Page 52 of Raine
I smirk at her. I fucking love this girl. If anyone can go toe to toe with Justyce Travino and end up unscathed, it’s Kenzi.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I raise an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Because he’s an overbearing, chauvinistic pig who thinks he knows what’s best for me. Asshole,” she mutters.
I feel the laugh tickle my throat before I let it fall free.
“Alright.”
“Alright? You mean it?” she asks, her electric blue eyes going wide as she twirls a strand of her midnight blue hair around her finger.
“Yep. I’ll find a way to grab you before I head to Arcane. Have you got anything rehearsed?”
She grins, kicking her hip out to lean on the black dresser. “I have something in mind.”
I shake my head, knowing Justyce is going to kill us both, but it’ll be worth it when I see the look on his face. “See you tomorrow, Kenzi. I better get down there before one of those boys kills the other.”
I don’t even hear Kenzi move, so when she grabs my arm before I reach the door, I turn to look at her, my brows caving in confusion.
“Are you ok?”
My heart does a little pitter-patter upon seeing the uncomfortable but worrying look on her face. “I’ll be fine,” I say, not sure if I’m trying to convince her or myself.
“I know we aren’t the closest of friends, but I am here if you need another girl to talk to, you know? The offer is always there.”
I thank her, give her a quick hug, then dash out the door before I start fucking crying. That girl is too fucking sweet for her own good, and the fact she wants to console me has my armor cracking.
I rush out the door and down the stairs, knowing if I don’t get my ass in that room, that Justyce will come looking for me like the controlling asshole he is. Entering the room a few moments later, their hushed voices cease and the three of them look up at me. Justyce is sitting in the middle of Arrow and Acheron, and I can only assume after I left that there were more heated words shared.
Arrow’s the first to turn away from me, looking at his amber-filled glass instead, and it breaks my fucking heart to feel this vast distance between us.
I step forward, the navy blue carpet feeling soft under my bare feet as tears line my eyes, but I catch Justyce in my peripheral shaking his head. I sniff, swipe the angry tear away and stand tall.
“So, why did you call us here, J?”
He pushes his dark blonde hair back and sighs. “Arrow found the houses of the girls Avernus was toying with.”
My legs start to feel like jelly after hearing those words, so I take a seat across from the coffee table in the center of the room, grabbing his whiskey and swallowing it down in one go. He raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything.
“Go on,” I urge, placing the empty glass on the jarrah table.
“Two out of the three girls houses seem fine; the families are living their lives as if nothing happened, which makes me think they were sold instead of stolen."
My hands begin to shake, but I nestle them in my lap, hiding the tremor that’s started to travel through my body. I nod my head once, unsure if I can say anything coherent. I’m so fucking angry, but more than that, I’m so damn sad for those girls. They didn’t deserve this life — to have their fates sealed by seedy old men with god complexes. Now to learn their families may have sold them off, it makes every nerve ending within me vibrate with an energy I can scarcely name.
“Clara’s family home is the only one that’s had no movement, and I doubt it’s because they’re on vacation. I know with everything inside of me that Avernus has left a message for us — fuck, for anyone who stumbles on what’s inside.”
“When do you want to scope it out?” Acheron asks before I have a chance.
“We will go tomorrow night after Raine’s show.”
Arrows head snaps to Justyce. “She’s dancing so soon?”
Acheron chuckles, and I narrow my eyes at him, which only makes him laugh louder.
“I’m out, brother. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He slaps Justyce on the back without acknowledging me or Arrow.
I stand up, my body feeling weary and my head starting to throb, and I know I’m about to come down hard off the E I took earlier. Arrow sees me sway and stands up to move toward me, but I hold my hand up.
