Page 40 of Light

I don’t feel satisfied either.

It is something darker than anger, colder than rage.

It is a need to protect.

I grab a fistful of his jacket and haul him upright so he can look at me. His eye is already starting to swell shut, and I want him to see me.

Really see me.

"You tell Deke," I growl, my voice low and shaking with the effort it takes not to slam the weight into his face again, "if he comes near Melissa again, if he even breathes in her direction, I will make this feel like a fucking love tap."

I tighten my grip until he whimpers.

"I will show up when he is sleeping. When he is shitting. When he thinks he is safe. I will break him apart piece by piece and leave him wondering which way is up."

The guy nods frantically, blood dripping off his chin.

I shove him away from me, letting him collapse onto the asphalt like the trash he is.

I toss the bloody weight at his feet.

"Pass the message," I say.

I don't bother to clean the blood away. I want him to see it. I want his friends to see it.

His blood and pain will be a reminder for him and the rest of the people in his crew. Melissa is off limits.

Eleven

Melissa

Trustinga man like Light is like keeping a lit match near gasoline.

Shit is destined to go bad.

For right now, though, I'm just going to enjoy the heat.

"You look really pretty, Mom, are you going out?" Tyler asks from the doorway of the kitchen.

"Hmm?" I look down at my outfit. It's nothing special, just some jeans and a nice shirt. "No, I'm here with you, baby." I smile at him and go back to cleaning up for the fourth time in the last hour. I'm not going anywhere tonight, but I am expecting Light to show up any minute. It's almost like a ritual now, hearing the sound of his bike rumbling down the road in the direction of my house.

I hate to admit it, but I'm really looking forward to it tonight. My stomach is in knots and I can't seem to release all the nervous energy coursing through my system.

Light has been coming here like clockwork every night for nearly two weeks now. I know I shouldn't get used to it, but I can't help myself. It doesn't help that I can feel myself starting to develop a crush on him. More than a crush. A deep-seated need for him.

"Mom, can I ask you a question, and you promise you won't get mad?" Tyler shifts uncomfortably.

I drop the rag in my hand and give him my undivided attention. "Of course, Ty, what's up?"

"Well, I know you always say that I'm your best friend, but it looks like you and Light are friends too. Right?"

Crap, I think I know where this is going.

"Yeah, Light and I are friends."

"I thought so, but you're a different kind of friends, right? I mean, are you friends like how I see on TV?"

"What do you mean, how you see on TV?"

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