“Ahhh, don’t be such a boring sulk, okay? I didn’t drink, but I don’t see the problem with doing it. Bye, I’m in no mood to listen to your grumpy voice.”
I end the call, switch off the phone, and toss it into my bag. The pulse of happiness vanishes again, and now I’m replaying what I just said. My head spins. I press my palms to it.
Salvario returns. He hands me the warm tea. I take it greedily, my hand is shaking. I take a long sip and instantly feel the relaxation wash over me.
By the time I finish the cup, I’m back to my happy self. Hunter’s words float back to me; he was so irritated about me drinking.
I look at Salvario, tilting my head. “Will you drink with me?”
He nods.
Chapter 37
Hunter
I have never had a sound, normal mind.
If I had gone to a psychiatrist with the thousand problems I have, I would’ve been declared a walking collection of psychological disorders.
But now I’m close to crossing the line that separates my kind from those who belong in asylums, because they’re lethal to themselves and others. And all of it is because of one fucking woman.
She’s messing with every functioning part of my brain at once. Since last night, I haven’t been able to relax for even a second. Her state last night frightened me to my core.
I didn’t even leave for Canada, where I need to be within two days because our plan will be executed in four. But I can’t leave her either. I can’t even put cameras inside her house because the anti-surveillance system that motherfucker installed would detect them.
That’s why I stayed outside her house all night and all day. I decided to see what state she was in when she came out to take Bruno and Rosie on their evening walk. But before that happened, she came out in that motherfucker’s car, wearingthatdress andthatsmile. I followed her everywhere she went. She was so fucking happy. I’ve never seen her that happy. The memory of her laughter rekindles the rage simmering in my blood.
I’m sitting in her room now. I know it’s risky, just like last night. That bastard could walk in and see me. Yesterday I was in the closet for that reason. Today I don’t give a fuck. Right now I’m in the exact mood to kill him. My thoughts are already running through the consequences. The biggest impact will be on Elowen, and right now I don’t have time to support her emotional breakdown. Her family will cause problems too.
Too much trouble.
I can’t kill him.
I grit my teeth, fists clenching painfully. I have to wait one more week. The most I can do is beat the shit out of him, and that’ll be satisfying for now.
The door opens from outside. Her laughter reaches me, followed by her singsong voice. “Good night.”
“Good night, Princess,” the motherfucker replies.
She stumbles into the room and closes the door behind her, humming a happy tune. The light in the room is dim—I made sure of that—but I can still see very clearly how drunk she is. I step out of the dark corner. She doesn’t even notice me when I reach her.
I cover her mouth from behind. She gasps. I turn her around. She looks at me with wide, drunk eyes. Her face relaxes instantly. I feel her mouth stretch into a grin under my palm, so I pull my hand away.
She throws herself into my arms. “I knew you’d come back.”
I pull her off me and hold her still. “How much did you drink?”
She chuckles. “Just a little.”
“Why did you drink? Didn’t I tell you not to?”
She rolls her eyes playfully, the smile never leaving her face.Can alcohol really make you this happy?I recall her previous drunk episodes, it does mess with her like this.
“Don’t do that again, and don’t ever turn your phone off.”
“Don’t do that, don’t do this,” she babbles. “Why are you so boring?”
“I love being boring. And the next time you pull any of that, I’ll make sure you won’t be able to sit down for days.”
