Fuck. This is ugly.
Bones leans forward, elbows on his knees. The curtain falls back over his eyes.
“Did it make you feel better? When she used that dart?”
My head drops. “For about ten seconds.”
He sighs and stands slowly. “That’s because you’re still in love with him.”
He says those words like an absolute, undeniable truth. My eyes snap up to his. I know it’s true, but fuck, how doesheknow it?
He smirks, almost playful. When he speaks, his voice is stripped of the tension and anger from before.
“If you hated him, you would’ve felt better for at least a month.” His brows knit together thoughtfully. “Or so I’ve been told.”
He starts walking toward the door, but my curiosity rears its big head before he makes it there.
“How long did Temperance feel better for?”
The question stops him cold. His shoulders shake with a quiet chuckle.
“Way more than a month, Princess. Waaay more,” he says without turning back, laughter in his voice.
Then he’s gone. And I’m left sitting in this chair, trying to deal with an emotional avalanche that’s seconds away from swallowing me whole.
I’m not alone for long though. Ria slips through the door less than a minute later, already talking before she even steps inside.
“Whatever the fuck Bones said to you, ignore it.” Her voice is clipped, ready to reject any counter-argument. “He’s an idiot. He’s always been an idiot. He has no idea what he’s talking about half the time. He’s just butthurt about the taser.”
She drops into the same chair Bones used with a huff and stares at me expectantly. Practically vibrating with the need for confirmation.
I sigh and sink deeper into my seat, hugging Gary closer to my chest.
“He wasn’t an idiot this time, Ria,” I whisper. “He said I used you for revenge against Ghost, and he was right,” I murmur. “Remember the darts? What I said when I found them? I knew what would happen. What you’d do. I’m sorry, Ria. I should’ve talked to you. I should’ve had the courage to do it myself if I really wanted to. Instead, I dragged you into my mess.”
Her fist slams into the table, making both me and Gary jump. Gary hisses. And before I know it, Ria’s finger is less than an inch from my nose.
“That stupid biker turned you into an idiot, too,” she snaps, then immediately yanks her hand back when Gary takes a swipe at it.
“Down, kitty,” she scolds, narrowing her eyes. “I’m not attacking your mama.” Her expression softens. “You’re a good guard kitty, though. I’ll bring you a snack later.”
Then she turns back to me.
“You, though? No snack. You’re a bad Princess for falling for Bones’ bullshit.” She crosses her arms, eyes hard as steel. “Do you think I just tell anyone about my work with poisonous shit? About my history with these bikers? Do you think I didn’t know what you wanted?”
She lifts a finger, stopping me before I can answer.
“Of course I knew. I couldn’t come right out and say it because you were fragile. You weren’t ready to admit you craved revenge. You just kept rambling about moving on. That you were even.”
She scrunches her nose, sticking out her tongue. “Bleah to all of that.”
“So I suggested you ignore Ghostberry. It was all you could handle back then.” An unhinged smile spreads across her face. “But Princess, don’t kid yourself. By the time you found the darts, I'd already tried poisoning Polterbitch at least five times.”
She leans back, a put-off expression on her face. “I can’t believe you’d listen to Bones, of all people.”
“To be fair, he never said you weren’t aware of it,” I mumble with a frown.
Her smile turns vicious. “Oh, I bet he knows I was aware. And willing.”
