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But the kid was all of six years old, so I kept those delightful details to myself. Instead of ruining his night, I grabbed a handful of candy from the bowl and tossed it in his pail.
“Happy Halloween,” I said with a tight jaw, waving them on down the dingy hallway to their next victim.
“You suck with kids. You know that, right?” Matty’s smirk was somehow annoying and endearing. “Like,reallysuck.”
“Bite me.” I wanted to say something a little more cutting, but it wasn’t like he was wrong. “You and Lily don’t hate me, and that’s all that matters.”
I must have made a face because his laugh filled the tiny apartment.
“What?”
“Your poker face sucks too.”
I shoved my hair out of my eyes and yanked at my jacket again, already feeling the energy suck that was socializing at one of Clint’s parties. If it wasn’t for the fact that he’d be there, I wouldn’t even bother.
“Don’t forget to feed Lily.” The big brown mutt lifted her head from her permanent spot on the couch and grumbled an agreement. “And at least try to study. If you can’t focus, then put on one of your old costumes and hand out candy. But don’t leave. Got it?”
He plopped his lanky body on the couch next to Lily and snagged the remote off the table. “Roger that.” Then the little shit flipped me the snarkiest two-fingered salute.
“I’m pretty sure I could convince a jury of my peers to let me off,” I muttered, slipping out into the hallway and pulling the door shut behind me, but not before his parting shot drifted through the crack.
“Say hi to Dickhead for me.”
I eased the door back open an inch, whispered, “Fuck off,” and yanked it shut.
Way to act like the grown up, Never.
I stood there with my hand on the knob, torn between going back inside and trekking through the dark to meet my boyfriend, until a chaotic chorus of youthful voices made my decision for me. Turning my back on the gaggle of baby-faced goblins, I made a beeline for the fire escape and the freedom of the park beyond.
If I took the safer route around the park, the one with concrete and streetlights, it would take me a solid thirty minutes to get to the warehouse where Clint and his buddies held their parties. And if Matty had been with me, I would have done just that.
But the clock on the crumbling stone pedestal at the entrance ticked diligently, reminding me that I was already over an hour late. That’s what happened when a girl had to work two jobs to pay the bills and feed a growing teenager. Clint knew the story. Not all the cringy details but enough to understand my situation. I pulled my phone out and checked the screen.
No messages. He knew I’d get there when I could.
I rolled my ankle in my boot, making sure my trusty blade was still secure, and rubbed my free hand down my hip, anchoring myself in the softness of my favorite jeans. “Fake it ‘til I make it,” I whispered. Then I headed into the darkness.
I cut off the main trail onto the familiar dirt path. It was just wide enough for one person, and after a few yards, all remnants of grass and concrete gave way to the crisp aroma of pine needles and damp earth. I breathed it in greedily, savoring the richness of it. The rawness of it. There was something seductive about people and places that smelled… wild.
It was even better this time of year, when a desperate tingle of electricity infused the air, like every living thing in the place was scurrying and scrambling to make the best of what was left of the season.
Just like I was going to make the best of what was left of my night.
I checked my phone again and smiled. In five minutes, I would be at the party with Clint’s arm curled around my shoulder and a cold beer in my hand.
A groan pierced the quiet of the moment, chasing away my happy thought and replacing it with a shot of adrenaline. Instinct took over. I shoved my phone in my pocket and crouched to slip my knife free from its hiding place. Moving quietly, I pushed through the thorny brush, tracing that eerie moaning as I went.
I wasn’t in the mood for a fight. Not tonight. But I couldn’t just walk away. If I let a demon go unchecked out here and it hurt someone, that would be on me.
A few more steps and two shallow breaths brought me to a clearing. Instead of facing off against a monster lurking in the darkness, I found two half-naked bodies moving to their own carnal rhythm. My view of the guy was blocked by the woman, who was wearing just the hat and the bottom half of a slutty cop uniform, with the fake gold badge clipped to her skirt bouncing in time with her hips.
A relieved laugh bubbled up from my chest. I slapped a hand over my mouth to smother it and turned away. What two consenting adults did in the park at night was none of my—
“Yeah, baby, just like that.” The guy’s slightly slurred voice pulled me up short.
All the air rushed out of me, and a hot wave of betrayal crashed back in. “Clint?”
You have to be fucking kidding me.
