Page 52 of Dark Things
He doesn’t say anything for a minute, and I don’t look over at him, just keep going through the motions of what needs to get done before I can load up Midnight.
“We’re here for you,” he says. It’s low enough that I might have imagined it, but I’ve been so in tune with Colter and his voice since I was a little kid that I could pick out his whisper in a crowded room.
I turn around and tilt my head. “Why the fuck would you be here for me?”
“I think you know why,” he says, crossing his arms across his massive chest. Colter’s always been a big guy,even when we were kids, but now it’s like he’s his own type of giant.
“Forgive me, Colt, but I have no fucking clue what you’re going on about.”
I make it a point to look around us and smirk. I tap my fingers on my thigh and he tracks the movement, nostrils flaring. Yeah, buddy this isn’t the time or the place.
Staff comes over to us and places a hand on Colter’s shoulder. “Good practice, Reb. We haven’t been to one of these things in a long time. We had a best friend once that used to compete. She was amazing at it. I forgot how exciting it could be.”
I lock down every emotion that runs through me. Every pore of my body turns to stone, and I stop breathing. I can’t form words or offer a comeback. I only stare at both of them while my chest cracks open. I almost look down to see if I’m actually bleeding.
“Super exciting.” I spin around and haul Midnight’s saddle off before walking around to the small side door on the trailer and putting it on the saddle holder before walking back out.
Haunt is about to get Starlight into the trailer, but now all three guys are standing with Midnight, who is not impressed. It’s almost like he’s daring them to get within kicking range. It lets me breathe a little better.
“Haunt suggested that we all go somewhere and talk,” Brooks says, eyes running down my body. A lick of fire runs through me, but I squash it down fast.
“No he didn’t,” I scoff, taking off Midnight’s bridle and putting on his halter. Staff’s chuckle makes me look over. “I’m almost positive Haunt told you fuckers that this wasn’t the place, and that business isn’t discussed where it doesn’t pertain. You want a sit-down, schedule a meeting. You boys should know how this shit is done by now, unless you’re fucking new, and then I can’t help you.”
I hear the car door open and close before Haunt comes around to the side where we’re standing. “It’s exactly what I told them; guess they wanted to see if you’d fall for it.”
“That right? Well, gentlemen, let me clear this up real quick. Your rules? The ones that you’ve been making up as you go along, they’re not worth shit in the real world.” I take a step closer and lower my voice. “You want to talk, do it the right way.”
I hand Haunt Midnight’s lead and spin on my heels getting into the truck. I can’t stand next to them for another moment. I need to get the fuck out of here and quick before I make the mistake of killing or kissing them.
21
Rebelle
Ithought I’d appreciate the college experience. I’ve wanted it for so long, but now I’m dreading going to campus. It’s like my own personal hell. My demons walking through the halls, not knowing the true torture that their existence brings.
“We should have a game plan for when they approach us, because you know it’s not the last of hearing from them,” I say, leaning back in the passenger seat of Haunt’s SUV.
“They’re getting bolder, showing up to your practice yesterday like that. When we were watching you jump, it was like the air was charged. I could have sworn you put them under a spell.”
He grips my thigh and gives it a squeeze. This was exactly what I was afraid of. While I look different because of my surgeries, contacts, and hair color, it’s harder to fake who I am inside. I’m used to people onlyknowing Pitch and not Rebelle. You can change the outside of a person, but inside we’ll always be similar.
“They were always so invested in everything I did. My protectors for a while. They kept me safe, until they didn’t. Until I needed them the most, and then they vanished when it got tough. I don’t know how to do this, Haunt. I’m so fucking angry.”
We sit in silence for a bit before we get to a stop light. He turns to me, sorrow on his face. “You never have to worry about being alone again, Reb. What they did was shitty, inexcusable really, but you have me now. You know I’ll never leave. We’ve been through so much…things they can’t imagine. You are my life.”
I rub my forehead, feeling the start of a headache coming on. His words are true, and I believe them with everything I am, but the anger and sorrow for what I had makes it so hard to move on. I was fine before coming here. I thought I was better. It was my shitty past, my terrible story, but I was healing. Now the wound is ripped wide open, and I’m bleeding out.
“How much are we telling them? I can’t let them know who I am. I can’t go back there,” I confess.
“We feel out their loyalty to Mario. If we can get them on our side to complete the mission, we use them. Besides that? Whatever you want,gioia mia. We walk away, or we take them with us. I’m not opposed to either, because I know you’re angry, but you're not done.”
I grit my teeth. “It’s not possible to just pick upwhere we left off. They destroyed me, Haunt. Two years in that hell for something I didn’t do. How can I trust them again?”
He hums but doesn’t say anything else. It’s a losing argument when I’m so mad. I usually listen to reason, but I can’t let this go.
Morning classes drag, and by the time we get to lunch I’m a ball of restlessness. I need to hurt someone, but there’s no target for me to take my anger out on.
“Get us a table; I’ll grab the food,” Haunt says, leaning down to bite my neck before kissing away the sting.
