Page 88 of Light the Fire

That sucked.

But it was also really fucking funny, and based on how I was feeling at the moment, knowing how ruthlessly I’d hurt Haina, how angry my brothers were at me, and how as badly as I wanted to, I still couldn’t bring myself to trust her, I needed that laugh.

I could just imagine poor Ednard, sitting in this very chair, drinking himself stupid as he wrote that letter to his cheating wife.

I couldn’t figure out why he’d hidden it, though.

But maybe I wasn’t supposed to figure out Ednard. Maybe that was just the private rantings of a sad, drunk man and he had no intention of giving it to Vivian. It was just a cathartic form of therapy to release his frustrations and pain.

Like I wanted to do right now on a punching bag.

Maybe I could go outside, shoot a deer, take it into the shed and punch the shit out of it?

That sounded like a fuck-ton of work, and I wasn’t in any mood to skin an entire deer.

I lifted the bottle up in the air. “You have my sympathy and condolences, Ednard,” I murmured. “The girl I want is also currently fucking my brothers. The difference is, she’s notmygirl, and I can’t shake the suspicion that she’s more than she claims to be. And if she hurts or betrays my brothers, one of us has to have a clear enough head to do what needs to be done.”

I tipped the bottle to my lips and took another pull of the gin.

“Jesus Christ, Ednard,” I said, sucking in a breath through my teeth. “Did you burn off all your taste buds with this shit over the years?”

Ednard was quiet. So in order to not feel so utterly alone, I read his letter once again, imagining Haina as Vivian and her Kitten claws raking down my back as she screamed my name and came hard all over my cock.