Page 16 of Dark Things (Payback Duet #1)

“What the fuck is she doing here? Is she stalking us? And what the fuck is Aslyn doing with her?” Mary says, as she’s trying to turn in her seat.

I grab her wrist and try to make her stay seated, but it seems Mary’s looking for more of a fight.

“Don’t you fucking dare. She’s not here for you or me; leave it alone,” I say, teeth gritted.

“Why are you trying to protect her? She’s with Aslyn, and I want to fucking know how she thinks that’s acceptable. I told all the girls on the team she wasn’t supposed to be spoken to.”

I squeeze her wrist a little harder before letting go. I can’t fucking do this anymore.

“You know what, Mary. I’m done. I can’t keep doing this with you anymore. You’re self-centered and a giant pain in the ass. You think you’re better than everyone else, and you make everyone around you miserable. I’m out. Enjoy your fucking burger. Don’t call me.”

“Brooks! What are you fucking talking about!”

I get up from my chair, and my eyes connect with Reb’s for a moment as I make my way over to the front door. She looks at me and Mary before her lips curl up in a smile. And then she winks. Winks.

What the fuck?

“Don’t walk away from me! Did you do this bitch?” Mary screeches, walking toward the girls’ table.

I stop in my tracks making my way over to them because I don’t need anyone to go to jail tonight, but I don’t have to do anything.

Reb stands from her chair and comes to step in front of Aslyn. “You’ve got another choice here, Mary. Turn the fuck around and walk out. Don’t do this to yourself in front of all these people. Remember what happened at the game? You need two good wrists to show-jump.”

But Mary doesn’t heed her warning. Her heels click on the tile floor as she gets to Reb, but before her slap can connect, Reb has her wrist trapped behind her back. She slams Mary’s face into the table and holds her there.

“Get off of me, bitch!”

“I warned you twice. You won’t be getting a third chance.

Don’t make this harder on yourself. I’m going to back away and you’re going to get the fuck out of the diner before anything else happens.

If you don’t, I’m going to rip out all these hair extensions and make sure you can’t compete for the rest of the year.

Either way, you’re going to get the fuck away from me. ”

My dick instantly hardens. She looks so fucking sexy putting Mary in her place. The way her dark hair hangs in her face as she bends down slightly keeping her pinned there. The curve of her ass in those jeans and her fucking ridiculous spiky heeled boots.

I groan as I approach Reb from behind. I see her shift in awareness, but she doesn’t move. “Let her go. She’s not fucking worth it.”

“It feels pretty worth it to me right now. I'd love to put this bitch in her place, BK,” Reb says.

For a second my world stops, and the itchy feeling I was having this morning is back with a vengeance. My breath catches in my chest, and I walk around Reb to stare at her face.

“You need a nickname,” Belle says, pulling me over to stand with Colter and Stafford. I’m the new kid at camp, but so far it’s not so bad.

“Why? My name isn’t that long,” I say, letting go of her hand and putting mine into my jeans pockets.

“Cause we each have one. Colter’s is Colt and Stafford’s is Staff. So I think you’ll be BK. Like Brooklyn, cause we live in the city.”

I roll my eyes, but inside I’m kind of happy. No one has ever cared enough to give me a nickname. I think I’m going to like hanging out with this girl .

Reb must be able to read my expression or something in it, because she picks Mary up and pushes her at me.

“Get your girlfriend out of here. She’s going to get hurt if you don’t put her on a better leash.”

I open my mouth to say something, anything, but I can’t form words for a moment. Mary huddles into me, but I push her to the side.

“What did you just call me?” I whisper, stepping further into Reb’s space. I do not give a fuck where we are. No one calls me that. Only one person ever did, and she’s not fucking here.

Her eyes flash with a micro movement, but they settle back into the cold eyes from earlier today. “Are you going to start shit too? You might be a big guy, Brooks, but I’m not that girl. I will punch you in the throat and kick you in the balls. My violence doesn’t know gender.”

I breathe in, trying to calm my racing heart. She’s not her, why the fuck am I reacting this way? She’s some girl from Kentucky. The hair color is wrong, her eye color is different. Her nose is too upturned and her jaw a little too sharp.

“You called me BK. That’s not a name I go by. Why would you say that?”

She never loses eye contact, but something changes with her energy. It gets brighter for a moment, and then dims back down to that rage boil.

“No. I didn’t,” she spits, turning to Aslyn. “I’m leaving. You still want to go to that thing, we can get drive-thru food on the way.”

She doesn’t wait for her friend before storming off. I can’t take my eyes off of her for even a second. When she gets to the door, she looks back one more time, and I swear the anger has melted into pain.