Page 56 of Ghost Girl

‘You sleep with a lot of guys, Rhodes?’ I teased the younger man right back, drawing the attention away from Mikey, whose shoulders slumped in relief. He struggled to relax under scrutiny, even in social situations. Hell, even with me and the girls. I’d never met anyone as shy and introverted as him, and Rhodes’ bubbly personality was a stark contrast that was, quite frankly, jarring in comparison. Luckily, I was used to it with Ashe and Gloria, who, come to think of it, hadn’t made any reappearances since they’d left this morning.

My brows pulled together in a frown as I considered their absence. That was three people total who were now missing.

I unwrapped the burger, noting how it was wrapped in tinfoil, which meant it was more than likely cooked by Fred. He was a cool guy. Didn’t care for nonsense, which I admired, but I hadn’t seen the older man over the past couple of days, choosing to make my own food instead since I was out and about more often than not. I made a mental note to drop by to say goodbye to the old man before I left.

The first bite was delicious. Juicy and flavourful, with crunchy lettuce, perfectly melted cheese, and homemade sauce. There was no special flair added to make it something it wasn’t. It was just a simple burger, but one that was made to go straight to a man’s heart, becausedamn. I understood why Mikey let that moan slip out, because this was practically orgasmic.

‘Party in your mouth, right?’ Rhodes commented, licking his lips. ‘I already ate mine, but fuck if I wouldn’t make room for another if I could.’

I snorted, then sputtered as I tried not to spit out my half-chewed bite. I swallowed it hard, almost choking on it as it went down, but shot him a sly smile. ‘That’s a deflection if I ever saw one.’

He laughed, the sound boisterous and carefree. ‘Nah, man. No dick for me, except my own. Sorry to disappoint,’ he winked.

I shook my head with a chuckle, settling back against the trunk I was leaning against to get more comfortable. My ass was numb from sitting for so long, but I was enjoying the rare moment of levity and peace before the world inevitably came crashing down again.

‘She’s not showing up tonight, is she?’ Rhodes asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

‘Did we… scare her off, or something?’ Mikey asked dejectedly.

‘I don’t know, but I have to keep trying,’ I said, determination filling me. I may have not been able to feel my asscheeks, my legs tingling with pins and needles while my head pounded from stress and lack of sleep, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me from talking to Kali. I had waited seven years for this, and I was a patient man. I would camp out here for as long as it took.

I wasn’t leaving until we talked.

‘Do you think she’s shy?’ Rhodes asked contemplatively. ‘She seemed pretty timid each time we spoke before.’

‘Kali has never been shy,’ I informed him. ‘She was always the life of the party.’

‘What if she’s avoiding us?’ Mikey asked, eyes glued to a beetle scuttling over the fallen leaves.

‘Tough shit,’ I said, perhaps a little too harshly because Mikey flinched and Rhodes arched a brow. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.’

‘You’re not letting her get away again,’ Mikey finished for me with a dismissive shrug. ‘I get it.’

‘You really loved her, huh?’ Rhodes asked me, openly curious.

‘Always have. Always will,’ I answered honestly.

‘How come you two never got together, then?’

‘Because he’s a pussy,’ Mikey answered for me, shooting me a pointed look when I went to argue.

I sighed, accepting the criticism for what it was. ‘He’s right. I was too scared to tell her, and I lost her before I could pluck up the courage.’

‘To your little brother?’ he whistled. ‘Damn, man. That’s rough.’

‘Yeah, well. I lived my life full of regret. I won’t be doing that anymore.’

‘What do you hope to achieve by talking to her now?’ he asked, digging into the root of my emotional torment without trying.

‘I just…’ I hesitated, mulling over my thoughts to try to put them into the right words. ‘I need to know what happened. I need to fix it, you know? I can’t bring her back, but I can help her put the fucker behind bars, even if it’s the last thing I do.’

Mikey tensed at my comment, but quickly composed himself to hide his feelings on what we both knew was inevitable. His mask didn’t slide into place fast enough, though, and Rhodes caught it. He was remarkably observant.

‘Wait, hang on a minute. You’re not planning on joining her, are you?’

I didn’t answer, but I didn’t have to. It was written all over my face.

‘That’s messed up, man. And sickeningly romantic. I wish I’d had the opportunity to love someone at least half as much as you love her.’

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