Page 46 of Twisted Heathens
“Leave me alone. Move on,” he orders.
Her pain swiftly descends into anger, face scrunching up and hands balling into tight fists. The slap comes as quickly as expected, leaving a big red handprint on his cheek.
“Fuck you, Hudson Knight. You’re a bastard,” she spits harshly.
Hudson simply shrugs without showing any emotion. Without even looking her in the eye, like she’s nothing more than shit on the bottom of his shoe. It’s excruciating to watch but morbidly fascinating.
Some more shouting and cursing later, Britt storms off in a cloud of rage, leaving Hudson to rub his sore cheek. He glares after her with exasperation. “Man, she’s hard work.”
“We’ve been telling you that for months,” Kade points out.
“Whatever, it’s done now.”
“Another victim,” I reply. He looks like he wants to kill me.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I scoff bitterly. “You know exactly what it means.”
“I’m sorry, how many guys did you fuck last week?” Hudson hits back.
We argue all the way home, trading insults. In many ways, Hudson and I are far too alike. I lack his anger, but we both have a tendency to leave a trail of broken hearts behind us, fucking and chucking like there’s no tomorrow. It’s easier that way, commitment is too risky. Getting attached never leads to anything good around here.
We reach the fourth floor and I’m in the lead, giving me a clear view down the corridor. My eyes are the first to fall on her. I have to blink to reassure myself that she’s real, I’m so shocked and relieved. The guard gives her an aggressive shove and storms away without looking back. She slumps against the door, her knees giving way.
“Holy shit,” I breathe.
Taking off before the others can respond, I’m at her door in a flash, anticipation quickening my steps. It feels like forever has passed. Just seeing her feels like a dream after the nights spent imaging that platinum hair wrapped around my fingertips.
“Brooklyn,” I holler.
Her head doesn’t even raise as I pause, suddenly unsure.
“Brooke?”
She rests against the door, desperately failing to get inside. Her hand is shaking so violently, she can’t scan the key card.
“I can’t do it,” Brooklyn whimpers.
That hushed voice lethally stabs my heart. Leaning in, I tuck her hair aside and take a good look at the face hidden beneath. If she looked like a ghost before, she’s nothing more than a corpse now. Deathly pale and drawn, eyes swollen from crying. I can see the blue of her veins beneath her skin as she blinks hard, seeming to process exactly who I am.
“Hey, firecracker. It’s me. Nix,” I coax softly.
Tilting her head up, Brooklyn’s eyes finally meet mine. Faded and washed out, the pupils are blown impossibly wide. I can practically see the drugs swimming in her system. My thumb brushes over her sore bottom lip, so fucking gentle I surprise even myself.
“It’s good to see your face,” I whisper.
My words break the spell and she removes my fingers from her face, expression hardening. The vulnerability is stuffed down deep, stubborn rage taking its place instead.
“Leave me alone,” she grunts.
“What? No.”
“All of you… just leave me alone.”
We stare off as the other two finally catch up. Kade immediately comes to my side, slipping seamlessly into protector mode as he assesses and evaluates. He looks about as happy as I feel at the mess they’ve made of our girl. She can barely stand up, let alone open her door.
Hudson hangs way back, suddenly quiet now she’s here. I can practically taste the tension that explodes between them, but he’s seemingly doing the right thing for once in his life by keeping his mouth shut.