Page 129 of His Wicked Revenge

Veronica

I had found a secluded spot in the hotel's parking lot, away from the entrance and out of sight from anyone who might have walked out for a breath of fresh air or to smoke a cigarette.

The air is crisp tonight, making chills litter my skin. I didn’t think to bring a jacket. It is starting to be that time of the year: warm during the day but colder as night approaches. Yesterday was the complete opposite, so I thought I would be fine.

The joke’s on me because now I am rubbing my bare arms to keep me warm.

I try to think of warm places. I’ve heard that it helps people when they are freezing. Shutting my eyes, I picture myself sitting on the beach in California.

I imagine the blazing sun kissing my skin. I imagine the sound of the waves and the birds. Thinking of these things makes me miss it so much.

Maybe Leo and I can visit a beach when all this blows over.

A smile stretches across my face at the thought of us traveling together. We could spend long days under the summer sun, getting tan and drenching our skin in saltwater.

“What the hell do you have to smile about?”

Leo’s enraged voice has my eyes flinging open. My head snaps to the right, and I find him walking towards me. It seems like he hasn’t calmed down in the time I’ve been out here.

I’ve noticed that my hands have stopped keeping me warm. They are now resting on my bicep, my fingers digging into my skin.

Maybe if I cause myself pain, I can focus on that and forget how cold I am.

“I was thinking of us at a beach.”

He snorts, shaking his head. “You’re thinking about a vacation?”

“It’s better than thinking about the person in there.” I point toward the hotel.

Leo glances at the building over his shoulder. His hands hide in his pockets, but I don’t think it’s to keep him warm. I’m sure the anger coursing through his body is doing the job.

An irritated sigh leaves him as he looks back at me. I drop my eyes to the asphalt, not wanting to see the displeasure in his gaze.

“She knows it’s you.” The information takes a moment to hit me, but when it does, I go still. “She knew it was you at the shop. When you were with Chloe, might I add, since you chose to leave that part out of your story.”

My eyes remain on the ground as I apologize, “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not even going to ask why you didn’t tell me because asking the same questions repeatedly gets exhausting.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” I lift my head, flicking my eyes in his direction. “I wasn’t thinking about Chloe when I saw my sister inside. Your sister wasn’t in my thoughts when my sister showed up in the last place I thought I’d see her!”

“No, because you only ever think about yourself.”

The words hurt more than I care to admit. “That’s not true.”

Whether I’d ever admit all of this or not, I love the friendship I have with Chloe, and I like being with Leo. This is a life I never thought I would have. I’ve never had a real boyfriend, and I definitely never had any real friends that I cared about. I don’t know what I would do if I lost this.

Honestly, I’m scared to lose it.

Leo removes his hands from his pockets and lets them fall to his sides, balling them into fists. He opens his mouth to say something but gets cut off by laughter.

People spill out of the hotel to their cars. We stare at each other for a moment as the laughter quiets down.

“We should go upstairs,” he suggests.

I laugh at him, shaking my head. “I think I should just go home.”

His jaw ticks as aggravation fills his eyes. “Let me rephrase that. We are going upstairs, where we can have this conversation in private.”