Page 62 of Slayin Villain
He looked like every damn bad decision I’d ever made.Backlit by the neon sign of Royal Road’s main bar, sweat at his temple, his colorful tattooed arms, guitar calluses visible even in the dark.I’d loved that mouth once.I’d kissed it before gigs.After fights.And once, in the middle of nowhere, when he thought I was gonna leave him for good.
Maybe I should’ve.
“You gonna lie to me again?”he asked.
I flinched.He always got right to it.
“Rome…”
“Don’t play me, Ember.I know.Don’t make me say it out loud in front of the whole goddamn lot.”
I dragged in a breath and stepped closer to the alley beside Royal Road, away from curious eyes.
He followed, of course.
I followed folding my arms over my stomach like it might protect me from the explosion coming.
He blinked, like I’d punched him.“You really gonna stand there and tell me it might not be mine?”
I nodded.
He let out a bitter laugh.“Villain.That motherfucker.Gonna have his cake and eat it, too.He gets both of you?”
“You’re one to talk,” I snapped.“How many club girls have you been with since Eve left?Minnie, Cali, fuckin’ Paisley’s crazy ass.I lost count at the one with the lip ring and the snake tattoo.”
He grabbed the back of his neck and looked away, jaw twitching.Then he stepped closer.Too close.
“But you weren’t just some sweetbutt,” he said.“You were mine, Em.And I know I screwed up.I was trying to earn my cut, trying to make Kingpin see I could be more than a stage monkey with a patch in progress.You could’ve told me you were hurting.”
“I did.I tried.But you weren’t listening.You were busy prospecting and pretending I didn’t matter.”
His hand brushed my arm, then fell.
“And now?”
I didn’t answer right away.I looked at the sky instead.It was that weird Nashville dusk, where it stayed hot and heavy and the clouds looked like bruises.
“Now I don’t know what the hell I’m doing,” I whispered.
Rome cursed under his breath and punched the wall beside us.Not hard.Not close.Just enough to let the tension out without breaking something.
“If it’s mine,” he said finally, softer now.“We’re leaving.You and me.We’ll go to Asheville.Start over.I’ll play bars, take gigs, and get clean if you want.Whatever.But I’m not sticking around and watching you crawl back into Villain’s bed.”
My lips parted.I wanted to say something, anything, but nothing came out.I just stared at him.Tears flowed heavy.
That’s when I heard it.A soft gasp.
Sweet Tea.My fuckin’ cousin.She must’ve just walked up from the back.Her eyes were wide, mouth slightly open.She looked between us like she’d stepped in on a crime scene.
Because Rome looked at me like I was still his, and I couldn’t promise him otherwise.
And I?I was crying.Silent, stupid tears that slid down my cheeks while I stood still as stone.
“Sweetie…” I started, wiping at my face, but she shook her head and hurried past, into the bar, disappearing.
Though she was nothin’ but a gossip, Rome didn’t chase her.He was too busy watching me break.
“This is real, Ember,” he said.“Whatever you do next, you don’t get to pretend anymore.”
