“Um, 81, where the fuck did all this food and vitamin water come from?” I question placing a hand to my hip. He can’t see me, but it’s needed.
“The supermarket. Where else?” His laugh warms me.
“Ha-Ha, funny aren’t ya?”
“I try to be.”
“I’m serious,” I snap as I pull out pre-made meals and containers of fruit salad and breakfast oats with berries. Even chia seeds. Wow, man, this is some crazy-ass shit.
“The question I have for you, little bird, is how did it take you two days to find this out?”
I close my eyes as I pull a jar of oats from the fridge and a bottle of vitamin water.
“Well, Mr., that’s because I don’t eat.”
“My point exactly, babes. I gotta go but I’ll call you after the meeting, okay? Please stay away from the windows. Lock shit up and don’t fucking go near that dead man walking. When I’m home, I’ll take the sickbag out.” His voice is full of hate and wrapped in a protectiveness that makes me feel crazy good even through I’m crazy hungover.
“Ok, 81,” I mumble over a mouthful of extremely great oats.
He laughs and the line goes dead. I sink into the couch and let the sun warm my skin as I eat and watch him watch me. Keep watching mate. Your time is just about up.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
81
Pulling up to the meeting spot, set up in Hope, I can’t get my mind of Jade and that cock making trouble for her. I have it in mind to flag this and ride home. Bray would feed me my balls though. The AOS boys aren’t here when we roll in, so we park up and wait. I smoke and smoke and smoke.
“Thought you gave that up?” Ghost asks as he walks over and leans on my bike next to me.
“I did.” Eyeing him over the ember end of the cigarette in my mouth.
“Sure, looks like it too,” he comments. “She’s got you all types of fucked-up, don’t she?”
“Who?” I throw back.
“Both of them, 81. Jade and Hannah.”
“It’s just smoke and mirror type bullshit. I gotta talk with the demon to kiss the angel, brother,” I reply , blowing smoke rings out in front of me. The day is deathly hot and even nearing late afternoon, the heat is insane.
“You gotta choose,” he says like he knows anything.
“I have,” I bite out. It annoys me that he thinks he gets it when he don’t.
“Doesn’t look that way to me, brother. You’re lost without her, but you are dying without Jade. I see it in your eyes and the way you question even your own mind.”
“Well, little do you know, I chose Jade. She’s the only safe haven I need now.”
His hand falls to my shoulder as bikes rumble in the distance.
“K, brother. Keep telling yourself that. One day you might believe it.”
It’s eerily isolated, and its dusty as fuck here. I kick the toe of my boot into the dusty orange-brown dirt and watch as the wind catches it and carries it away to rest in a new derelict place.
Scouting the place while the bikes roll in it feels odd, but I can’t see anything that shouldn’t be here. Fuck, I don’t even know what should be here. But I don’t see anything outta place but the hairs on my back tell me otherwise. Somethings not right.
I pull my phone from my pocket and flick my little bird a text.
-I will never regret falling in love with you. Hurting you and making promises I may not be able to keep, yes. I will regret that even when the reaper comes and takes me. Just know, little bird, that even in death I don’t think I could ever live without you or love you more. Sometimes though, baby, you gotta feast with the demons before you can save an angel.
