Page 59 of Dark Things
Haunt takes out a cigarette from his pocket and lights it before handing it to me. I don’t usually smoke, but this is fucked, and I need something to calm the storm inside of me.
“I want to scream and kill something,” I say, walking down the alley back to the SUV.
“I know you didn’t want to work with them, but it seems fate has other ideas. Or we can just kill them and grab the access card. It could be fun. Lord knows I owe those fucks a beating for what they did to you. If we didn’t need to keep a low profile I would have diced them up already.”
Haunt opens up my passenger door, and I take one last drag before handing him the rest of the cigarette and climbing in. I close my eyes for a moment, trying to get my anger under control, but there’s so much inside me it feels impossible to contain.
Once we pull out onto the road, I turn to Haunt, studying how beautiful he is in the dim moonlight. He’s so fucking perfect it hurts to look at him sometimes.
“We go to them, make the deal. Kill Mario and then get Magnus like we planned. Stan will be too busy with whatever the fuck he’s going to do and not payingattention. Then, before we disappear with Magnus and Cat, we take him out,” I say.
Haunt exhales and places his giant hand on my thigh. It almost circles the whole thing, grounding me in a way nothing else can.
“We’re so close,gioia mia. I promise it’ll be over soon, and then we can live on the beach somewhere, fucking under the stars every night.”
I roll my head to look out the window, watching the town go by in a blackened blur. Nothing about being here has been easy, but I can’t doubt Haunt’s words. This ending is fast approaching, I just hope we’re all alive by the time it’s done.
24
Stafford
As I walk to the library, I can’t get the image of Reb and Haunt dancing at the party out of my head. They way they molded together, bodies sweaty and tangled like they were one.
I blow out a breath and run my hands through my hair. My suit is pressed, and the tie I chose to wear may match the green of Reb’s eyes. Something about her stirs these dormant feelings inside of me, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or bad. Belle was always the girl who had my heart and even after five years those feelings haven’t gone away, but Reb makes me feel things too.
It’s quiet as I enter, not too many students hang around after school hours, but it’s probably best for what I have planned. There’s no guarantee that they’ll come, but I had to take the chance. Ambushing them in the cafeteria wasn’t the best idea, but when Colterhas something in his head, it’s hard to get him to agree to anything else.
My footsteps echo as I make my way up to the private study suites. I put in the request to rent one right after I asked Haunt and Reb to join me. I approach room four and turn the handle. I stop mid-stride, the sight before me almost bringing me to my knees.
Reb is straddling Haunt’s lap, her mouth devouring his. Her fingers are tangled in his hair, holding his head back, and a thrill of excitement goes through me. Fuck, she’s so dominant. My cock instantly gets hard, and I shift, trying to relieve the pressure.
I must make a sound, because they both turn to look at me. Haunt’s smile strikes something inside of me, but the faraway expression on Reb’s face has me taking a step further in the room.
“Close and lock the door, would you, Staffy?” Haunt says with a wink, giving Reb one last peck before releasing her. She returns to her own seat, clearing her throat and opening up her books.
Haunt turns on his laptop and then begins working like I didn’t just walk into the hottest scene I’ve ever seen. I thought having a foursome with Belle and the guys was hot, but seeing these two together…Jesus.
“Where do you want to start?” Reb asks when I finally take a seat.
“I…I’m not sure,” I say, pushing up my glasses with my finger and clearing my throat. Why the fuck am I so flustered? I’m never out of control.
She purses her lips and looks at Haunt. He nods and leans back in his seat, arms folded across his chest, but the smile never leaves his face, and I’m not sure if I should be concerned.
Reb sighs. “I don't think we’re really here to study are we? Because you seem like a pretty smart guy, and while my GPA probably tops yours, I don’t think you need the help.”
I bristle a bit at that because like fuck is her GPA higher than mine. “No, I don’t need any help.”
Haunt licks his lips and his hand slides under the table to—I’m sure—touch Reb’s delicious thighs in some way…or is his hand higher? Caressing the apex of her thighs, maybe?
“Staff.”
I’m jolted out of my musings and turn to Reb once more. “Sorry, yeah, I don’t need the help, but we do need to talk about what you guys said in the cafeteria. It’s not as simple as you made it out to be, and I really think we could help each other.”
Haunt nods, “Yeah we’ve been thinking the same. While there’s not a lot we can tell you, there are some things in our work that align with yours.”
I consider his vague answer, ambiguity is a running theme with them. “Look, I get you guys have probably been doing this for longer than us, but we haven’t exactly been saints the whole time we’ve been workingfor Mario. We’ve done and seen things that my past self would have run from, but there’s nothing more important to us than finding Belle. We have and will do anything to make that happen, including illegal things for the wrong man.”
Reb’s face hardens and I can’t figure out why she’d be angry about that. It’s not like she isn’t doing the exact same or worse to get what she wants, whatever that may be.
