Page 32 of Splintered Desire

I’m jumpy and still breathing hard, waiting for one of them to walk back through that door.

Fuck, I don’t want to go back to the house with them…

When Reed swings the door open, I almost jump out of my skin, only to be annoyed with myself.

Reed would never hurt me; he’s one of the few people I can say that about with complete certainty.

A smile pulls his lips up, and his eyes shine, telling me he’s proud of me even before he can say it out loud.

Thankfully, I’ve had just enough time to get it together and hopefully not raise suspicion.

“You did good, kid!” He’s across the room in a flash, his stride eating up the distance between us. Patting my back in an affectionate way since he knows I don’t love hugs, and I stumble forward a step. I think he forgets just how big he is. Built from sheer muscle, I don’t know what kind of training he has, but it’s enough to keep everyone in line here. As head of security, he’s more than intimidating if he needs to be. Thankfully, I’ve never had to be on the receiving end of anything more than his jokes and half-ass flirting, but I’ve seen enough.

“Thanks,” I tell him as I look around the room, still on edge, unsure if Reed would be enough to stop him. Jace is his boss, after all. If nothing else, having him here might give me enough time to run.

Reed launches into what he calls the ‘highlights,’ recapping all the best parts of my fight, sounding like a kid at Christmas, and I feel my cheeks heat from his praise. My mask hides it, I’m sure, but I can’t seem to meet his eyes, regardless.

“So, finally gonna give me that kiss, huh?” He wags his eyebrows at me, making himself look ridiculous, but still, I take a step back when he gets closer.

Reed is a good-looking guy, ‌really good-looking, and honestly, I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t someone I would happily fall all over normally.

But now, here, after the last two days…

He freezes, his brows pinching together as he looks me over, and I know I did a terrible job hiding my discomfort, but he doesn't call me on it. Instead, simply taking a step back, giving me room to breathe.

“You good, kid?” The concern is clear on his face, and I hate to lie to him, but telling him might make everything worse.

I don’t want him to look at me differently, or worse, not care…

No, I shake the thought away; I know he would care. Reed isn’t like them.

“Yeah.” I don’t even believe myself, so I change the subject to something easier. “Next week is going to be a doozy.”

I move around the room, collecting my things and gulping down a whole bottle of water from my bag. No way am I drinking anything from here.

“Widow won’t be easy, but you can take her, Vix.” He sounds so sure, but I’m not. Widow is a hard hitter and, like me, doesn’t just rush. I haven’t lost in a few years now, but if there was someone I was going to, it would be her.

I’m not so much nervous about fighting Widow as I am about what happens after. I haven’t heard anything about the celebration other than it will be something never done before.

Awesome.

“I hope you're right.”

“Hey, Vix, you know if you need something, you can ask me, right? I’m here for you, kid.”

I pause, my textbook in my hand, ready to be stuffed into my bag as I think about what he just said.

Can I ask him? Do I trust him?

Yes, I could, and I do.

So what’s stopping me?

I don’t have the answer to that question, so with a sigh, I shove my book into my bag and zip it up.

“I’m good, Reed. Don’t worry about me.”

It won’t do him any good; besides, I can take care of myself. Ten-year-old me would have loved to have someone to run to, but I know better now.