If I have to, I’ll drag her into the light myself, just to watch her answer for the chaos she’s unleashed on so many lives.
The truth is, it’s not the men she trapped that I want her to answer for. It’s the innocents caught in the fallout. The wives, the partners, the kids. They deserve justice. Rianna tore through those men, knowing full well they had families waiting at home. She never cared. She helped us hurt the people who deserved it least, and she shouldn’t get to walk away from the wreckage she left behind.
I’m no hero, but fighting for Charlie in whatever way I can gives me something to hold onto. It’s the closest thing to purpose I’ve had in a long time.
It’s something I never found before I torched my whole life.
My phone goes off as I put away my machine.
I swipe it from the counter and light up the screen, finding a notification from Charlie.
My heart pounds as I pull up her message.
MY BUTTERFLY
Meet me at Grinders?
I’m quick in my response.
ME
Absolutely. When?
The bubbles appear, showing me she’s writing back, so I stay frozen, scared to move in case I miss a message.
MY BUTTERFLY
I’m here now.
ME
Give me ten.
I give my station one last sweep, making sure every surface gleams before heading over to Rune’s spot.
He’s finishing a piece on a woman’s inner thigh, his touch softer than usual. There’s a warmth in his voice I’ve only heard when he talks about his ex. She leans into it, but tension crackles between them, hinting at old wounds almost as if he’s hurt her before.
Since I wrecked my own life, I can spot the same damage in others, like scars inked right onto their skin.
It’s strange, and I’m not sure I like it. Lionel calls it empathy, but I’m not convinced it’s anything but a curse.
“Rune,” I call.
He glances up, his chartreuse eyes swirling with emotions I’m all too familiar with.
“Gotta head out for a few.”
“Everything good?”
His voice has always had this gravelly tone that makes him sound perpetually angry. It’s like he spent years screaming so loud he’s damaged his vocal cords.
“Yeah, man.” My eyes fall to the quiet girl hiding her face behind her neon green and black hair. “All good here?”
“Shit’s fine,” Rune says, but I keep my eyes on her.
“What about you, lady? Are you good?”
Her head snaps up, eyes wide and startling—bright honey ringed with dark chocolate. But it’s not the color that stuns me. It’s the pain swirling in them, so raw that ‘startling’ barely scratches the surface.
