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If looks could kill, I’d be on fire right now. Unfortunately for him, it doesn’t work that way. But hey, like he said before—it’s nice to see people getting the karma they deserve.
“I bet that trust fund and endless stream of cash would dry up real fast if he found out.”
No longer needing to hold him there, I let go and walk over to Cam. Taking Isaac’s phone, I send the video to myself, Cam, and Mali. There’s no reason Laiken needs it, so I leave her out. Once I’m done, I toss it at his feet.
“Fuck with us again, and I will make sure that video gets sent to every media outlet in the area while I put on a whole movie theater showing for your father. Do I make myself clear?”
He exhales, using his arm to wipe the blood off his face. “Yes.”
My bottom lip juts out as I pout, coming closer and patting him on the cheek. “Aw, don’t look so sad. I told you if you ever came back to town, I was going to slit your throat. You’re getting off easy!”
Personally, I wanted to kill him. I planned on doing everyone a fair and ripping him limb from limb, but Laiken wasn’t on board. She pointed out that we would immediately be suspects—Cam, especially, after what happened that summer. And we’re not exactly professionals at getting away with murder. So unfortunately, the fucker gets to live.
Turning around, I up-nod at Owen. “Thanks, man. See you Friday?”
He grins. “You know it.”
Cam fist bumps Owen and we go to head out the door when Mali stops in front of Isaac. Laiken turns around to see what she’s doing.
“Mal, you coming?”
She nods. “Just one thing first.”
Isaac lifts his head to look at her, and fear fills his eyes. “Mal, listen. I’m sorry. I really thought we were just having fun. I didn’t—”
We all watch as she winds back and kicks him in the balls harder enough to makemenauseous. Isaac lets out a high-pitched wail as he falls over and curls in on himself on the floor.
“Don’t ever say my fucking name again.”
As if a switch is flicked, she smiles brightly and accents it with her sunny disposition, walking toward Laiken and looping their arms together.
“Let’s go.”
The four of us take the elevator down and walk out of Owen’s apartment. As the sun hits my face, I grab my sunglasses from where they hang on the collar of my shirt and put them on. I can feel Laiken’s gaze burning into the side of my head as she walks beside me.
“What?” I ask her.
She smirks, looking forward. “Nothing. It was just hot, watching you take care of business like that.”
I huff amusedly, but I can’t ignore the part of me that also feels a little cheated. “Imagine if you had told me when it first started. I could’ve ended this shit then.”
It’s a strange feeling,not having to look over your shoulder when you’re used to doing it for so long. The fear that you’re always being watched becomes a constant fixture in your life after a while and even when it stops, it doesn’t fully go away. Though if I’m honest, I’m having a hard time believing it’s truly over.
It all just feels too easy. Too simple. Too anticlimactic, if you will. I mean, this person went to great lengths to get to us. They knew things. Kept a constant eye on us.
Killed someone, even.
I’m just not sure if I believe Isaac is capable of all that. He’s a garbage human, for sure. But that level of sinister? I’ve known him since I was eight years old, when he first started playing hockey with Cam. I’m not convinced.
But Mali tells me that I’m just being paranoid, and Hayes is concerned I’m suffering from a bit of PTSD. He thinks I should go talk to someone. Maybe he’s right. It’s not like it would hurt. Hell, they might know what I should do about Hayes, too.
After confronting Isaac, Hayes and I agree that I would stay a few more days, to make sure nothing else happened. He was concerned about retaliation, but my mind was skirting more along the lines ofif, God forbid, we got it wrong.But nothing ended up happening.
And I never ended up leaving.
We haven’t talked about it, and it’s not for a lack of trying. Believe me, I’ve tried. But every time, we end up arguing and then it quickly turns into getting lost in each other. Sometimes, it even seems like we argue for an excuse to fuck—like the day we got into a fight over me forgetting to use a coaster. Never in his life has heeverused a coaster, but that day, he was hell bent on the importance of them.
And if I purposely didn’t use one later that night so we could go for round two, I won’t apologize for it.
