Back to You: A Hudson Family Series- Book 1- Synclair and Reece Read Free Page B

laughed, if there were popcorn and soda available I might just watch that show.
    “You’re a witness and I am calling campus security.” She droned on in her standard high-pitched drama.
    “Don’t be dramatic Amber, and I have no intention of letting her go,” he told Amber -Barbie. Without even letting my feet touch the ground he whirled me around and used his enormous hands on my arms to keep me in place.
    I let all the anger show in my eyes. I wanted him to see he didn’t hurt me, couldn’t hurt me. I would let myself be crushed later when there wasn’t a crowd when I could be alone.
    “What’s the matter, Hudson?” I knew he despised it when I called him by his last name. “Afraid if you let me go I’ll kick the shit out of the star athlete on game day?” It was all I had. I wasn’t lying, I was torn between hoping he let me go so I could run away and lick my wounds, and breaking his 3 point throwing arm so he couldn’t play in the game tonight.
    “Stop it Synclair, this isn’t you. I realize I hurt you, I can and will explain it. But you need to calm down.” He informed me getting nose to nose with me.
    Now I was pissed all over again, my anger threatening to push to the surface again. Why was I fighting my own anger here? There was no reason to hold back my street tendencies. I didn’t need to try to be worthy of him, I didn’t need to fit in here.
    Apparently, I was the fraud. These people were exactly who they always had and been and would always be. I was the one struggling to avoid where I came from, or let’s face it, where I was still at. It was time I accepted who I was and stopped making apologies for my life.
    “That’s where you're mistaken, Hudson .” Reiterating his last name. “This is me, I am the daughter of a crack addict, she does sell herself for cash and I’ve had more step daddies then you’ve had panties thrown at you, I have never lived in a home, it has always been motels, this dorm is part of my scholarship and it’s the first time I’ve had a roof over my head that didn’t depend on my mother’s boyfriend or how much she made last night.” His eyes narrowed with concern, and then I saw pity. I hated pity, but I didn’t stop, I wanted to him to know it all, for him to see all the ugly.
    “I am from the streets and on the streets, the only thing people recognize is violence and power. So yeah, this is me, telling you to PUT. ME. THE FUCK. DOWN.” I screeched the last part.
    He didn’t let me go, he didn’t even blink. He groaned and his face looked like someone had just run over his puppy. I had zero sympathy, nada, none. He could take his “poor me” look and shove it up his ass.
    I peered over Reece’s shoulder and saw campus security walking towards us along with two police officers. Apparently, I was more like my mom than I realized, I was about to be arrested and thrown in jail. Damn.
    Reece took my distracted silence as me settling down. He set me down tenderly and took one large palm and placed it on my cheek. I willed myself not to cry. The man who had just betrayed me didn’t match the man lovingly stroking my face. Stay hard, I warned myself, he’s a phony and a schemer. It suddenly dawned on me that Reece was just like my mom. He had humiliated me, hurt me, assured me that he cared for me, and now would employ whatever words he could to persuade me that his assholery wasn’t what it was. But I was finished being used, laughed at, and manipulated. Looking up into those tender eyes that I once dreamed I could get lost in, I brought up my knee and racked him as hard as I could between his legs.  I stepped back as he crumpled to the ground.
    Immediately, I was seized by one of the police officers. “Hands behind your back. Oh shit, Syn? Syn Patrick?”
    Damn, it was bad enough I was going to get arrested, but I was going to be arrested by the same cops that arrested my mother again and again. Worse than that, he called me Syn. Syn was my