Page 34 of Dirty Monsters

I had nowhere else to run than Beachside, so I’d eventually show up again tonight before final check-in. It was dark out, the tiny town lit by streetlights. As I made my way back, I felt the breeze of the ocean as it skittered across my skin, and I breathed in deep. I loved being here. It gave me a sense of freedom I didn’t have anywhere else.

Ten minutes later, I was walking back down the driveway to the Orange House at Beachside. It was no surprise when I saw him pacing outside the front door. His hair was a mess, almost as if he’d been forcefully running his hands through it.

His eyes found mine as I slowly walked over. He rushed toward me, but I still wasn’t ready to talk yet. “Fuck off. I don’t want anything to do with you.” I said sternly.

“Where the fuck have you been, Wren? It’s dark out.”

“I said… fuck off, Ro… or should I say Rohlen?”

He stared like a startled animal. His eyes were wide, his jawline thin. “Wren, we need to discuss this.”

“I have nothing to say to you,big brother,” I said and kept walking before stopping once more. “That’s why, isn’t it? So hot and cold?”

He reached out to grasp my arm.“I need to know you won’t say anything about your little adventure today.”

I shrugged him off. “How about this… I won’t say anything about you losing me today, and you’ll do whatever the fuck I want.”

I didn’t glance back as I walked away this time. I didn’t give a fuck how he felt. I wasn’t an 11-year-old girl anymore. It was like I had told him before; I wasn’t scared of monsters anymore.

Especially not him.

I banged on Lip's door as loudly as I could for ten minutes. I knew the fucker was in there, probably drugged up and passed out. At least he better hope that was the case because I was in the market to fuck him up.

Unfortunately for him, he dragged his dumb ass to the door and unlocked it before checking to see if it was a raging lunatic ready to beat his ass first. He swung the door open without a care in the world, appearing as if I woke him up.

Since it was two o’clock in the morning, I was willing to bet that was exactly where he was. You never knew with Lip, though. He was hard-core. He reminded me a lot of my brother but without the whole “does fucked-up shit to little girls” issue.

Lip used and fucked his way through life, only staying afloat in this condo because his parents owned it. We met when I went to get a new tattoo after moving here to Florida. He and a group of his friends were there, bullshitting and having a grand time. They seemed like good people, and to be fair, they were.

Lip would have given Wren whatever she wanted to use, expected nothing in return, probably fucked her for both their sakes, and then left her alone. He wouldn't have hurt her.

Still, I immediately took my fist to his face before he could register what was about to happen. He fell back into his condo, and I jumped on top of him, getting a few more punches in before reining myself in.

"You stupid motherfucker," I yelled over the top of his bloody face.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Lip yelled.

I knew I was placing way too much blame on Lip, but I sure as shit couldn't hit Wren. One of them needed to know how fucked up I was.

Lip didn't know the whole story. He barely even knew the truth. But one day, when the waves were low, we spent more time on our backs floating around than actually surfing. Ultimately, we each lit a joint and floated around, getting too complacent for my own good.

When Lip mentioned his sister, I scoffed and mentionedmysister. My ex-sister. Just like every other person in the world would do, he asked how the hell I had an ex-sister. So, I told him theRohlen was still mad at that bitchversion.

She tattled on some bullshit, and our parents decided she was too perfect and pure to deal with the likes of us. We were sent on our way to a fucked-up home that only used foster kids to bank a check monthly.

High as a kite, he sympathized and told me a million times what a bitch she was. By the seventh time he’d said it, I came up off my board and threatened to kill him if he said it one more time. It was the only clue Lip had that I had a soft spot somewhere deep for Wren.

I acknowledged it existed, but it was always overpowered by resentment and hate, so it was never worth talking about. Lip didn't know how deeply depraved my thoughts were, but he knew he wasn't supposed to mess with her.

He assumed she knew who I was, but she didn't, and thanks to him, I’d have to deal with it sooner rather than later. I wanted Wren to get the fuck out of my life, but now she’d make my life a living hell.

If my job knew about my past, I would be sent packing. Maybe not for what Kane did. I mean, we all grew up with some kind of baggage. But they would sure as fuck fire me for not mentioning my connection to Wren sooner and getting taken off her case. At this point, if they found out how I was connected to Wren, I would be fucked.

"She didn't know, you fucking idiot. She had no fucking clue."

"Well, it’s a good thing I outed you because she is out for a hit and some ass. I only spoke about you for a minute, but I could tell she thinks of you as a potential ass. So, you're fucking welcome."

"You think I didn't know?" I yelled, still towering over him. "I know how to keep her off me. All she wants is out of her head, something to replace the drugs. I deal with this shit continually from patients."