Page 21 of Cyber
The only girl I had ever cared about and the man who was closer to me than a brother? It should have made me happy that they had found happiness with each other. I should have been pleased, but all I felt was anger.
No, anger wasn't the right word either. What I felt was fury. White-hot fury.
“Are they together?” I didn't even try to hide the bitterness in my voice, I doubt I could have even if I had wanted to. “Is Monster fucking her?”
I knew that one day Iris would move on with her life, meet someone and have the kind of fucking apple pie life that I couldn’t give her, but I wasn’t ready to see it. I thought Monster had my back. That he wouldn't dare cross that line.
I had obviously thought wrong.
“What?” Maggie looked startled. “No, Cyber, they aren’t together. They are friends. Monster would never do that.”
“Then where the fuck are they?” She had said Iris was on a date. “Or doesn't she care enough about Violet to be here?”
Maggie threw the TV remote at my head, and her old eyes flashed. “Next time it will be a glass, Cyber, keep a civil tongue in your head when you talk about her,” she warned. “She isn't here because I didn't tell her you were coming. She is finally coming out of herself, starting to rebuild her life.”
I rolled my eyes. “And fucking some dude is high on that priority list right?”
Fuck. I smoothed my hand over my shaved head. I sounded like a jealous ex. A psychotic jealous ex. The jealous part was right. But I couldn't really call myself an ex when we had just spent one night together. Even if it was a night that was ingrained in my memory forever.
“It's a date, Cyber. Just one single dinner date with a nice, young man who...”
I snarled at her. “A nice, young man who will do what, Maggie? What makes him so much better than me?”
She sighed. “Nothing makes him better than you, Cyber. You weren't here. I thought you wanted her to be happy?”
I did want her to be happy, but maybe I was fooling myself into thinking I wanted her happy with someone other than me. I wasn't good for her. She hated me. We would tear each other apart. I just wasn't sure if I cared anymore.
“Where is she? I need to see this picture.” Thrusting my hands into my pockets, I glanced towards the door. “And where the fuck is Monster?”
“Monster is keeping an eye on her.”
Good, all I had to do was find Monster, and I would find Iris.
11
Iris
“Are you ok?”
My eyes snapped to the man sitting opposite me. My date.
Forcing myself to smile, I reached for the glass of water in front of me. The wine that sat alongside it remained untouched. The red liquid looked too much like blood.
“Yeah.” I forced myself to smile at him. And I was. The date had started out a little uncomfortable, but I had just put that down to the fact it had been so long since I had been on one. But the man opposite me, a man who worked in insurance and had the kindest eyes I had ever seen, had been nothing but a perfect gentleman. The restaurant he had chosen was classy and romantic.
Even if our table by the window made me feel like we were having a date in a fishbowl.
“Yeah,” I mumbled again, wiping my hand across my lips. “Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts for a second.” Shaking myself, I crossed my legs, and my knee brushed his under the table. Scooting back, my chair rocked back on two legs as I let out a little scream. It wasn't like he had purposely touched me, but I couldn't help myself.
“What?” My date didn't get a chance to say anything else as the door to the restaurant burst open, bouncing off the wall with a crash. There was a sound like a wounded bull and Cyber himself was suddenly at the table, looming over the two of us, like some crazy leather-wearing avenging angel.
“Cyber,” I squealed.
Ignoring me totally, he dragged the much smaller man opposite me up by his collar. His fist curled into the material of his designer shirt.
“What the fuck did you just do to her?” There was pure murder in Cyber’s eyes. The kind of look I had never seen on his face before. His lips thinned and his grip tightened. My date’s face was rapidly turning purple as he struggled to breathe.
“Everything ok here?” Monster spoke from my shoulder.
