for that. Seeing his tears sealed the deal.