Page 87 of Mended Fences

“Thanks. Can I get a cheeseburger? Extra bacon.” I slid onto a stool at the counter, pressing my forehead against the cool surface. “And water. Lots of it.”

She filled a glass and set it in front of me.

The bell chimed again. My stomach dropped as Elena’slaugh floated through the diner. I kept my head down but watched in the mirrored backsplash as she and the cowboy settled into a booth. He helped her with her jacket like a fucking gentleman.

Elena looked good. Really good. Her cheeks had color, and she’d gained back some of the weight Peter’s attack had starved off her. The cowboy said something that made her throw her head back laughing again.

My fingers twitched toward my pocket where a little plastic baggie of joy sat.

“Order’s in.” Rosie’s voice made me jump. She studied me with narrowed eyes. “You okay, honey?”

“Bathroom,” I muttered, sliding off the stool.

The men’s room was empty, thank fuck, and I locked myself inside, hands shaking as I pulled out the coke. The ritual was as familiar as breathing—tap out a line, roll up a bill, inhale. The burn in my sinuses was welcome compared to the ache in my chest.

I burst out of the bathroom, tossing cash on the counter. Couldn’t be in here, couldn’t watch Elena glowing at someone else.

“Your burger—” Rosie called after me.

The bell clanged as I shoved through the door. Movement across the street caught my eye—Kai ducking into Books and Crannies.

This motherfucker.I’d warned him at the summer festival to stay away from my baby sister. Told him Charlie was off-limits.

I crossed the street, peering through the bookstore window. Charlie stood between the shelves, Kai’s hands cupping her faceas he kissed her. She melted into him like he was everything she’d been waiting for.

The coke hummed in my veins as I shoved the door open harder than I meant to, nearly taking out a damn display stand. Didn’t matter. My eyes locked on the two of them—him—all smug and too close, and something inside me snapped.

“I fucking knew something was going on between you two,” I barked, voice cracking.

They turned like they’d been caught doing something dirty, which only made the fire in my chest rage hotter. The room spun, and I had to blink a few times to steady it, but I kept my finger trained between them like a loaded gun.

Kai stepped in front of her like I was some kind of threat. LikeIwas the problem.

“You drunk?” he asked, all calm and holier-than-thou. “Or high?”

I nearly laughed. Or maybe I did. The sound came out jagged and mean. “You don’t fucking know shit, Kai.”

Charlie’s voice floated from behind him, small and soft, like she was still stupid enough to care. “Chase, what’s wrong? Are you really…” her voice dipped, “high?”

That stung. Not enough to stop me, but enough to make my skin crawl.

I pointed straight at her. “You need to stay away from him. He’s bad news.”

She didn’t shrink. Of course not. She stepped up beside Kai, all fire and fury like she was Mom reincarnated. Same stance, same defiance. Like she thought she could save me with a damn lecture.

“Oh, andyou’re such good news right now?” she snapped, hands on her hips. “Look at you!”

“I’mfucking fine!” I roared, even though the room tilted and I had to shift my weight to stay upright.

Kai didn’t flinch. Just stared me down with that look that said he saw right through me. “You’re not.”

That quiet certainty made my skin itch.

“Fuck you, Kai.”

I swung my gaze back to Charlie so fast the world spun. Words tumbled out of my mouth before I could catch them—sharp, mean, venomous.

“Careful he doesn’t knock you up, Charlie. Would hate to see you throw your life away.”