“Maybe it’s just not meant to be for me,” I say, dragging my hands through my hair. The rain has stopped, and I’m cold, shivering, my teeth chattering. “I need to change,” I say, gesturing to my car. “Care to get the fuck out of my way.”
Sloth steps to one side and Sebastian heads to the passenger side. “Need you to drop me off somewhere.” He glances at Sloth, who betrays nothing.
Sebastian and I climb inside. I really don’t want to drop him off anywhere. I want to be alone, but I don’t have the energy to argue with him. So I start the engine and crank the heat all the way up as I start to drive.
“Where are you going?” I ask Sebastian, keeping my eyes on the road. My thoughts are another story, though. They are everywhere. Sabella. Maxwell fucking Gunner and the power he lords over us all. My dead fucking mother. The grandmother who never thought my mother was good enough.
But mostly, my thoughts are on Patience.
I can’t help it. She’s fucking consuming me from the inside out and I don’t know why.
She was your first,my dark thoughts whisper.She was your first introduction to the pain and pleasure you could give. The power you could yield.
I hate it, but it’s true. I’m just like the father I despise so much. Sebastian still hasn’t answered me, and I turn to him with a frown.
“Where am I dropping you?”
He’s looking at his cell, his fingers pressing buttons and expression serious. He looks up at me, his green eyes sparking with something akin to irritation.
“Sorry. The mall,” he says, shoving his cell back in his pocket. His hand moves to his watch and he starts twisting it over and over. “Women, man, they’re complicated fucking creatures, don’t you think?” he says with a sigh. “One minute they’re hot, the next they’re cold.”
“The fuck are you talking about?”
He smiles. “That girl of yours, Patience, she’s a good girl. Loyal. Honest. She’s got a good heart. She’s not all bullshit and lies like most girls, leading guys on to get what they want, you know?”
I have no idea what he’s going on about, but I go along with it because it’s easier to listen than trying to decipher his lyrical ramblings.
“I can’t help but envy you, Sam,” he says with a shake of his head. “You’ve got it all.”
I scowl. “How do you figure that? The way I see it, I don’t have shit.”
He laughs lightly. “Like I said, you see, but you don’t really understand,” he tsks.
“You’re talking in riddles, man,” I grumble. I don’t have the time for this shit right now.
“So, you’re really blowing this whole Elite thing off?” he says, changing the subject.
“I don’t see what choice I have. I can’t do what they want me to do.” The heat is finally filling the car, yet the chill I feel is bone deep and doing nothing to warm me up. Even my rage can’t keep me warm today.
“The way I see it, this is about The Elite screwing with the dean. Nothing else is really of interest to them.”
I slam my breaks on quickly, almost crashing into a lamppost. I screech the car to a halt, ignoring the beeping horns behind me, and turn to him, fury running through me.
“How the fuck do you know about that?” I bite out. “And I don’t want any more bullshit riddles, Sebastian. You tell me right now before I knock your fucking teeth out. I don’t take kindly to people sticking their nose in my business.”
I expect him to recoil, to deny or at least have the decency to look fucking worried. Instead, he laughs and unclips his seatbelt.
“Always so hot-headed, Sammy. I’m trying to help you. How about you just listen to what I’m saying and shut the fuck up for a damn minute instead of thinking with your fists.” His smile drops, his expression turning dark. Even his eyes seem to lose some of their brightness as they pin me down. “The Elite needs the dean caught with his pants down. It doesn’t matter who gets him there, not really.”
I force myself to calm instead of lashing out like I normally do. If he has a better plan than walking away from this bullshit, I need to listen. I’ve got the good sense to see that, even if I don’t like it.
“What’s your point?” I grit out.
A slow smile creeps up his face. “That girl of yours, she really fucking cares about you, perhaps even loves you going off the texts she’s been sending her girlfriends.”
“I’m not even going to ask how the fuck you managed to hack her phone. Or why.”
He taps the side of his nose. “That’s for me to know. All I’m thinking is, if you give her a gentle nudge in the direction you want her to go in, you could still have it all. Get her to help you with the dean problem and no one has to get hurt.”
