Page 21 of Cost of Courting

“I did that?”

DAMNIT!

I turn and find Mael there, he’s pale and shaky, and when I step towards him, he takes a step back from me.

I feel a rush of regret at my actions, but I smother that with anger. They put me in this position. I wanted to be alone.

“Gonna run again, Morrow?” I sneer. “Got another great excuse to bail? Here, let me give you a third. I don’t want you here!”

Mael stares at me with bruised and hurt eyes. Damn him!

“Fuck this, and fuck you.” I storm out of the house. My eyes are gritty, and I feel the need for sleep throbbing against my chest and temples.

I crash back into my room, but it smells like him. I throw myself on my bed and stare up at the ceiling, hating everyone and everything.

If my eyes burn, it’s from lack of sleep, not tears.

The guy I’m followingis so arrogant he doesn’t even know I’m here. This piece of shit thinks he can bash his girlfriend and force his kids to steal for him.

Well, he picked the wrong neighbourhood. I pull the balaklava down and heft the bat. It takes me ten seconds to catch up. He hears me just before I get close, but I’m already swinging.

The crack is the most satisfying sound ever. He has no way to stand. I’ve probably broken his kneecap.

But I don’t stop there. I keep going until he’s just a moaning, groaning lump on the ground.

“It’s time for you to move, Lester. We’ve decided that you’re not welcome here!”

“You crazy fucking bitch! I need help. I’m hurt.”

There’s that word again. Crazy. I hit him again just because.

“So did Ellis, but you didn’t call for help. You made her cook you dinner. So you can go, or I can kill you now,” I say and pull out my knife. It really is a gorgeous knife. It's matte black and was a gift from Mael on my sixteenth birthday.

His fear intensifies. They never expect a woman to be serious, not until I pull out the knife.

“I’ll go! Fucking shit!” He almost screams, blood and snot running down his face.

“First, I need a video.”

I walk the long way home, needing some time to think. My exhaustion is weighing me down. I need to get a decent amount of sleep.

The trees help me hide. It’s never a good thing to be walking around this neighbourhood at night. The birds are silent, only the rustling of the wind through dry leaves and the bugs keep me company.

I get distracted in my thoughts, wandering back to Mael calling out in his sleep. I rub my sternum and will the ache to go away.

Footsteps run towards me. I turn, alarmed, knowing it will be too late. He runs at me with a tree branch and swings. I don’t even know how he’s standing.

The bang comes out of nowhere. Lester stops, stunned, his eyes wide as blood runs down his shirt, and his life fades in front of me.

He drops to the ground. I’m pleased he’s dead, but I didn’t do that, and who is watching me close enough in order to see him run at me? Fuck, they probably have all the proof they need to send me to the slammer.

A shape shifts in the shadows. For a second, I think it’s Mael, but it’s not as menacing as Mael. It takes me a long moment, and then I recognise Bailey.

I looked him up. I know all about his family history. The Raines. He should not be here in this shitty neighbourhood.

“Bailey?”

“Hi, Selene. So, uh, you moonlight as a…what are you?”

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