Page 10 of Rebel

“Are we placing bets?” Dom spoke up, even though he stared intently across the lot. “My money is on one week.”

“Two days.” Stray held up two fingers.

I ignored them both. Stray Hurley was a hardcore player who would happily fuck a girl fifteen minutes after meeting her. He’d never seriously dated a woman in all the time I’d known him. His opinion meant nothing.

Since Dominik Taylor was a master manipulator who used every word as a weapon, I didn’t put a lot of stock in anything that came out of his mouth unless it had to do with business.

I followed his gaze across the parking lot. The Venom guys were gathered there, talking and shoving each other around. I tried not to waste energy on those useless fucks, although sometimes the situation called for it. They had a tendency to go out of their way to fuck with us.

“Tomorrow night,” I said, changing the subject. “I made arrangements with the buyer for pickup after midnight. Everyone on board?”

“You need all of us to be there?” Stray asked, passing me his joint. “Where are we meeting?”

I nodded, taking the offering. “Yeah, we all need to be there. Safety in numbers. I don’t want to risk anything going wrong on a job like this. We’ll meet at my place around ten so we can go over the plan.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be there. Anything else? I have class in twenty minutes.” Dom turned to leave.

“No, we’ll talk later.” I waved him off. My own class would be starting soon as well.

Both Stray and Auryn agreed to the plan. Casper gave a silent nod since he never spoke a fucking word. Not since he’d watched his parents die in a horrific car accident when he was seven.

That hadn’t stopped us from becoming friends in junior high though. He found ways to communicate. He’d learned sign language and didn’t mind using text messages with those of us too dumb or lazy to understand sign. In my defense, I’d tried to learn. I knew a little. When I’d continuously screwed up, he’d sent me an annoyed text telling me to cut it the fuck out.

After getting to know Casper Callahan as I well as I now did, he rarely even had to use words in any manner. One look at his expression often told me all I needed to know.

A few hours later I was finished with my graphic design classes for the day. On my way through the parking lot to where my BMW was parked, a dead bird caught my eye. I wasn’t one for picking up dead animals but the thought of Storm’s face when she saw it on her car made the decision for me.

I had to fuck with her. It simply wasn’t optional. Using a stick, I carefully picked up the bird and wandered the lot until I found her older model gray Civic. I’d seen it in Larry’s driveway this morning. The pink decal that said “No Fucks Given” confirmed that it was hers.

Tossing the bird onto the windshield, I arranged it so there would be no missing it. No doubt she’d know it was from me, which was exactly what I wanted. I paused, scrutinizing the bird. Definitely not my best work. I’d have to brainstorm some better ways to get a reaction from Storm. That’s what it was about after all. The reaction.

I didn’t know this girl but she already had a way of getting under my skin. Something about her both pissed me off and excited me. Having her right next door made this whole game risky. Close enough to access any time I wanted, yet impossible to get rid of when I tired of her.

As I drove home, I thought about my friends’ stupid bets. I had every intention of fucking Storm. I needed to know what she felt like on the inside. I needed to hear her scream my name. When the time was right.

I was downstairs in my room finalizing plans for tomorrow when my sister called down the stairs for me.

“Hey, dumbass,” Arwen shouted. “Someone is at the door for you.”

When I saw a pissed off Storm standing on my front step, I counted another point for myself. That had been too easy.

I stepped outside, closing the door behind me so we wouldn’t be overheard by anyone inside. Before I even got a word out, she threw the dead bird at me. It had been wrapped in a plastic bag so she didn’t have to touch it. The bag hit my chest before landing on the step in front of me.

“Is this your idea of a joke?” Storm fumed. “Did you kill it too? No, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know. You need to back off, Rebel. This isn’t funny.”

Ignoring the bird at my feet, I said, “It’s not supposed to be funny. It’s supposed to get a reaction from you. Looks like it worked. You’re making this far too easy.”

She’d showered and changed since I last saw her. The tank top she wore showed off the bat tattooed on her upper arm. Her hair was pulled back in a loose braid that fell over her shoulder. Tempting.

“I don’t want to play your games. I want you to leave me alone. You’re obviously in need of some serious mental help.” Storm started to walk away.

Darting forward, I grabbed her arm, pulling her back to face me. “You don’t get to tell me that I’m crazy and walk away. You’re the one who keeps coming back for more. Not once have you ignored me or kept your mouth shut. I’m starting to think you want my attention, pet.”

My gaze fell to her full lips. I could hardly wait to see them wrapped around my cock. Her eyes widened, like she knew what I was thinking.

“I don’t want anything from you, Rebel,” she insisted. “But I won’t be tormented by you either. I’m not going to make this easy for you.”

She clamped her mouth shut, realizing she screwed up with that last remark. I latched onto it, not letting go.

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