Page 13 of Dread’s Beloved

“Can we talk in private, Kit? Just the two of us. I miss you.”

My throat tightens. If he’d said that to me the night everything went down, then maybe there would have been a chance, but too little too late. I glance at my boots. I love these boots. They’re brown leather cowgirl boots with tan ropes and pink roses embroidered on them. Blair was with me when I bought them, the bitch.

Anger boils in veins at the reminder we were ever friends. “You miss me,” I whisper. “I can’t believe you.”

Dread squeezes my side and leans down, pressing a chin to my shoulder. “Ignore him, babe.”

“Don’t call my wife babe, asshole.”

“She’s not your wife anymore,” Dread deadpans. I can tell they are locked into a staring match. Zane watches as Dread turns his head into my neck and places a small kiss there, then grins at him.

Zane steps forward, and my brother shoves him back with a hand to his chest, hard enough to send him back several steps.

“I’m not going to ask again. What’s the letters say?” Dark growls in Zane’s face.

Dread steps back having achieved his goal, but I can still feel his lips pressed to my skin and the scratch of the stubble of his goatee that’s growing back in.

“I don’t know. Stupid shit. Like your time is coming, bitch.”

“How long have you been getting them?”

“Couple of weeks.”

“How long you been getting hang-up calls?” My brother questions me.

I lift a shoulder. “I don’t know. A while.”

“Bring me the letters tomorrow,” he barks at Zane. “And you,” he points at me, “block unknown numbers.”

“Yeah, man. Whatever.” Zane gets into his truck.

“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask my brother as Sukie and Dread look back and forth between us.

“Just go home, sis. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

I fold my arms across my chest. “Tell me now.”

“It could be something. Could be nothing, but it's been about twenty years since Mellie, and maybe somebody is trying to fuck with you.”

My blood turns cold. “Do you think it's him?” He knows who I mean when I say him. I don’t like saying his name, let alone thinking it. Like doing so will somehow conjure him, like summoning a demon.

“I think you should let Dread follow you home. I’ll know more once I see the letters.”

I nod. “Yeah sure. Whatever.”

“It could be Blair stirring up shit,” Sukie says softly, but we both know as big of a bitch as she is, letters and hang-up calls aren’t her style. She’s more of a rub shit in your face type girl. Like making sure you walk in on her riding your husband in your face type shit.

“Get them home,” Dark barks at Dread. “Drop Sukie first, then Kitty. If my old man isn’t home, you stay until he gets there or someone relieves you.”

Sukie and I file into my car. My brother takes off, and Dread gets into position to follow us.

“Are you okay?” Sukie asks.

“I’m fine.”

“You can talk to me, and it would be totally reasonable to have a freak-out.”

“You can tell me what’s going on between you and my brother.” I start the car and pull out of the lot with Dread on my ass.