Page 51 of H E R
“Hurt? You think I’mhurt?” I seal the distance between us, a strangled laugh erupting from my dry throat. “You broke the friendship we’ve had since we were fucking toddlers. We’re done, Noah.”
I look up and down his frame, disgusted, and move to turn when he reaches for my wrist. It happens in an instant. Max rushes to my side and growls as he jumps to snap his mouth shut around Noah’s arm, who wails out in pain and falls back.
Dylan calmly delivers a command for Max to release him, and he moves to stand beside me, his master standing on my other side. “You should get that checked out.” He points to Noah’s bloody gash.
“Fuck, Justice. You know me! You’re going to trust this psycho over me?”
Max and Dylan both growl beside me, and I have half a mind to tell them all to back off, my brother and best friend included. The fucking mob of onlookers be damned. I don’t need a whole army for this. I can handle Noah. I step toward him.
“I don’t know you. The Noah I know would never plot alongside criminals. And he would never lie to me about something hehad to do.”
He stands up, an angry rage building behind his eyes, and he points at me and then Dylan. “This isn’t over.”
Dylan snorts. “Oh, it’s over. You should find yourself an attorney. I’m sure the paperwork I produced was only good for a release without bail. But they’ll want to find someone to blame. And it won’t be Niki.”
I look up at Dylan. What paperwork? He pretends not to notice, and I turn to my brother. He reaches us and pulls me into a hug. Jasmin follows suit and the three of us hold each other tightly. I turn and witness Noah’s heart breaking even further. He looks at me once more before turning around.
I don’t hate him, I can’t.
I don’t know what I would have done if someone threatened the lives of Jasmin and Jule, but I would never agree to work for Vork. I’d rather slit my wrist open and watch the blood drain from my body than place myself in his hands.
Noah could never break my heart, since he never had it to begin with. But I gave him my time, allowed him to connive his way into my little family. I agreed for there to be a title for what he wanted us to have. I let myself believe that I could fall in love with him and rejoiced in the absurdity of his future plans. I sanctioned the entire thing, paved the way for his lies to snake into my fucking brain and convince me he was someone else.
Noah’s silhouette disappears in the distance, and Jule clears his throat. “Thanks for bringing her back,” his voice breaks, and I hug him tighter.
Jasmin sniffles and wipes her face aggressively. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
“Don’t mention it.” Dylan’s thunderous voice vibrates through my frame and I pull away from my brother to glance at him.
“Not bad, rookie. But this doesn’t mean you belong. You’re still unwanted here.”
He chuckles and whistles for Max to follow him. “You should get some rest, Niki.”
I frown. Why do I want to follow him inside his mansion-like trailer and strip him naked? My mouth goes dry—fuck—I should have never kissed him. Because now that I’ve tasted him, I want more.
I wake up and it’s dark, but I’m not sure of the time. It’s quiet outside, lest the soothing melody of the hundreds of crickets right outside the trailer.
I’m sandwiched between the giant heat pad that is my brother and Jasmin, whose heavy breaths tell me she’s still deep in slumber. After retreating to our little shit box, I showered and swallowed back eight beef jerky links, along with four cups of water. Jasmin refused to be apart, so she put our toddler-sized mattresses together and we huddled close until we dozed off.
My body felt sore, my limbs ached, my head was flattened to nothingness, and I wanted to disappear into a dreamless sleep. Jasmin made me ice my face, and she tended to my wrists and ankles by slathering a salve. Jule burned my clothes, and I would’ve argued if his eyes hadn’t blazed brighter than the small bonfire he’d started in our crappy yard.
They didn’t push me to talk, they never did, but Jule watched me eat, never taking his eyes off me. And then he let me comb his hair the way I would when he was little. Each night before bed, I would make him brush his teeth, and then I’d comb through his locks. The routine had stopped right around his tenth birthday. But he would allow me to bring back all the things that made me feel a slice of normalcy and the nostalgia of our broken youth.
And now, hours later, the gravity of the early afternoon events weigh heavy on me. I arch my neck back in order to peer out of the tiny window; it’s pitch black out. Jasmin and I missed work tonight, and she promised our time for the next four days atNym-Pho.
I lift my legs up slowly in an attempt to gain momentum and roll to sit up. Jule lets out a loud snort and chewing sounds; he’s still asleep. And I glance at them before quietly retreating to the tiny bathroom.
After relieving myself, I tiptoe into our living quarters and open up the locker-sized closet carefully, so it doesn’t creak. I dig at the bottom, lift up a tile, and pull out a small velvet pouch. I dig inside and grip one of the devices and cautiously head outside.
I climb down the steps and walk around the trailer, making sure I’m alone, before turning the burner phone on. The crickets near me scatter and chirp loudly once nestled in the comfort of the grass just outside the trailer’s gravel.
The phone buzzes to life, and I take a deep breath and dial the house. It’s almost midnight and I should probably wait until morning, but I can’t keep this in any longer.
Piper picks up on the fifth ring. Her voice is a croaky whisper, deep and throaty. “Hey, tell me you’re okay.”
I breathe out. Am I? “Yes, we’re all okay,” I lie. “I sawhim.”
Her gasp is almost inaudible. She knows who I’m talking about, and I’m glad I don’t have to say his name out loud. “He came into the club. I didn’t get theopportunityto serve him personally, but I’ll make it my mission the next time he comes in, which will be in the next two days.”