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He nods because there’s not really anything else he can say. We’ve been over it a million times.
Rori saunters over to us and I plaster a small smile onto my face.
“I say we get this machine to take one of those fuckers out,” King says, winking at Rori, and my head whips towards him quickly. She rolls her eyes at his use ofmachine, knowing he’s being sarcastic, but I know she secretly loves it. She loves training and improving her skills.
“She won’t be fighting anyone.” I stand and point daggers at King.
“Yeah, but if she did, the little bird would kick ass!” He jumps up and charges for Rori, throwing her over his shoulder. Rori laughs and hits him on the back and tries to wriggle out of his hold.
King and Rori seemed to form a friendship quickly. He was getting used to being home after everything he’d been through and then having to adjust to Rori always being here was a whole new dynamic for him. But they get on annoyingly well and sometimes, it makes me extra possessive.
Like now, for instance, him having my girl over his shoulder.
“Put her back on her feet by my side, King,” I say sternly, and King, still smirking at me, nods, placing Rori back on her feet. She tries to hold her laughter in when she walks towards me.
King winks one last time, saluting us both before turning his back to leave. I watch him lift his arms over the back of his head, collecting his sweaty top and pulling it off, his inked back on display.
Turning my head to Rori, I look at her watching him, eyes trailing King’s retreating figure, and once he’s gone, the slam of the door brings her out of her trance and she jumps, looking up at me.
I watch her with an amused look, trying not to let jealously win out because I know she’s not interested in King, but fuck do I hate it when she looks at him like that.
Her smile intensifies when she realises I’m not mad and she shrugs.
“Hey, maybe I picked the wrong cousin.”
She pounces for the door, but I catch her, just like I always do, and throw her over my shoulder before fucking her so hard, she’ll never think she picked the wrong guy again.
Seven years later
King is grumpier than usual and has a really short fuse. Rori loves to wind him up on a daily basis and he will always give it back to her, but recently he’s not been himself. I mean, he’s been growing distant as each year passes. I know he’s desperate to murder Carlo and to save Puck, but there’s been something extra happening with him the past few weeks.
He’s always looking at his phone and rereading the same message over and over again.
I haven’t asked, but I know it’s from Theo and that it’s affecting him, and I can see the internal battle he has with himself every day over it.
“Okay, but who the fuck is she?” Rori asks when I mention it to her again.
“Theodora Harlow. She’s the daughter of Kennedy, who runs the Second District. Emerson”—and she perks up a little at his name—“is kind of like her bodyguard of sorts.” And her frown is back in place.
“Well, King has never mentioned her. Not once since he came home,” she huffs.
“Exactly,” I said, widening my eyes and waiting for it to click into place. But it doesn’t. I forget Rori didn't know King before he was taken away and so she doesn’t know his slight history with Theo.
I can see her face is twisted with disgust, which I think is unwarranted because she’s never actually met Theo. I mean, neither have I, come to think of it.
“So after seven years she now wants to get back in touch with him and fuck him up? Bullshit. I don’t like her.”
And what does she do? She runs.
And it’s then I realise, whilst following her, it’s got nothing to do with who Theo is as a person. Her dislike comes in defence for King. And fuck do I love her for that.
She didn’t run far, just to our lake, like always.
She does it often because one, she’s good at it, but two, she knows I love the chase.
I catch her, though.
Every time.
