She groaned. “I fucking know that voice.”
I shook my head. “This isn’t a good idea, and you know it.”
“Yep. Uh huh. I got it.”
“You’re in danger so long as I’m around.”
“Yep. I hear you.”
Her snappy tone grated on my nerves. “We could never work. We live two totally, completely different lives.”
“So, you get your rocks off and I get a broken heart? Is that it?”
I clenched my jaw. “You know that’s not what I mean. You know that as well as I do.”
“Can we just meet up and talk? Face to face? Please?”
I hated how beautifully she begged. “No, Aria. It won’t work between us.”
The hurt in her voice was evident. “Fine. Be like every other guy on the planet who believes they’re too damaged to be happy. Newsflash, Bender? Your brokenness doesn’t make you special. Everyone in this life is broken. So, fuck you and the metal horse you rode in on. I hope you choke.”
And as she hung up the phone on me, I dropped my hand to my side.
Because even though I hated myself for what I had done, it still felt like the right thing to do.
TWENTY
ARIA
“Son of a BITCH!” I roared.
I threw my phone at the wall and listened as the case cracked. Fury shook me to the bone as I raced my hands through my hair. I wanted to slap him across the face. Kick him in the nuts. Anything to make him hurt in the same way I was hurting.
But after drawing in a few deep breaths, I knew where I needed to be.
I scooped up my phone and reached for my purse. I shoved a few things I’d need for an overnight stay at Nadia’s, then I headed down to my car. I sped all the way to her place and knocked furiously against her door, but when she didn’t answer panic filled my gut.
So, I pulled my phone back out of my purse and dialed her number.
“Hey there, Ar—”
I sighed with relief. “Oh, thank fuck. Are you okay? Where are you? The sun is setting and you’re not at your place.”
She giggled. “I didn’t know I had a curfew, Mom.”
I rolled my eyes. “You know why I’m worried. Where are you?”
“I’m at the women’s shelter, and I’ll be here for another hour or so. Wanna bring food? I haven't eaten since dinner.”
I didn’t have much money to spare, but I also didn’t care any longer. “Yeah, yeah. Burgers and fries sound good?”
“Mmmm, yes. In-N-Out?”
I smirked as I raced back down the stairs. “I’ll see you in a few.”
After driving through her favorite fast-food joint and picking up our meal for the evening, I made my way back into town. I drove by the homeless shelter and saw a few men in black leather vests putting in new windows and I forced myself to ease on by them. Maybe this was the reason why everyone had told me to stay away from them. Maybe it wasn’t because of the story, or the mystery, or the breaking news they had stuffed away in their lives.
Maybe it was simply because they used people before discarding them like trash.
