I lower the gun. I breathe in while fixating my gaze on him until he gets the warning deep in his bones. He simply rushes for the door. He opens it with trembling hands and lockshimself inside, leaving the blonde outside in our mercy.Of course, that’s his house from all the people we had to steal the car from; the dickhead who lives across the street was the one.
It’s not like we would have known; that house was rented two months ago, and the guy barely leaves it. He is always inside playing music and fucking from the sounds that are usually coming from the house. Most likely with everyone except Nova.
I walk in the blonde’s direction and take few hundred bills out of my pocket. I place the money in her hand, and she accepts it.
Keeping my voice low and soft, I say, “Do yourself a favor, honey; find someone who deserves your time. Use the money to grab a taxi he isn’t going to open that door again tonight.”
She nods and begins to walk away from thehouse. I turn to Nova without words and pull her in for a hug. She lets go in my arms. Her anger turns to sobs, and tears leave her eyes as the tension leaves her body.
“Everything is going to be okay.” I say, keeping my voice low as I walk slowly away from the house with the girl in my arms. Aaron follows us, and I see him unlocking his car that is parked right in front of us. He opens the door for Joker to get out and reaches for the extra leash he keeps in his trunk. Once the leash is hooked onto Joker’s collar, he turns to us.
“I will stay until they finish. Get her out of here.” He tells me and hands me the keys.
“Book a hotel for the night; I will find you when I can.” I say as I help the girl into the passenger’s seat.
“Don’t worry about it. Takecare of her; I will be fine.”
Aaron assures me and turns his back to walk to the police officer in charge. I notice him as he introduces himself, and I know my charming best friend has this handled. I enter the driver’s seat and switch the car key to start the engine. The car purrs, and I don’t waste time pressing the gas pedal.
“Let’s get you out of here, Pinkie.” I smile at her as she looks outside, her eyes still fixating on the man who broke her heart.
Chapter 3
Nova
“What the fucking hell just happened?”
I question in disbelief as we drive away from the madness. It feels as if I have been in a trance and just awoke. I wish that were true. I could use it as an excuse, but it’s not.
“Calm down, Pinkie.” Ash says calmly. How is he so calm? I just threatened a guy with a gun in a street full of cops and a burning house.The burning house. Oh my God.His house.Hisdamn house is burning to the ground, and this man’s priority was to get me out ofthere instead?
His life is falling apart, but there he is taking care ofme. While the man who was fucking me every night for, let’s say, the last six months, is busy with his blonde bimbo of a side piece. That’s a wake up call if I ever needed one. The universe is screaming in my face to wake up, or just giving me alternatives to mess up my life more. Depends on how you look at it. It’s not like the man with the green hair that steals cars for a living is exactly a better choice,right?
“Why?”
I ask. My voice barely coming out. I don’t think this makes any sense.Him. Me.Everything.It makes no sense to make someone a priority that you met…What? Just a few hours ago?Over your livelihood being destroyed?
“Because it does no good to anyone if you are upset.”
His eyes remain focused on the road as the car speeds up. I don’t recognize where we are going, though. It’s not the familiar route to my house. He takes turn after turn, calculated like everything else he does. His body language is tense. The knuckles of his hands are turning white as he grips the steering wheel. He takes another turn, and now we are far from the road. The car rides up the way to a hill that I know I recognize. It’s a famous hookup spot, but I have never been there myself.
“No, I meant…”
I pause, not exactly sure if it matters. It’s just the sensitive girl in me that wants answers. She doesn’t believe someone would do something good for us. No one ever did, anyway. When you have been failed by people again and again, countless times, you learn not to expect kindness. You learn the hard truth. It becomes deeply rooted in yourpsyche like a small, expanding black hole with each new betrayal. You feel worthless, and even though you know that’s not true, you still believe it. You learn to expect people to double-cross you. It’s not a shock anymore when it happens; just another Tuesday.
“Are you asking why I took you away from your ex’s street?”
I chuckle. “Basically, yeah!”
The car suddenly stops, almost making me go through the windshield in the process. Gratitude for the fact that I have my seat belt on rushes over me, but it passes as fast as it came, quickly being replaced with a new feeling. Fear mixed with something I can’t quite pinpoint yet. Ash turns to me, a smile on his lips, one that is not exactly pleasant. It’s forced, as if he is trying to show compassion, but he doesn’t quite grasp the feelinghimself. His finger brushes my cheek, wiping a tear I didn’t know was there.
“Pinkie, you didn’t deserve how he treated you.”
He continues in a low voice, just above a whisper. “If I didn’t take you from there, you would have ended up behind bars again. I don’t know if this time would have been as easy to get out of as your sister paying for your bail.”
I nod. He is not wrong; I know that much. I was out for blood, my eyes only seeing red. I would have probably shot Craig if he hadn’t stopped me. I would have likely killed him. My mother used to say that my downfall would be my temper. She wasn’t wrong. It’s the one thing that can only get me in trouble.
“But your house.” A tear falls down my cheek as I think about the burninghouse.
