AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Just here on business.”
“What do you do?” I take a seat on the small bench seat and slip off my boot when he makes it clear he’s not leaving.
He sits near me, a move I wasn’t expecting, and turns to look at me as he replies, “Just tying up some loose ends.”
I nod but have no idea what that means as I try on the boots, bending forward to lace them up.
Justin laughs, his deep, throaty cackle making me feel like I’m fifteen again. “I’m still as vague as ever,” he teases when I cock my eyebrow at his unusual response.
I smile because heisjust as vague as he was in high school. But I liked that about him. He wasn’t your typical teenage boy. He was different.
“Do you live here?” I ask, feeling obligated to make small talk because he’s still looking at me.
“No, I—”
“Red?”
My palms sweat, and my mouth dries up when I see Quinn openly eyeballing Justin.
“Who’s this?”
“This is Justin,” I reply in a small voice. “We went to high school together.”
Quinn crosses his arms over his chest, and suddenly, the room becomes very, very small as Justin and Quinn glare at each other.
Leaning back uncomfortably, I quickly slip my boots back on and stand by Quinn. “You ready to go?”
Quinn nods, but his body does anythingbutmove. I slip my fingers through his and squeeze lightly, attempting to get his attention. Thankfully, it does.
“Yeah, sure. Let’s split.”
Attempting to remove my hand from Quinn’s to say goodbye to Justin proves futile since Quinn holds my hand in a death grip.
“See you, Justin,” I say with a small smile. “It was nice seeing you again.”
“See you around, Mia,” Justin replies, but I nod nervously, hoping he goes away.
When the bell chimes above the door, announcing his departure, I let out a deep breath, thankful that didn’t end in bloodshed. My hand is still enclosed in Quinn’s, so I shake it out of his grip to pay for my goods.
After asking the store clerk for the flick knife I was eyeing earlier, I quickly hand over a wad of cash, telling him to keep the change. I want to get out of here before Quinn explodes. As soon as I push open the door and step out onto the sidewalk, Quinn follows in hot pursuit, quickly grabbing my elbow and spinning me around to face him.
“What do you need a knife for?”
“For protection,” I retort, yanking my arm out of his grasp.
“That’s what I’m for,” he snarls, following me down the street when I turn my back to him and walk away.
“You can’t be with me all the time,” I reply over my shoulder.
“Like hell I can’t.”
I cross the road, jogging over to our hotel, which is a tiny, inconspicuous place tucked away in an alleyway. Trudging up the stairs, Quinn trails me loudly as I pull the key out of my back pocket, unlocking the yellow door and shoving it open angrily.
Quinn slams it behind him, and I turn around to face him. “What is your problem?”
“My problem is you!” he replies, pacing the room.
“Yeah, I can see that. Care to tell me why?”
