Page 16 of In the Light of Sin

I snarled at him but didn’t argue. Not that I gave a fuck. The less people around me, the better.

The bell over the front door rings again, this time a small woman rushing straight towards Joslyn and Nyla, positioning herself behind them and trying to hide herself. Her deep breathing would give her away to anyone, red-faced from the excursion or the attention now on her, I didn’t know.

Joslyn turned her head to look at her. “What’re you doing here, Oak? You’re not on the schedule today.”

She shifted so her frame was behind the counter as she ducked down. She was so short she didn’t have to duck down very far to be hidden. “He won’t leave me alone.”

Nyla’s face scrunched. “Who—”

The bell rang, and in walked V. If that bell rings one more time, I’m ripping it out of the wall. His black hair was tied into a low bun, and he had a black surgical mask on his face. His eyes scanned the shop, his face emotionless as he searched before his eyes landed on top of Oakley’s head, popping up from behind the counter. He stood at the end of the row of flowers, dropping the head of his baseball bat to the ground with a clang.

Seeing him around anything that remotely resembled color was odd. This man was basically the human equivalent of the Grim Reaper, weapon-wielding and all. And here he stood in a flower shop. What the hell were all three of us doing here, for that matter? This isn’t a good look.

Grim laughed, eyes on Oakley. “If you were trying to get away from V, this sure as shit is the best place to go. Fucker hates anything that brings others joy.”

Oakley began to shake slightly, making her friends frown. Nyla glared at V. “We can watch her, V. You can go do…” She paused, trying to think of what V does in his free time besides killing people. “… whatever it is you need to do.”

“No.”

If I laughed, I would’ve at that. Stubborn and loyal were V’s two best traits. When his sights were set, it was his for the taking, whether they were willing or not.

“Isn’t he around you all the time?” Joslyn questioned. “What’s different about today?”

“He was in my college class. He got me kicked out!” Oakley shouted, wildly gesturing in his general direction with her right hand before planting it firmly on the counter.

“Man.” Grim shook his head. “You gotta let her go to school, V. That’s not something you should be interfering with.”

Joslyn nodded. “Not everyone has the privilege of education. She’s working towards her dreams, V. Don’t you want her to live them?”

His dark eyes glanced over to her, studying her before arching his back, stretching like he didn’t care… ‘cause he probably didn’t. But it made me look over at Joslyn. There was a hidden message behind her words. I knew she was taking classes. I didn’t know what type, but I assumed that she meant college with her being twenty-five.

“Don’t you go to the same school?” Grim asked Joslyn.

She looked embarrassed as she looked down at her feet and meekly responded, “No.” And she changed the subject before anyone else asked a question. What was she hiding? “V?” His dark eyes shifted to Joslyn. “Why do you wear that mask?”

He just glanced at her before his eyes returned to Oakley, who was still shaking like a leaf behind the counter. Fucking creepy. It still blows my mind that Law hasn’t put a bullet in his head yet.

Grim snorted. “You’re better off asking the President for nuclear codes, Jos. V doesn’t like to talk to anyone.”

He lifted his baseball bat, putting the base of it over his shoulders. “I only talk to those worth my time.”

“Show some fuckin’ respect.” I spat before I could stop myself.

Grim’s annoying chuckle had me narrowing my eyes at him. “For people who say they don’t give a fuck about anyone, you two sure are actin’ like middle schoolers with their first crushes.”

I was beyond done with this conversation as I faced Grim. “Joslyn’s staying with you tonight.”

He nodded, knowing where I had to go. “I’ll take care of her.”

Despite Joslyn shouting my name, I walked out of Poppy Oaks’ front door. I should have known she’d have more say, but I needed to get out of her orbit. I didn’t bother to turn around as she ran after me and asked. “You’re going out again??”

I grunted, and she took that as a‘yes.’

“I was getting used to sleeping in your guest room.” I could hear her feet shift from one side to the other, a small smile infiltrating her already sweet voice. “I even looked up how to do those sharp corners you do on the bed. Did you learn that from the military?”

“Yeah.” The first thing we learned was how to make a bed. If they couldn’t bounce a dime off of it without it getting wrinkled, they threw all the blankets off and made us redo it until it was right, and if it made us late, we ran for miles. We all learned pretty quick.

“I’m getting really good at it.” She praised herself. She was. I sat in my chair in the living room as a routine, and in the silence of my house, I heard her moving around the guest bedroom with the flutter of blankets for hours. I may have peeked at her work when she’d gone to shower and change. I ignored the flutter in my chest, knowing she was doing it just for me. “But, your house is… colorless. Doesn’t it feel lonely?”

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