“If you won’t let me help, will you at least stick around for soup?” he asks. “It’s creamy chicken,” he adds with a smile.
I exhale, and my stomach growls. We both laugh, breaking the tension. “Okay.”
Shadow
My phone buzzes against the bar, dragging me out of whatever half-thought I was lost in.
Missed call from Ragnor, followed by a text message.
Ragnor: Call me.
Great.Just what I need, another fight.
I swipe to call him back, jaw already tight with stress. He answers on the first ring.
“Brother,” he breathes, like he’s worried.
My spine straightens. “What?”
“I just had Kade on the phone. Remi’s turned up at the church. She’s in a bad way.” Silence stretches as I stare hard at the wall, my heart slamming in my chest. “He asked if I can help her. I’m heading there now, but I don’t need the argument with you, brother, so I’m telling you out of courtesy.”
My grip tightens on the phone, my knuckles turning white. If Kade called Ragnor, it’s because she doesn’t want me there. But since when did I ever listen to what she wanted?
I grab my kutte off the chair.
“I’m five minutes away,” he adds. “See you there.”
The bike roars to life under me, vibrating through bone and blood, and I take off, letting the cold air slap me in the face. The city lights blur, and all I can see is her face as she left, the rain soaking her to the skin, her eyes full of pain.
At least with him, I know what to expect.Her words are burnt into my brain, playing on repeat constantly. I swallow the bile burning up my throat. I have to fix this.
I pull up to the church and kill the engine. My boots hit the pavement, my heart still beating wildly as I walk through the large iron gates and up the path. The heavy door is half-open, and I step inside.
I spot Ragnor first. His back is to me, but he’s rigid, like he’s pissed about something. As I move closer, I see Kade. His eyesland on me and he groans, pushing to his feet. “Brother, I didn’t call you for a reason.” He blocks my path.
“Where is she?” I demand.
“She doesn’t want to see you.”
Ragnor places a hand on Kade’s shoulder. “I called him. You know I had to.”
“Move,” I say, my tone threatening. “I don’t wanna hurt a brother in his own church.”
“It’s okay.” We all still at the sound of Remi’s voice. It’s soft, broken. Kade steps to one side, and my eyes land on her. I inhale sharply, everything around me blurring away until all I focus on is her face. Her bruised, battered face. A purple bruise across her cheekbone. A split lip. Faint finger marks around her throat.
My vision tunnels, and something inside me goes very, very quiet. Not angry. Deadly.
My chest heaves with rage as we stare at one another. And then . . . she grabs a paper bag off the table and moves past me, heading for the exit.
I frown, watching as she scurries out the door. Kade groans again. “She asked me not to call you.”
I shove past him and head after her. “You didn’t,” I call over my shoulder.
I break out into the night, just as she’s going through the gate, and I run after her. “Remi,” I call.
“Leave me alone,” she calls back.
“Just wait . . . at least talk to me.”
