Page 134 of Malice and Surrender
“Thanks, but I just….” Raine ran her hand through her short hair as she clutched a T-shirt to her chest. “I just need a few minutes to….” She closed her eyes and covered her mouth. I watched her battle back the emotion like it was her enemy. “Just give me ten minutes and then join me,” she said, walking into the bathroom as the first tears started to fall.
Murderous thoughts bounced around my mind as I pictured Dave’s smug face. Swinging my legs out of bed, I stood and hunted for my jeans as a knock sounded at the door. I looked at the time as the clock clicked over to five-o-one in the morning. I grabbed the T-shirt and pulled it on as the knock came again.
“Hang on to yourself,” I yelled, yanking my legs into my jeans but didn’t bother doing them up. I grabbed my gun and stood to the side of the door. “Who the fuck is there?” I called out. “Answer me, or I shoot through the door and then find out who's on the other side.”
“It’s me.”
Fucking Avro. I yanked open the door, my hand shaking on the gun as I stared at his calm face.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“You said you’d text when you found Raine.” He held up his phone. “Oh, look at that, no text.”
“So I lied. Sue me. You said you were heading home,” I growled.
“So I lied, sue me,” he mocked.
“I want to knock your teeth down your throat,” I said, and he smirked. “I swear to god, wipe that look off your face before I do.” Avro stopped smiling and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Are you going to let me in?”
“I’d prefer to punch you in the face.” He glanced down at my shaking hand, gripping the gun.
“So we’re back to you wanting to kill me?” Sighing, he leaned against the open archway of the door.
“Technically, I don’t think I ever stopped,” I said. His face was bruised with a cut along his jaw and tape on his nose. He still looked like a fucking model and far too perfect. That alone was enough to make me want to shoot him. Guys like him running around ruined shit for the rest of us.
“Well, I’m not leaving,” he said. I chanted in my head that Raine would never speak to me again if I killed him. It was the only thing keeping me from snatching him by the neck, dragging him into the room, and putting my gun in his mouth.
“Avro?” I groaned at the sound of Raine’s voice. No hiding the body now.
“Yeah, it’s me.” He leaned around me to look at Raine, smiling wide before pushing my arm out of the way and walking in.
“Come on in, why don’t you? We weren’t having a private moment or anything,” I muttered under my breath. Closing the door, I turned and watched as Raine’s face shifted. In a blink, she looked relaxed, like the guy had some superpower to make her feel okay. Yeah, I was gonna kill him.
“Did Kai call you?”
Like I’d actually call Avro. But the hopeful look in her eyes made me feel guilty that I hadn’t. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“No, but he was about to,” Avro lied smoothly, and I raised an eyebrow.
Raine smiled and hugged Avro, her eyes closing. What the hell was it with this fucknut? I found him…creepy. He was too perfect. Just look at his hair and teeth and his bone structure. No one had that perfect of a jaw. Then there was the supernatural ability to soothe Raine. That really annoyed me. I needed to mess his pretty face up some more. He was unnatural.
“If Kai didn’t call, what are you doing here?” Raine asked.
“I asked him the same question,” I said and put the gun down. I didn’t trust myself not to shoot him just because he was in the room. Raine only had the bath towel wrapped around her body, and I ground my teeth together as Avro’s hand lingered on her shoulder.
Marching past them, I grabbed my jacket and swore for the second time. I still hadn’t gotten more smokes. I sat down in the chair and played with my lighter instead. All I could think about was whether I should kill him or not. Maybe I should bring him to a field and pull the petals off a daisy to decide his fate.
“I came to make sure you’re okay. I waited as long as I could, but it was terrible sleeping in a sports car. I don’t recommend it,” Avro said, and Raine’s face scrunched up in confusion. “I need to use the bathroom. I’ll be back.”
Raine watched him disappear into the bathroom, and then her eyes found mine. She silently asked me if I was alright, but I didn’t have an answer for her. Standing, I stuffed my arms into my jacket and pulled on my boots.
“Where are you going, Kai?”
“I need smokes, or I will shoot him.” I looked up as I finished tying my laces, and Raine’s lips pulled down in a frown. “Look, I said I’d try. I didn’t fucking say I’d like it or that I would spend time with him in the same motel room. All I really want to do right now is shoot him in the head, so space is required.” She crossed her arms and looked away. “And please have some clothes on when I return. I might not be so angry with him touching you if you weren’t practically naked.”
Raine sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Are you coming back?”
