“Okay.”
I look around.The sounds from outside are getting louder, orders being shouted and repeated.
I drop my voice low.“There’s a waffle place down the street; do you know it?”
Tegan nods.
“I’ll be there with a friend of mine tomorrow morning before work, and we can talk.”
Pins and needles start to prickle at my ankles.There’s no room to stretch out, so I roll and stretch them as best I can and try not to think about the worst-case scenario.
“Older or younger brother?”Tegan asks, her voice small.
“Older, by four years.I love him now, but he was a little shit when we were kids.Last year?—”
Footsteps in the hallway stop me cold.I stare at the door.
There are sounds of a struggle, followed by a loud thump that doesn’t sound like anything good.
“It’s them,” Tegan whispers.
She’s gripping my hand, her nails almost piercing skin.She’s shaking.I look around; there’s nothing to protect us.I’ve got nothing.Can do nothing except wait for whatever fresh horror is about to come.
The handle rattles.
I shuffle forward, shielding Tegan with my body.Whoever comes through that door will have to go through me first.
The lock clicks open.
“Sterling?”
* * *
They’re saved!
you can’t just leave it there.what happens next?(go to 61)
go back(go to 33)
Two weeks later, I’m exhausted.
The job market is awful.I’m done being an advertising shill, but it’s all anyone wants to hire me for.
“I just need to find a real story,” I tell Lucky as he strides out of his bedroom, and everything stops.
He’s helping launch a new bar, but with the way he looks, he’ll also be sending a thousand hearts into orbit from that stage.
My eyes almost drop out of my head.
Loose black denim hangs low on his hips, paired with an equally low-cut vest.His tattoos are worn like a shirt.Like bait.Like he’s a siren, ready to lure you into the deep blue sea.
His hair is let down tonight, soft and tucked behind his ears, dusting his chin, and the black eyeliner he’s wearing stands out like a beacon.
Holy shit, he’s so gorgeous; I can’t breathe.
“Start with yours,” he says, and I completely forget what we were talking about.
“Huh?”
