Page 14 of Reckless Abandon
“Remember when we saw that movie,Unfaithful? It was just like that. Fucking creepy. The dude just laid there, staring up at me with wide-opened eyes. I think he took a piece of my fucking soul.” He shivered.
London gasped loudly and dipped her chin to her chest, as if in prayer. But I knew she wasn’t praying for the soul of Merle Hendricks. That cock sucking bastard deserved to rot in hell.
“Jesus, man. I don’t wish death on anyone, but I hope he died painfully.”
“Yeah, no doubt.”
“What happened then?” London asked, knowing there’s still more to the story after all the shit went down.
Sage rubbed his chin, the dark stubble beginning to grow in from the last few days without a shave. I assumed the prisoners don’t get razors.
He leaned forward, pressing his chin into the heel of his unbroken hand and palm. “I got up, checked for a pulse and then called 911. Waited for them to arrive and then was arrested. Probably right around the same time you were being crowned prom king. Ironic, right?”
I scoff angrily, uncertain where the hostility came from. “Yeah, real fucking hilarious, man. Why the hell didn’t you call us? Text us? We had no fucking clue what happened and had to fucking hear about your arrest from kids at school.”
London rested a hand on my thigh and I shook my head indignantly. Sage’s response just proved that deep down, despite all the shit he dealt with growing up and throughout his childhood, he had the biggest heart of anyone else I knew, with the exception of London.
Sage closed his eyes, a smile formed across his mouth.
“I didn’t want to ruin your night together.”
Chapter 9
Present Day
Sage’s eyes fill with something I don’t recognize, but they turn dark as a barrel of rye whiskey as he glares at me, seething with hatred.
I deserve to be hated by him.
I deserted him when he needed me the most.
I called him vile names. I turned my back on the best friend I’d ever had in my life.
London returns to my side and grabs my hand, pulling me into her so she’s tucked into my side as we stand in front of a crowd of people we’ve never seen before and probably will never see again. Part of me wants to bail and say, “fuck it, this isn’t worth it.”
But then again, that’s what the coward in me would do. I need to face him like a man and let him take a swing at me if that will make Sage feel better.
I know it would make me feel a hell of a lot better.
“Sage, can we all go somewhere to talk?”London begs. I know she doesn’t want witnesses around when she says what she has to say to him.
Sage’s eyes leave mine briefly and land on London, his expression softening just slightly, but only for a moment. A sneer begins to form across his mouth and a jeering scoff leaves his throat.
“Fuck, no. Not with him,” he nudges his chin toward me, his nose scrunched as if he smells sour milk. “He’s not welcome here. Only you, London. And right now, I’m not even sure I want you around. You’re both ruining my chill vibes.”
I can’t help the vitriol remark that comes out of my mouth.
“Oh, you mean your coke high?”
His eyes narrow into a death glare and then he smiles, shaking his head.
“Forever the Golden Boy. Perfect in every way. Somethings never change.”
He bends down to pick up the discarded guitar, motioning with a flick of his wrist to the girls to follow him and then they walk down the hall and up the stairs.
The chicks laugh and giggle, moving in front of Sage as they begin to ascend the stairs, their hips swaying for attention. Sage stops halfway up, returning his attention to me and London, as we stare after them. London’s eyes are misty with unshed tears and the hurt bleeds from her body so visibly that I can practically feel it.
My gut churns with guilt and anger. I didn’t expect a warm or receptive welcome, but I didn’t think he’d turn his back on London. For someone who had once expressed his undying love for this woman, he certainly has changed his tune.
