Still gazing up at me, she twisted her lips into a snarl. “You liked her,” she said in disbelief. “You fuckinglikedthat red-haired slut.”
Barking out a laugh devoid of humor, I tugged on her hair again, this time pulling until she winced in pain.
When it came to the wildcat, it was pointless to deny it. I’d given away food, clothing, weapons, ammunition, and a goddamned vehicle to her and her friends. Then, as if that weren’t enough, I’d compromised the security of Purgatory for her. I couldn’t deny it; the truth was there for all to see, glaring me in the face and mocking me for being such a fool.
Yet you saved that girl,the voice said, laughing.Once a fool, always a fool.
But just because I couldn’t deny it didn’t mean I was going to confirm it either.
“You’re still upset about this?” I chuckled darkly.
“You’re still acting strange,” Liv retorted, her snarl turning pouty. “I don’t fucking like it.”
“Because I give a shit about what you do and don’t like.”
“You should!” she shouted, suddenly struggling in my grip. She twisted her body, fighting to free herself but only succeeded in pulling on her own hair and crying out in pain. “I could end you, E! One word to Jeffers, one fucking word and—”
Pulling back, I brought my body forward, effectively slamming her torso up against the wall. Her breath left her in a surprised rush, and I reached around her and wrenched open her jeans. Shoving my hand inside her underwear, I reached down between her thighs.
“And what?” I seethed, my mouth pressed up against her ear. “You’ll do nothing, you spineless bitch. You know how I know you won’t do a damn thing?” Finding her entrance, I began roughly fingering her.
“Fuck you,” she gasped. “Fuck you ...”
“Because if he knew,” I whispered, “he’d be done with you, and if he’s done with you, you know there’ll be nothing stopping me from killing you.”
In response, Liv groaned loudly and spread her legs even further apart. Her hips already undulating against my hand, her torso began grinding the concrete wall in front of her.
Before she could reap too much pleasure from my abuse, I pulled my hand free, released her hair, and finished shoving her jeans down her legs. After fumbling with my own jeans and freeing myself, I gripped her hips and brought her ass up. Bending my knees, I positioned myself behind her and pushed inside her body.
I only made it so far inside before I felt compelled to pull out and push in again, but this wasn’t about pleasure, and it sure as hell wasn’t about comfort. Sex with Liv was and always would be about pain and misery. And so I locked my legs in place, readied my hips, and shoved hard, giving us both what we wanted.
She wasn’t quiet; her moans and cries mixed with my grunts were loud enough to attract the attention of anyone nearby. Anyone who did happen to stumble upon us would put us at risk of Jeffers finding out. I should have cared about that, Liv should have cared about that, but the truth was that neither of us cared about Jeffers. Because neither of us valued anything anymore.
The image of two rotters fucking came to mind, their dead skin flapping, their brittle, broken bones jutting through their rotted flesh, their pained groans and growls as they rutted like the mindless animals they were.
That was Liv and me. And the only difference between us was the question of who would be put down first.
• • •
“When will you tell me what happened between you and Jeffers?”
In the middle of zipping my jeans, I glanced up at Liv and smirked. “Ask him yourself.”
Yanking her jeans up over her hips and pushing her pink hair out of her eyes, she glared at me. “I have, asshole, many times. He just shuts down. I want to know what the fuck happened. After all these years, I deserve to know.”
Righting my jacket, I patted the inner pocket, ensuring the pills were still there. Finding them, I turned to leave.
“E! I deserve to know!”
Glancing over my shoulder, I snorted. “The only thing you deserve is a bullet.”
As I walked off, turning the corner into the sunlight, I waited for the voice in my head to berate me.
But it never came. And strangely enough, the silence made me feel even worse.
Chapter Ten
Autumn
