Page 151 of Creep

“No, you don’t know that.”

I let out a small sigh, reaching over and cupping his shoulder. He tried to shrug me off, but I held firm, waiting until he looked at me.

“We can just leave this all behind, you know. We can go somewhere and start new. You, me, and Lia,” he said softly.

I shook my head. We could fly halfway across the world, and Briggs’s ghost would continue to haunt me. I didn’t think it would stop once I killed him with my hands, but it would be something, at least.

“I need to see this through, and I need you by my side.”

My eyes took in his face, the image of him as a little boy haunting me. We had the same blue eyes, but others had always said my eyes were too volatile, even when I was young; Theo’s eyes just looked lost to me. People called him cold, but all I saw was someone who didn’t know who he was.

A surge of protectiveness came over me. “You don’t have to get into this mess. I can handle it on my own, I promise.”

He was already shaking his head before I could finish speaking. “No fucking way. Where you go, I go.”

“Even to hell?” I joked.

“Even then,” he answered seriously.

I let out a small sigh. “We’re going to be alright.”

“How would you know that? We’re talking about the fucking mob. We have never inserted ourselves in the middle of any mob wars in the East for a reason. It never ends well for anyone involved.”

I shook my head. “It’ll be fine.”

“How would you know?”

“Because.”

“Because?”

“It’s our karma for enduring all that bad shit in our childhood.”

Theo didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then he threw his head back and laughed. I grinned.

Theo spent most of his waking—and sleeping—moments in a fog of stoicism. It was nice to see him laughing, even if the fucker was laughing at me.

“You don’t believe in that shit,” he said, finally catching his breath.

“Sure I do.” I ruffled his hair, something I’d done when we were younger.

He moved away and glared at me, making my smile widen.

“Go get some rest,” I said, opening the door and exiting the car. I was about halfway to the elevator when I heard the car door slam behind me. I turned around in time for Theo to wrap his arms around me tightly in a hug. I froze for a moment. How long had it been since he sought out comfort from me like this?

Long enough that I had forgotten how it felt. I wrapped my arms around him and patted his back. “It’ll be okay.”

He didn’t say anything in response. He pulled away first and returned to the car without looking back at me. I stood there and watched as he drove away, feeling a heavy weight settle uncomfortably on my shoulders.

And I was suddenly tired.

I just wanted my bed and Lia close to me as I tried to chase a few hours of sleep, and that was all.

40

LIA

I didn’t even knowhe had left the apartment until I was startled awake early in the morning and realized I was in bed alone.

---