Page 169 of Dissolving Prejudice
Our eyes immediately found each other, and while I thought he’d be as happy to see me as I was to see him, Shay-Lee instantly looked away. It stung, and fear that he might still be mad at me gnawed at my stomach.
Miles cleared his throat. “Am I the only one who’s suddenly hungry?”
“Nope.” Andrei jumped to his feet at the same time Levi and Jessie nodded together.
Those four quickly slipped out of the room, only saying a quick hey to Shay-Lee on their way out.
“I’ll go call my mom to see if the kids are okay,” Chief said before also taking his subtle leave.
I thought Soren would follow his husband’s lead when, instead, he stopped next to Shay-Lee.
“How did it go with the insurance?” he asked, voice low.
Biting his lip, Shay-Lee nodded. “Good, they believed it all.”
A deep sigh escaped Soren, and he took off his glasses. “That’s the last time you’re doing something so irresponsible, Shay-Lee. I swear to God, kid, the danger you put yourself in—”
“What’s going on?” I cut in, not liking Soren’s tone.
The lawyer half turned to look at me, concern written on his face, before he went back to frown at Shay-Lee. “Promise me you won’t risk yourself like that again.” He placed his hand on Shay-Lee’s cheek, and while I knew it was nothing more than a platonic gesture of care, it still pissed me the fuck off.
“I won’t,” Shay-Lee said quietly.
It was enough to convince Soren, who moved away and got out of the room.
At last, it was just Shay-Lee and me left alone.
“Hey,” I said, a stupid smile on my lips.
“H-hey,” Shay-Lee hummed back while still refusing to meet my stare.
The little skank.
Even when I was in the hospital, his bratty ass wasn’t about to make my life easy, huh?
Shay-Lee
Despite knowing I was already running late, I checked my new phone for the time. Fuck. Soren had called me to say Camilo woke up almost five hours ago but I was stuck with the insurance company and its lawyers, and I couldn’t have gotten out of there sooner. Maybe I could if I really tried, but Soren warned me to behave so I wouldn’t draw any more suspicions.
I told Soren I set my old house in flames the same night it happened, and while he scolded me for being an idiot, he also promised he’d take care of everything—meaning he’d handle the police, fire department, or anyone else who might be involved. How did he do it? I had no clue, but as of today, my house officially burned down due to a gas leak mixed with a short circuit.
“Come on,” I grunted, pushing the elevator button again to call for it. When it still didn’t arrive, I decided to skip it and take the stairs instead. Running up to the fourth floor, I didn’t stop to catch a breath or wipe away the sweat on my forehead until reaching the right floor. I pushed open the door and dashed down the long hallways that were all too damn confusing. My whole energy was set on getting to Camilo, and I’d almost reached his room when I saw a familiar face that forced me to stop.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, a bit out of breath, as I was met with Jordan.
Pushing back from the wall he leaned against, Jordan slipped his phone into his front pocket and moved toward me. “I heard he woke up and wanted to check he’s okay.” His lips curved into a nervous smile. “Oh, and I wanted to thank you for sending someone to bring back my car—”
I cut him off with a hug. The last time I saw Jordan was when I yelled at him to stay with Camilo as security escorted me out. And while this hug caught us both off guard, I didn’t know how else to express my gratitude.
“Thank you for helping me,” I said, hugging him closer.
His body tensed in my embrace, almost like he didn’t know what to do, until he released a breath and wrapped two strong arms around me.
“It… It was really nothing.”
I shook my head and pulled back so our eyes met. “But it wasn’t. I couldn’t have done it without you. I couldn’t have saved him—”
“You could have,” he said, eyes soft. “If there’s something I’ve learned by now, it’s that you’re capable of anything, Shay-Lee, so stop underestimating yourself.”
