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Arlen gave me an enthusiastic wave.
There was one person missing.
“Where is the fuck is Kat?” Cobra asked before I could.
The silence that transcended answered the question for me.
“She left, didn’t she?”
“You say that like she’s done it before,” Arlen replied.
“Twice before, actually,” I said more to myself than them, feeling an old hurt resurface and a little more than embarrassed.
“I’m gonna let her get settled,” Cobra cut in as my saving grace.
I squeezed his hand appreciatively.
He and Romero shared a look I couldn’t decipher, but no one objected to our quick departure. The girls told me they’d see me in the morning right before we disappeared upstairs.
Walking into Cobra’s room was like a breath of fresh air. It wasn’t overtly masculine and the bright colors worked well for him and his personality. Completely unexpected.
“Where did she leave you?” he asked as soon as the door was shut.
I sucked in the breath I’d just released, knowing I needed to tell him exactly who I was.
I walked further in the room and sat down on the edge of his bed, twirling a strand of my hair.
“Me and Katya were more frenemies than friends. Of course, we didn’t announce that to people. We were from the same city. We had good lives. Then, she convinced me to take off with her at seventeen.
“She convinced my parents it would be a good idea for me to get out and see the world, which is laughable now that I think about it. The first time she left me was with a man she was sleeping with for a roof over our heads. That guy was such an asshole.”
I paused and looked up to see him watching me intently before continuing.
“He…turned his attentions on me once she was gone. I had nowhere to go; she’d taken all my things. It was either him or the street. But he got mean when he drank.”
“Think I know where this is goin,” Cobra stated.
“I killed him when he was in the shower, stole his truck and everything I could gather up and left,” I rushed out.
“And the second time?” he asked.
I shrugged and curled my shoulders, looking down at the floor. “The second time was after we reunited. I couldn’t go home because I didn’t have one anymore. Our city was raided a year after we left. I don’t know how she knew where I was, but she has a habit of popping up wherever I am.
“We got in an argument over something so stupid I can’t even remember. She took off and I was on my own for a long time until she found me again with that guy, Parker. And then we met you.”
The room was silent for a few beats.
“Okay,” he cleared his throat. “Do you want me to hold you while you cry or would you like to take a shower?”
I choked on a laugh and looked up at him. “How can you be so at ease about this? Do you know how I lived for all those years?”
“Babe, I’d rather not picture that.”
“You don’t think you’re good enough for me, but I thought from the moment I saw you that I was the one not good enough for you. I’m a whore, Cobra.”
“Shower it is,” he said, ignoring my mini rant completely.
“Bathroom’s through there.” He gestured to an open door as he walked backward.
