Page 7 of Virtue & Vengeance

Dark.

Deep.

Satisfied.

The sounds of our bodies coming together.

First slow and even.

Then frantic and sloppy.

My body heated once again, and I shook my head, reminding myself of his final words and the heartbreak I’d felt. Nothing had ever hurt me so badly.

Not when my mother quit caring.

Not when Allen had laid hands on me.

Nothing burned like the internal ache Zander had delivered.

After showering, I dressed in the bathroom and took my time blow drying my hair. Afterward, I went downstairs and ate something. My stomach was beginning to feel queasy, and I knew it was because I hadn’t eaten.

Sitting at the kitchen counter, I stared out at Vegas as I slowly chewed on my sandwich. No matter what I put inside my stomach, I still felt hollow inside. Nothing seemed to be filling, and I knew it was due to the massive void Zander had left behind.

I didn’t know what had happened in those minutes after we had sex, but something set Zander off. As much as I didn’t want to see him again, I had to know what his problem was. I felt like I deserved that much from him. I needed closure, and I was going to demand he give me that.

Pushing my plate away, I slid off of the stool and made my way to my room so I could change into something appropriate to leave the condo in. Besides, I needed to get my belongings from my locker, and I had a paycheck at the front desk waiting for me.

I dressed quickly but made sure what I was wearing was something that would catch Zander’s attention. I wanted to make him think twice about his decision and his actions. He needed to feel remorse for his words and long to eat them.

In the bathroom, I swept my hair up and away from my neck. I put a tiny bit of makeup on my face and applied some perfume I borrowed from Aunt Kennedy on my neck and behind my ears.

Observing myself, I felt confident about what I saw, but on the inside, I was still brokenhearted. It wasn’t how I envisioned spending the day after losing my virginity.

The thought angered me, and heat began to build in my stomach until I felt like I was going to explode.

As I closed the condo door behind me and locked up, I almost felt bad that Zander had no one to warn him what was about to come his way.

I felt tornadic.

Ready to whirl into his office and destroy his world the way he had destroyed mine.

I drove the Oldsmobile to Empire, happy the smell inside was much better since I’d paid to have it cleaned inside and out. The car wasn’t mine, but if I was going to continue to drive it, it needed to smell less like a dumpster.

As I traveled the short distance to the casino, I thought about what I wanted to say to Zander. I was going to demand he tell me exactly why he ran out on me and why he had turned into a monster.

I stopped in the middle of the lane and put my blinker on to turn into the parking lot of the casino, my eyes darted back and forth as I waited for my opening, and that’s when I saw him.

It was only for a quick second while the car pulled away, tires squealing as it tried to beat the oncoming traffic. But I was pretty sure that was him.

Allen.

I was positive my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me, but if it was him, how the hell had he found me?

I sat there staring, the sound of my blinker clicking repetitively. My fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly, and my chest rose and fell rapidly as panic consumed me.

The car behind me held its horn down, trying to get to me to hurry and turn, and I screamed, jerking so hard with the sound that I smacked my head against the window of the driver’s side door.

I knew I needed to get out of the middle of the road, but I couldn’t move. Terror filled me to the brim, and it was suffocating me. I was paralyzed at the moment.