Page 22 of Haven

She was begging, pleading with God—because for some reason my sister believed in one— to save me. It worked because I woke up in the hospital a few days later with cottonmouth and a killer headache. Cinder made me promise never to do that again. It was something I couldn't promise because healing was a bitch.

I heard Vesper yell. She did that a lot, too. I met her two weeks ago when I came home from the mental health facility. She had a black eye, bruising on her neck, and a heavy look in her eyes. Vesper masked her pain with anger and sarcasm, but when she was around me she joked and treated me like I wasn’t glass. I wouldn’t treat her like she was broken, either. We talked like normal people who had a shit-ton of trauma.

There was a stampede of Vipers at the front. I pushed my way past them to see Cinder at Vesper’s side. There was a man with shaggy, dark hair and piercing, blue eyes on the ground with blood pouring from his nose. Vesper’s fists were at her side with blood dripping on the asphalt. Was this the man that hurt her?

“Vida, please.” Vesper brought her knee up and hit him in the jaw.

“That’s not my fucking name. I told you to leave me alone.”

“Baby, I love you,” he whimpered.

Vesper crouched down and grabbed him by the back of his head. “Love? Please. I was your favorite punching bag. You miss beating the shit out of me.”

“Vesper’s a Viper now and you hurt her, which means you hurt us.” Cinder pulled out her pistol and cocked it. The man was muttering prayers as Cinder pulled the trigger. “Get rid of him. Are you okay?”

She nodded, her eyes catching mine. “Yeah. I’m good. Thank you.”

“Of course. You are a Viper. We protect our own.”

Vesper hit the string on her guitar, snapping me back to reality. She only played a handful of times for me before, but I knew her voice and the way she played was magical. “Well, if you ever need someone to listen, you know where I am.”

I wanted to hear her play. Singing wasn’t something she enjoyed anymore, but she had a mesmerizing voice.

“Are you going to be home long enough to do so?”

I shrugged. “We’ll find out. You know me, I can’t be in one place for too long. I have an appointment tonight and then I’ll be at the bar. I want to dance.”

“You mean you're not sneaking away again tonight?” She smirked.

“Nope. Not right now, anyway, but that could change. You know where my sister is?”

“I’m pretty sure she and Widow are sparring in the gym—” I bolted to the gym before she could finish.

Twenty

Rory

Call me a masochist, but I loved tormenting myself when it came to these women. Widow would be shirtless and sweaty, but my sister would also be there. Pussyblock. She would know my intent, although I could lie and claim I wanted a turn in the ring with her. I enjoyed sparring with Cinder because it let me release my pent-up rage at her.

I stumbled into the gym to see Cinder dodge a right hook from Widow. When I opened the door, the older woman looked at me, which gave Cinder an advantage. She tripped Widow, causing her to tumble to the ground while Cinder straddled her hips. I had never been more jealous of my sister than I was at that moment. Cinder crawled off her and extended her hand to help Widow up.

“What’s up, Rory?” Cinder looked at me suspiciously.

“Vesper said you were sparring, and I wanted to watch. I have a tattoo appointment in a little while, so it would keep me busy until I had to leave.”

“You want to go a round?” she challenged.

I nodded, removing my shirt and adjusting the straps of my pink sports bra. There was still minor evidence of my road rash, but I could fib if Cinder brought it up. Widow’s eyes perused down my body, stopping at my cleavage for a moment before she cleared her throat and excused herself from the gym. Maybe I needed to sneak in here when she was sparring with Vesper and get a panty-melting view.

I pivoted on my toes with my fists raised. Cinder was the one who taught me how to fight, so she knew every one of my moves. It was a challenge going against her, but it was something I needed to keep me on my toes. I had come here with every intention of teasing Widow, but since she left, I guess I actually had to focus on sparring. With a possible stalker, it would help me be prepared.

“Are you going to let me win this time?” I smirked, watching her feet. She enjoyed going for the shins.

“Real life doesn’t allow shortcuts,” she taunted as she swung her fist directly at me. I dodged it, but she immediately followed suit with a swift kick of her leg. “Come on, Rory. Fight back.”

I lunged for her, throwing my fist which she blocked, then instantly kicking my feet from under me and sending me tumbling. Cinder goaded me more with a chuckle. She was testing me, and it was already pissing me off. I jumped back up, swiveling as I looked at my sister. Cinder never left herself open. It was another reason why I enjoyed going toe-to-toe with her. Her guard was always up and ready to come at you.

We circled each other in calculated movements. She was waiting for me to make the next move. I knew we would play this game of cat and mouse until someone got bored, so I went in, lunging forward with quick maneuvers: a jab, cross, and when I went in for the feint low, she blocked me, grabbing my wrist and pushing me back.