I reeled back then as if I had been physically slapped. And even with all of the thoughts whirling through my head, I was still aware that Alistair and Jasper wouldn't have faltered. And when they spoke, they wouldn't have sounded so stricken. "What?" My weakness was just pouring out of me and I wasn't strong enough to rebuild that damn.

As if he hadn't wanted to release the words, Dexter also stepped back and turned away as he ran a hand through his hair. But that didn't stop him from repeating it. "I did it, Lonny. I wrote the letter."

For a moment I could say nothing at all. My mouth opened and closed, then open and closed again. This couldn't be true. Dexter wouldn't do that to me. There had to be some other explanation. But who else would threaten a budding rally racer that had very little to his name? What could someone possibly want from him? And even though I was wielding Calvin against Dexter, I didn't really think that Calvin would do it. Besides, Dexter had no reason to lie.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" I snapped, unable to come up with anything else.

"I don't know."

"Well then who the fuck knows?" I snarled, pulling out one of my mother's favorite lines from when I was a child. When he didn't answer right away, I continued down my spiral. "Why would you do this? How did you even do it?"

"I mean, I just wrote the letter with my left hand—"

"Not the fucking letter! This whole thing!" I wanted to grab his shirt and throttle him. I wanted to scream. Maybe I was already screaming.

And Dexter seemed so very small all of the sudden. "Oh, I wrote it, then I called Jasper. He asked for a picture of it, but didn't throw much of a fuss when I asked if someone could be assigned to me. In fact, I think he was pretty relieved. It gave him a simple task to keep you focused on. I think he definitely suspected something was up, but it was too convenient for him to say no."

"You're fucking crazy," I accused. My anger wiped away my shock in one stroke. It was like a frantic storm finally giving way to a lightning strike within me. My shoulders rolled back and I jabbed a finger against the center of Dexter's chest. "What were you even thinking?! You just committed fraud! Why would you do this?"

I expected Dexter to crumple because I knew what I looked like in that moment. I could thunder with the force of a thousand hurricanes in that moment and it would only take the slightest change in wind to set me off. But my best friend met my eyes with an evenness I didn't anticipate. I felt my lightning crackling at my fingertips, daring him to come back at me.

"I did it because I love you too much to watch you kill yourself."

It was one hell of a confession. I could see that he wanted his words to level me, but all he did was unleash my rage.

"I had it fucking handled! All you had to do was stay the fuck out of it!"

That brought him tumbling into the natural disaster. "Handled? Handled?" he seethed. "Are you kidding me, Lonny? Or are you really so delusional that you actually think that you were okay back then?"

"I was doing what I could."

"You were doing nothing. Nothing! You were wasting away. You lost so much weight in such a short time. you stopped eating. Your hair was falling out. Fuck, you couldn't even force yourself to smile half the time. and the worst part was that you didn't even know what you were doing to yourself through all of that."

"My mom was missing. She still is. And if you hadn't budged your way in, maybe I could have been on the squad trying to track her down!"

Arm folded across his chest, he shook his head in disbelief. "We both know that wouldn't have happened. The realistic version is that an experienced team would find her and she would come home to a skeleton of a daughter." Dexter's tight muscles and defensive pose suddenly released as he sucked in a slow breath. His chest rose and fell three times before he was able to bring his gaze back to me. The anger was now at a low simmer. "I don't want to fight, Lonny. I know what I did was wrong and I'm sorry."

"Sorry?!"

He held up a hand before I could continue. "I am sorry. Really. I'm not defending myself, but you were not responsive to anything else. I was worried. Hell, I was beyond worried. You stopped talking to me. You cut me out. How was I supposed to communicate with you? How was I supposed to tell you that I was worried about you when you wouldn't even answer a phone call or respond to a single text. When I confronted you in person, it was worse. I know it wasn't right, but I would do it again."

"You bastard," I seethed, wishing I was a worse person so I could release my rage by swinging at him. "How can you even say that?"

"I got to make sure that you were eating. I got to make sure that you were leaving your apartment, that you saw people and felt the sun on your face. Why do you think I always had coffees and snacks in the car? Why do you think I requested such an intense schedule? I needed to keep you alive and living. It might have been wrong, but I did it because I love you."

So there it was. It was all out in the open. My task had been nothing more than a distraction created by my best friend. He had lied to me. he had lied to Jasper.

And he had done it all because he didn't think I could handle myself.

Because he thought I was incapable.

Finger brushed the back of my hand. "Lonny—"

"Don't touch me," I barked.

"I'm sorry."

I hoisted my chin up and narrowed my green eyes. "I hate you."

His mouth curved down, eyes darkening. "Lonny—"

"I don't want to see you again, Dexter. Whatever we had between us is now over."

"London!"

But his yelling was useless. I grabbed my purse from where I had discarded it on the floor and walked right out the front door. My hands didn't shake as I pulled open my car door. My lower lips didn't quiver when I started the Camry. Tears didn't well in my eyes when I drove.

I wasn't upset or sad. I didn't feel hurt or betrayed.

I was just fucking angry.

And not just at Dexter.

When I reached my apartment complex, I already had one missed call from Dexter and two text messages. But when I moved to delete them, my phone lit up with another incoming call. I was about to decline it, but then I saw who it was from.

"Hey Zara," I greeted, pleased that my voice sounded even and controlled to my own ears.

"London, how are you?"

"Good," I lied.

"I am so glad to hear it! Are you busy right now?"

"Not at all."

"Perfect! I have been invited to gala in Calgary, some charity ball to help raise funds for a local literacy program."

"And you need a dress?"

"No, not this time," she said with a laugh. "The gala has a high fashion sort of theme going on. There's going to be dozens of local and international designers there. In fact, I was invited predominantly because of my wedding dress. So, it only makes sense that you would be my guest, my plus one."

"Oh, I don't really know if I have time for that." I was definitely booking my days up with stewing in my own rage and figuring out how to get back at Dexter.

"London, you are a talented designer. I have good connections and this could put a face to your work."

I didn't want to put a face to my fashion. It was my relief, the hobby that took me away from everything else. But opportunities could often be hidden behind meaningless doors. And where Zara went, Jasper followed.

"You know what, you're right."

"I am?" Zara blurted. "I mean, of course I am. I'm so used to arguing with Kingsley's that you threw me off," she admitted with a laugh. "I'm so glad, London. This is going to be amazing for you."

Oh, I was sure it would be.

"You know what? I'm getting a little excited. How about you and Jasper skip the hotel and stay in my guest room? We can get ready together, it'll be tons of fun."

"Oh, we don't want to impose."

"Please, you're family. I insist."

If Jasper was going to pay dirty, then I was more than willing to fight back.

~~~Distraction Section~~~

Hello Friends! I have some exciting news to share with you on the 30th of June. To celebrate, I will be posting a chapter of this book and of Huntress everyday until the 30th. See you tomorrow!

Question of the Day: If magic was real, what spell would you learn first?