AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Eyebrows furrowed, he straightens up and takes in the rest of the party—the drugs, the mess, the depravity. He doesn't belong here, and I can see the disgust and anger on his face.
He disappears into the crowd without a word. I collapse back into the scarred leather upholstery. I don’t blame him; if I came across a piece of trash like me, passed out in some filthy apartment whose address he doesn’t even know, I’d leave him to die.
But when I blink, he’s back with a fistful of paper towels, carefully mopping up my vomit. He has honest hands. Shoulders built outdoors. He doesn’t deserve the shitty life he has.
His fingers squeeze my shoulder, helping me sit up. “Come on.”
“Rules,” I groan, shrugging him off. “You don’tlisten.”
Standing up feels easier when I know he’ll catch me if I fall. “Did you bring a coat?” he asks, like he’s picking up his toddler from daycare. I start laughing and can’t stop. “Ok, we’re going.”
Alek blocks our way out of the apartment, leaning against the door with a fresh beer. The threat in his eyes tells me I haven’t seen his worst yet. He smiles coldly. “Before we leave next week, I’m swimming to Capri. Care to race?”
Ethan butts in. “Where’s Capri?”
“Off the coast, oh, eighteen miles or so.” Alek is talking to Ethan, but he’s focused on my reaction. God. I’ve gone that far before, in my prime. In my current condition, Alek knows it would be insanity. He’s so desperate to beat me atsomething, even a cheap, meaningless victory.
When I open my mouth to refuse, Ethan cuts across me again in an overbearing growl. “That’s insane. Besides, that’s not what we’re here for.”
“Ah,” Alek murmurs, smirking at me. “I see how this works.”
“Sounds fun. I’ll do it,” I snap, enjoying the pure frustration in Ethan’s eyes. “Have Kat text me the details.” With great effort, I coordinate my limbs to carry me out the door and down the steps to the street.
“Which one’s mine?” I kick the tires on all the cars until Ethan unlocks one of them.
“Very funny.” He pries my fingers off the driver’s side door and scruffs me, guiding me around the car and pushing me into the passenger seat. His hand squeezes the spot where my neck meets my shoulder, and his free fingers grab my chin, forcing my face up toward his. I guess I’ve lost the privilege of having rules; I make a mental note to punish him for this when I’m sober.
His eyes flick between mine, though I’d bet money he has no idea what he’s looking for. “What have you taken?”
He pulls his hand away when I go to bite it. I pray for him to snap, grab my hair, to make me feel…I don’t know. Small. Because then nothing can be my fault. But of course he doesn’t.
“Coke.” My smile is more like a grimace. “I didn’t ask if it had mix-ins.”
“And?”
I hold my fingers a few centimeters apart. “This big, white. One or two, I’m not sure.”
Worry creases his face. “Do I need to call Gray?”
“You’re the one that will get iced, not me.”
He sighs. “Don’t die in my car.”
