Page 97 of Misted
“Mist…”
I swear if I have to repeat her name one more fucking time, I’ll murder Crow.
He stands and shakes his head. “She’s alive but not here.”
I release a breath. She’s fucking alive. But what does he mean by ‘she’s not here’? Was she also shot?
The door swings open. Crow shoves Eloise behind him, hand on a gun in his waistband.
A tiny human with the wildest mane of blonde hair swings inside with a tulle skirt swishing behind her. Semantics is written in bold letters across her chest.
“Haaawky!”
“Fuck, psycho.” Crow releases both the gun and his murderous clutch on Eloise’s arm. “How the hell did you get passed the traps?”
“Hmph. Those newbie things?” She flips her hair back as if offended. “You lost your touch, Crow-Man.” She flops by my side, eyebrows drawn. “How are you? I can’t believe that bitch left you when you look like shit.”
“You saw her?” I ask, my voice less raspy.
Scar throws her hands in the air. “Course! She went back to Le Salon and picked up business as if nothing happened.”
My chest burns but it's not because of the fucking physical wound. It’s an old ache resurfacing all over again.
The past repeats itself and once more, and I’m just standing there like a fucking fool.
“Oooh, hey there!” Scar jumps, her voice cheerful as she faces Eloise. “You’re Crow’s wife! You’re so pretty even without makeup.”
“Thank you.” Eloise smiles. “And you are?”
“I’m Scar. It’s short for Scarlett.”
“No, it isn’t. It’s just Scar.” Crow shakes his head in sheer exasperation. “Don’t let her fool you, love, there’s a psychotic demon underneath that baby-faced doll.”
“I’m only a demon with demons.” She faces Eloise again, all cheerful and bubbly. “I love your accent. It’s so musical and exotic!”
“Thanks. I love your British accent, too.”
Scar’s nose scrunches. “It’s not an accent, it’s English.”
Crow nods. “Come on, Nurse Betty, you’re half-English yourself.”
Scar barges into Eloise’s space and Crow keeps her on arm’s length. “I always wanted to visit World War Two mesums here, can you take me?”
“Sure,” Eloise says.
“Fuck no,” Crow says at the same time.
Scar interlaces her arm with Eloise. “Nevermind him. He’s just jealous I’ll snatch you away because I’m more charming.” She stares at Eloise’s belly like she’s seeing an alien. “Woah. Crow put all that in? I mean I know about the whole slot A to slot B and all the biology, but like, do you become all hormonal like they say? You can even kill Crow from frustration, right?”
Eloise appears a bit awkward and Crow is about to murder Scar.
“Scar,” I say. “Do you have something to tell me?”
She has attention deficiency and needs to be reminded all the time.
“Right!” She claps her hands and faces me. “Mist is in Le Salon — Bitch — I made sure she knew I’m here for you while she isn’t.”
Not that she cares.
“Hawk,” Eloise says tentatively with more pronounced French accent. “I only knew you guys for a short while, but I think all of you are misjudging Mist. The day you were shot, Crow and I found her crying while compressing your wound and begging you to come back. I never saw someone so broken as she was.”
That’s the fucking thing about Mist. She cries for you, she breaks your fucking heart with those tears, then she stabs you in the bloody back.
“Right!” Scar claps her hands again. “I remember what I want to tell you, Hawky! Flame called me on the plane and told me that Mist struck some kind of deal with Hades. Ink is out!”
It’s insane how one’s life can dim from light to pitch black in one single day.
It happened all those years ago, and now, it’s repeating itself.
The only difference is that I have nothing to lose now. I’m ready to self-destruct if it means I’ll bring her down with me.