Page 80 of Make Me A Sinner
Yeah, definitely not the time or place for that.
I excuse myself, make it clear I’m in no way interested, then head back to our table.
I have the feeling the night out’s about to end soon anyway. Monica threw out some pretty obscene signals—which I’m almost sure the guy she’s with picked up on—so probably her night’s going to go out witha bang.I was kind of expecting that from her, and I am almost partied out. It’s almost 3 a.m. anyway. I just noticed the time since I started scrolling through my phone.
I’ll give her another hour, just to see if she’s really set on leaving with him. I’m not in the mood to dance alone, and my feet are killing me, so I just watch the crowd. I used to do that a lot—just watch people and imagine how they live their lives. Trying to guess if they’re happy—probably because I wasn’t. Now it’s different. I look at them because it feels like they live in a whole different world than I do.
I take another sip of the drink, my body’s slowly swaying to the music, even though I’m still on the couch—until something grabs my attention.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
forty
-Set-
I promised Serena I’d behave and let her have her night out. I trust her completely. I just don’t trust her not to get into trouble. It’s not even about her—it’s people in general. Still, I want to believe she can handle herself. And since I know I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about her being out, I asked Whiro to meet me at a bar. He’s in town on a mission. A lot of his targets end up in Vegas. This is where money tends to lead because Vegas offers a special brand of unlimited entertainment.
I’m pretty sure I’ll end up spending the whole night with him—even if he gets on my nerves. Seeing him after all this time felt... weird, like I’d missed him.
I’ll never admit that to his face, and I’m sure he won’t either. So we’ll just call it even. Though, as always, he quickly manages to snap me back to a different mood. “So why’d you drag me out? Serena dump you?” Whiro asks, before he’s even in his seat at the bar.
“Obviously, a mistake. One I won’t repeat again. And no, she didn’t dump me. She’s just out.”
“Oh, so this is a guys’ night out. I can hook you up with that sex-on-heels across the bar, maybe she’s got a sister or something.”
“I didn’t call you here to get laid. I called you to have a drink,” I say, already starting to regret this.
Whiro shrugs, flagging down a whiskey. “I bet Serena’s hooking up…”
“No one’s fucking hooking up,” I snap, making it clear he needs to cut the shit.
Truth is, I actually called him here to talk about him. I know he’s been cracking jokes, acting like he doesn’t give a fuck about anything, but I feel something’s off with him. I’m trying to figure out what. And the quickest way to get there is to cut the bullshit. “I called you here so you could tell me what’s wrong.”
“A lot of things are wrong in this world,” he says, casually raising his shoulders again, like he’s already accepted it.
“What’s wrong with you?” I cut him off before he starts bullshitting me around.
“Why do you think there’s something wrong with me?” he asks, but I feel he’s already letting his guard down.
“You’re still chaotic as hell, but it’s not really you. Something happen?”
He looks at me like he’s about to sell me some fresh lie, but he stops, downing his drink and letting the glass fall to the bar with a loud clink. Then signals the barman for another. “I love what I do. The chase, the thrill, occasionally taking a life or two. But ever feel like...What’s the point of all of it? Like it’s all getting old way too fast?”
“Yeah, actually.... All the time before I met Serena.”
“And has that stopped now?” he arches a brow, looking at me as if he’s not sure whether to trust what I’m saying.
“It’s more than stopped. Now all I think about is sharing things with her, experiences, places, moments.”
“Yeah, then I’m screwed. I can’t get what you two have. I’m too messed up for a chick to own me,” he says, disappointment in his voice like he’s already accepted the loss.
“Yeah, it wasn’t something I saw coming either, or even considered. It just happened.” I pause, thinking about how it all came together. “But now that it has, I wouldn’t want any other way.”
“I mean, look at you, she’s out on the town, and you’re chillin’ at the bar with me. That level of trust, man.... I could never give someone that.” I look at him as if he just punched me in the gut. As I said, it’s not her I don’t trust—it’s people in general.
Whiro changes the subject, rambling about his latest hits, then some old memories from a thousand years ago, back when he came to visit me in Norway. We’ve traveled the globe throughout the centuries, but no place ever felt as good as I feel next to Serena. Still, no matter where my mind drifts, Whiro’s words about her being out keep looping in my head.
What if some guy gets his hands on her? Or what if someone slips a roofie in her drink?It’s my club, but that doesn’t mean shit if she’s not paying attention. And from there on, the list ofwhat-ifsstarts flooding in.
