Blurred Lines 1: CHASE
Chapter 55

-Chase-

I tried. I f*****g tried. How hard can it be to get a woman out of my head? This had never happened to me. My zipper has always been a revolving door for women. f**k and leave. No attachments, no feelings. Why is Sofia Collins different? When did she move into my head and reside there rent-free?

Staring at her sleeping figure, my chest caved. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on FindNovel.net. Visit FindNovel.net to read the complete chapters for free. I ran a hand over my face and let out a breath. Slipping inside her place like a criminal, f**k her and leave her before light... she doesn't deserve this kind of treatment, but f**k...

I came here intending to end things with Sofia. Derek showing up in Rio is not a coincidence. He knows about Sofia and me.

This is my worst nightmare coming to life.

It was the same reason I pushed her away. Obviously, I didn't try as hard as I should have. Now Sofia will be caught in the middle of her brother and me. It doesn't matter what happens to me, but Sofia... I wanted to give her a reason to hate me. Once she wakes up, she will definitely hate me.

Moving on autopilot, I gathered my clothes from her bedroom floor and got dressed. I took one more glance at Sofia before slipping out the same way I went in, like a thief in the night.

My biker boot tapping was the only sound I could hear in the empty hallways. Reaching the back door, I barely evaded the fist waiting for me as I opened the door.

I ducked and jumped back. The door slammed against the wall. Derek stood in the middle of the steel frame. Blue eyes shooting icy fire at me.

I gathered my bearings, taking my ground.

He tipped his head, gesturing towards the back parking lot. I followed him out, closing the door behind me. Small insects fly around the flickering orange lamp post light. Apart from Harley and a beat-up Honda, the parking lot was empty.

There was a good six feet distance between Derek and me, but I could still feel the anger radiating off of him. "I warned you, Chase," he cut me off. "Stay away from my family. You did the exact opposite of that, huh," he spat, lifting his gaze to mine.

The years had been kind to Derek. He has changed. He was bulkier and lost the long hair that women immediately fell for back in our teenage years. Derek was the boy next door, while I was the troublesome kid. People often wonder why we got along so well. We were the exact opposite of one another. If only they could see us now.

I sighed and raised my hand in surrender. "I won't fight you. Not then, not now."

He chuckled humorlessly. "You think that will work on me? It didn't work then, and it won't work now," he growled and took away the distance between us, landing a solid straight on my gut.

My body curved. I coughed and caught my breath, but Derek launched another punch at my torso. I felt bit of his anger in each jab, but I didn't stop him or lift my fist as he drove his fist into my jaw. My world spun. Black dots dance on the back of my eyelids. I dropped to the ground, but Derek wasn't done. He straddled me and kept landing punches on my body.

"Fight me! Fight back, you fucking coward!" he growled between jabs. His voice trembled with anger. Landing one more solid straight in my face, my nose cracked. I groaned, curling to a ball, a hand over my face. I touched blood. It was warm and sticky, but my consciousness was still intact.

"You'll ruin her." He towered over me. "Just like you did with Letty."

This wasn't really about Sofia, at least not all of it. Years of grudge fuels Derek's rage, and I get it. I f*****g get it. I would be mad at myself too.

I groaned, lying on my back. The sky was dark, but stars sparkled above. They twinkled like a million fireflies. 'Letty,' I thought. 'Are you watching over us? What should I do?"

"I'm sorry." It was damn painful to move my lips. My entire face was tingling. If I wasn't in good shape, I don't think I could endure half of Derek's attacks. I would feel this for days.

I watched with half-swollen eyes as Derek marched back and forth, huffing, growling, and glancing my way as though he was debating if he should finish me off.

A humorless laugh tumbled between his lips. "Tell that to Letty. Tell that to Sofia."

Mist blurred my eyes as I thought of Letty. Not a day went by that I didn't tell her how sorry I was, how I regretted ever getting involved with her. Guilt was eating me alive. Now I have another guilt to carry in my chest. Sofia. Derek was right. I will ruin her. "What?" Derek's shoes screeched to a pause. His shadow loomed over me. "Got nothing to say?" He kicked my side. I was already too numb. His kick felt like an ant bite.

I do. I have a lot to say, but I could only stare at Derek. My best friend. My brother. I broke his trust, then. I broke his trust again.

Clenching his fist, he started pacing again. "Selfish fucker. You never changed. What were you thinking, playing with Sofia's heart like this? You know how she feels about you. What do you think will happen to her once you move on to your next conquest?" I wanted to tell him I cared about Sofia more than I cared for anyone, more than I cared for Letty. It kills me to think about not seeing her again. The last four days were proof of that. That's why I'm here. Because no matter how I convince myself that leaving her alone was the right thing to do, I can't stay away from her.

"You're gonna leave her, Chase. I won't ask again. This is your final warning." With that, he left me with my own thoughts.

Part of me wished he didn't give me a warning and just ended me.