Page 46 of Never Never

She looks so…I don’t know. Relaxed, different, at home. She’s smiling. And here I am, with my panties in a fucking twist over shit that wouldn’t ordinarily faze me. It’s like freaking opposite day or something. I’m supposed to be happy-go-lucky, and she’s supposed to be…

I watch as the camera auto-pans and latches onto her face as she smiles wider, laughs at something, and…

And it’s good to see her smile. In spite of fucking everything. The throbbing feeling in my neck eases a little.

Blue follows my gaze and leans back in his chair, studying for a moment, and my mind flicks back to what he was doing before he turned off his screen. All those girls and their long legs and their pixie cuts.

Does Blue…?

No. Can’t be. He wouldn’t.

“Looks like a girls’ night out,” he remarks, folding an ankle over his knee and rubbing his jaw.

“Huh?” I look back at the monitor, because Tink’s not alone.

“What’s she doing here?” I cry. Blue says nothing, which just pisses me off more.

“She’s still with Zuzu?” I say out loud, incredulous, in case he didn’t get it the first time. “Oh, what the fuck⁠—”

Blue slices a glance sideways at me. “What do you mean, what the fuck? Maybe they’re friends now. She did kick the shit out of some would-be rapists down at the dog track.”

“Oh, is that how girls bond these days? You’re the expert?” I say. The flare of fire-and-ice feeling is back, crawling up my skin. Too much energy. “And she’s just…bringing her back here, just like that?”

“Seems that way,” Blue says, a slight edge to his voice. “You okay, man?”

“Obviously I’m okay,” I say. “Just…that’s Krye’s daughter. That’s…” I rake hands through my hair. “You can’t just be bringing random girls around.”

Blue makes a coughing sound. It might be a laugh.

“Oh, you know what I fucking mean,” I say. “They’re not just here to have some kind of slumber party.”

“Maybe they are,” Blue says.

Fucking doubt it, I think. “Well, great,” I say. “Is everyone just going behind my back now and organizing shit?”

Blue doesn’t answer.

“Of course they are. Of course you are,” I correct, pointedly. “And you know what? Fine. Have your own little side plots. But don’t think I’m not gonna find out what you’re doing.”

I’m talking more to the TV screen than to him. To her, even though the alleyway is empty and she’s long since come in.

I start for the door.

“Dude…”

I hear Blue behind me, but he’s too late. It’s too late.

When I’m gone, I’m gone.

CHAPTER 12

BLUE

“Well, who do we have here?”

I cringe, absolutely cringe, at the sound of his voice. Pan’s talking loud enough to wake up the whole neighborhood, so I can definitely hear him from the end of the hall.

“Pan,” I say, a sharp edge to my voice. “Don’t.”