Page 67 of Toxic B!tch
“This isn’t just about skill, Indigo,” Brandon says, sliding a folder across the table. “It’s about discipline. If you slip, if you attract attention?—”
“I won’t,” she interrupts, flipping open the folder without hesitation.
Brandon smirks again, like she’s just proven a point he already knew. “Good.”
She skims the contract, flipping through pages like she already understands every word, before picking up the penand signing her name with a smooth, practiced motion. No hesitation. No second-guessing.
A phone slides across the desk next, sleek and black, completely unremarkable—except for the weight of what it represents.
“That’s your only line to me,” Brandon says. “The messages will encrypt five minutes after they’re sent.”
Indigo tucks it into her pocket, then leans back in her chair, exhaling like she’s just crossed the finish line of a long race.
And just like that, it’s done.
When we step out of the office, the air feels heavier, like we’ve walked into a world that wasn’t meant for me. Indigo strides ahead like she belongs here, like she was always meant to take this path.
I trail after her, still trying to wrap my head around what just happened.
The truck ride is silent, tension coiling between us. I grip the wheel too tightly, my thoughts racing. I knew she was dangerous, but this? This is something else.
Indigo stares out the window, her expression unreadable.
“Say something,” she whispers, barely audible over the hum of the engine.
I press my lips together, shaking my head. “Give me a minute.”
We pull into her driveway, and before I can even put the truck in park, she’s already unbuckling her seatbelt. She throws the door open, storms up the front steps, and shoves the door wide before slamming it behind her.
I sit there for a beat, hands still gripping the wheel. Then I follow, stepping inside to find her in the living room, chest rising and falling in uneven breaths, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
Her eyes snap to mine, burning with something I can’t quite place.
“What the hell?” I ask, voice low but edged with frustration.
She lets out a strangled noise—somewhere between a groan and a scream—before she completely loses it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
INDIGO
I’m standing here, heart pounding, fists clenched, fighting to keep my composure. But it's slipping. Fast. The frustration is too much. I can't keep doing this.Back and forthwith him, like we’re stuck in some kind of endless loop, chasing a dream I can’t even hold on to.
"You know my fucking secret, Malik," I spit, my voice cutting through the room. "A secret that could get me the fucking electric chair. Yet you need space. Then you meet me, and we have a good conversation. You sleep over. You insist on coming to this meeting tonight. You get there, and you know the fucking guy. You tell Emil you love me, but then the ride home? I become the ice king again. You need more fucking time. I can't do this, Malik. Either you love me for who I am and what I do, or you walk away right now. You’re a living, breathing Katy Perry song right now, and I can't do it."
I stop pacing. My hands are shaking, and I can feel the heat of anger rushing to my face. I'm done with this. I can't keepthrowing myself at him like some kind of emotional grenade, only for him to step back, unsure. I’m done.
Malik stays quiet, eyes locked on mine, searching for something I can't figure out. His jaw clenches like he's struggling with something I can't see.
"Are you finished?" he asks, his voice surprisingly calm.
"For now," I answer, my words tinged with venom. I can't even look at him, but I feel every inch of his presence burning into my skin.
He runs a hand through his hair, that frustrated look creeping into his eyes. "Indigo, you’re right. I’m hot and cold," he admits, the words scraping out of him like they hurt. "I get it."
A giggle slips out. "Oh, you got the Katy reference, huh?" I tease, a bitter edge to my voice, the words tumbling out before I can bite them back.
He rolls his eyes, the tension breaking slightly. "Yes, I got the fucking Katy reference. But you… again, told me your secret was you're a serial killer." He sighs, like the weight of it is too much to carry. "The rage, the lack of remorse when I saw you in the woods… It scared me."
