“It’s legal. Not my fault, they aren’t fun.” Finally, lighting the end, I inhale deeply, but the smoke hardly eases my stiff muscles. “They hear you call them old, they’ll tear you a new one, too. Also, they’re not even in their forties yet. Don’t call them old.”
I guess maybeI’dcall them old. But isn’t Warden in his early thirties?
Our conversation falls off as I enjoy the first few inhales. Once the effects start kicking in, I lean back and let out a sigh.
“So, what’s happening with you?” Knowing well enough that I don’t want to start thinking about the heavy thoughts that are weighing me down, I put my attention on him.
Something was going on with his phone. Tomorrow, he’s leading the ride to Crimson Road. Nothing else comes to mind.
He grunts, hardly giving me much to work with.
“Scared of dying?” Passing him the joint, I notice his nose scrunch.
Taking a longer drag, his eyes move to the sky, and he searches. For what, I’ve got no clue. There aren’t any answers up there. I’ve done more than enough searching to know that as a fact.
“When it comes to scratches and bruises, I don’t mind them. I mean, if I’m hurt, Leah’s always there to take care of me.” He sighs, and the smoke puffs out in front of us. “I’ve always stayed out of the path of danger. Real danger, you know? She gets all twisted up if I bleed.”
Right. Leah. The woman’s sweet, and she’s always here to get her hands dirty whenever we get injured. Perks of having a paramedic on our crew. So, she’s the one who has him all bothered.
“She doesn’t want me to go.” Handing it back, he pulls his knees to his chest and sighs. “She begged me to stay. Got all worked up about it. Just said she wouldn’t forgive me if I left.”
In this life, the club is always the top priority. No matter if we’re scared or if we’re angry, we have to do what we have to.
It’s a shame I can’t relate. Ever since Penelope dragged us here, Judge made it his goal to keep us away from the violence.It’s a strike to my pride, but it’s not like the violence only happens outside of Steelwood. Sometimes, it hides within it, too.
Still, my only experience with dealing with violence toward someone I love, I can say that I didn’t run. I took care of it, the best way a girl my age could at the time.
Minutes pass, and the uncomfortable weight remains.
“She’ll be here with us the entire time you’re gone. We’ll take care of her.” Finishing off the last hit, I flick it into the grass and watch the golden orange disappear into nothing. “Everything will be fine, just as it always is. Get hurt badly enough, and she’ll be all over you. Just don’t die, yeah?”
He snorts and shakes his head. “Sure. Don’t die. Got it.”
I wish I could give him a better answer. We’re in this to survive. Some of us were born with the instinct to avoid death, and some of us have learned how to face it directly and come out on top.
Warden’s… soft. Sure, he’s got his talents, but his blood is still warm. He doesn’t hate as much as a lot of us do. His heart still beats normally.
Noticing my stare, he grimaces. “You’re freaking me out.”
Right. First, I’m nice. Now I’m thinking about people. He’s got a point. Today has been an off day for me. I’m doing all kinds of things I’d never imagine myself doing.
My eyes drag back to the beautiful sky. It’s a shame a view like this can only be seen while the world sleeps.
“So… What’s going on with you?” He pauses for a moment before scoffing, not even trying to find a way to carefully word his concern. “You look terrible.”
I feel it, too.
“Jinx.” An easy answer, one that leaves me quicker than it should. Lying back, I flop into the grass. “He’s the kind of man who just brings misfortune to those he’s near. I’m his target; therefore, I am suffering.”
Suffering isn’t the only thing I’m feeling. There’s confusion wrapped around my head. Arousal, too, but that’s none of Warden’s business. He’s opening a can of trouble, and tonight was the craziest part of it.
Jerking him off doesn’t even top it off. It’s the fact that he looked at me, really looked at me, and reacted the way he had. For the first time in my life, I felt… wanted. Before I knew it, I was too caught up in whatever the hell was happening between us to slow down.
“Why’d you think he offered to watch over you? Heard he was the only one.”
I don’t have a clue. If I have to guess, he got bored of pissing me off by breaking stuff and annoying the hell out of me. This is a level up from our usual routine.
“Don’t know. He’ll be out of my hair soon enough.” Looking at the stars, I watch as they twinkle. Not a single cloud in the sky. Perfect for getting lost in all of this. “Then everything can go back to normal.”
