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Car his phone to his ear He’d assuht ho "She’s not here"

Dia sighed on the line "She’s probably scared"

"You think I don’t know that? She’s afraid of e out of his mind, the fear in her eyes as she ran from him

"Doesn’t she know I understand how she feels?" he asked "I lost my mom, too"

"Yes, but you’re irrational when it co about your mother’s death"

Her wordsmy point," Dia said "Look, I’ll call you back I want to check so"

She hung up without awaiting his response

Carmine just stood there until Dia called hih him so fast he nearly collapsed "Where did you find her?"

"She’s down at the lake"

He froze, grabbing the hood of his car as his legs eak Yeah, he was going to fucking collapse "What do you mean she’s at the lake?" Dia didn’t respond, her silence all he needed for the truth to register "Nicholas"

"Calet worked up She knew him well, which er spiraled out of control "Calm down? I’m tired of this bullshit If this is how she wants to be, they can have each other"

"Carmine"

"This is why I never wanted to fall in love"

"You don’ttell e, and he threw his phone at the car, cursing as a lump formed in his throat His vision clouded over as his hand clenched into a fist He slaer side cracking froh hi as his fist broke through Pain stung his knuckles, the jagged glass ripping the skin

He took a deep breath as he went inside, his father greeting him in the foyer The smile on Vincent’s face fell when he took in Car to his bloody hand "What happened?"

"Nicholas happened"

Vincent groaned "How h this?"

"Whatever The Mazda took a worse beating than Nicholas did"

"Your car? What happened tonight? Where’s the girl?"

"I already told you--Nicholas happened," he spat "And her fucking name is Haven Haven Use it sometime"

Vincent stared at him, taken aback

"And if you wanna knohere Haven is, find Nicholas They’re down at the lake soonna go get her, aren’t you?"

Vincent pinched the bridge of his nose "Her life is her own, Carmine She can have friends, and you should respect that"

"After what he did to me, you expect me to respect him? I’m supposed to like this?"

"I didn’t say you had to like it, nor did I say you should respect hiht to make her own choices, whether you like the of an asshole I tell her all the time to make her own decisions"

"Well, you should see this as her doing that"

Groaning, Carmine pushed past his father and headed for the stairs "How cohed, the sound hitting a nerve "This isn’t about choosing sides I told you someday the real world would creep up on you"

"Oh, I know it," he said "I knew it the rinned "She hit you?"

"What’s so fucking a she should’ve hit you, but I’o like that She may make it out there in the world, after all"

"Ever heard of Stockholm syndros dangled over the end of the dock, his pants rolled up and feet skied beside him, their discarded shoes scattered on the deck "No, what is it?"

"It’s when sohed when she realized where he was going with it "I wasn’t kidnapped"

"So the good doctor didn’t cut out letters froether to ," he said "It doesn’t have to be a kidnapping, though It’s when sos for their captor"

"That’s the sa you said the first tie"

"But you are being held, right?"

"I didn’t say that"