“Did you just call an actual human being a hemorrhoid?” I ask him.
“Fuck yeah, I did.” He grins. “I’m very drunk, aren’t I?”
“No shit, Sherlock,” Jayce says from next to him, then kisses the top of Alex’s head.
I widen my legs and lean back in my chair, then check my phone. I’d texted Cignette a while ago, asking her to come hang out with me and the others atFinesse, but she hasn’t responded yet. I called her, but her phone’s switched off. And her not getting back to me is grating at my nervesandmaking me uneasy. Wonderful combo, if I do say so myself.
Solo wanted to have a drink night with the crew and I, and had come toFinesseafter closing time with way too many 6 packs. None of us could say no to that. And so, we’re sitting outside the garage now, with a small bonfire in the center, listening to Alex whine about Henry Cavill being replaced by Liam Hemsworth as Geralt inTheWitcher.
I throw the butt of my cigarette inside the empty beer bottle at my foot, then check my phone again, and when I see nothing, I grit my teeth and grab a chilled bottle from the cooler next to Jayce. I look up, and Solo, who is sitting opposite me, lifts a brow at me. I shake my head at him, and pop open the bottle’s cap, then give into the beer’s sweet taste by gulping it down in one go.
“Is it just me, or does Dorran have three heads?” Alex says, then bends and squints at me. “Nevermind, it’s me.”
Everyone laughs, and I can’t help but join them.
“Dorran?” Varsha touches my arm, and when I look at her, the shock on her face is palpable as she points at something to my right.
I follow it, and my breaths stutter when I see her.
Solo, Alex, and Jayce turn when they see me, and the former curses when he, too, watches as Cignette, drenched in blood, makes her way to us.
Beer splashes on the ground when I throw the bottle that’s in my hand, then rush towards her. She stops when I reach her, and looks up at me with wet eyes and trembling lips.
My heart is going mad in my chest, and it takes great effort to even breathe properly.
“What happened?” I ask her, and give her a once over. Her feet are bare and soiled, and she’s holding something in one of her hands – a rod, I think. I take it from her and drop it to the side, then cup her face.
Solo and the others join us, but none of them utter a word.
“He tried to rape me,” Cignette says softly, then starts crying. “And she…she just stood there and did nothing.”
My blood is ice in my veins. “Who?” I swallow. My head feels heavy, and briefly, memories of my past resurface, reminding me of the teenage boy I once was.
“Riley…” she whispers, then tells me everything that happened in her bedroom, and how she left the estate and walked all the way over toFinesse.
To say that I’m angry would be laughable. I’m livid – both at myself and at that bitch, Miranda. I should have killed her the very first time instead of warning her to stay away from Cignette, but I softened; I let emotions cloud my judgment. And this – this very moment we’re all witnessing – is the consequence of the mistake I made.
“Jesus Christ, what the fuck iswrongwith Miranda?” Solo mutters. “Her owndaughter…”
I blink when my eyes sting, then run my thumbs over Cignette’s cheeks. “Are you hurt?” My voice cracks towards the end, so I clear my throat.
She steps closer to me, and her tears smear the blood on her face. “No.”
I nod, and step away from her before looking at Varsha. “Take her to my loft.” I then look at Jayce. “Carry her upstairs?”
“Of course.” He pats my arm, then faces Cignette. “Is it okay if I…?” He gestures at her frame. “If I…”
“Yes,” she says to him. “Yes, please. I don’t think I can walk anymore.”
I fist my hands as my rage multiplies. Fuck Miranda. Fuck the goddamn universe.
I wait until Jayce and Varsha have left with Cignette, then go to pull my phone out of my pocket, only to realize it isn’t there.
“Here.” Alex hands it to me, then places a hand on my shoulder. “It was lying next to the cooler.”
“Thanks.” I take it from him, and as I’m opening my list of contacts, I notice that my hand is shaking a little.
“Breathe, Dor,” Solo says from next to me. “Fucking breathe.”
