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fifteen

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say!”

He lets me go with a snort as I quickly jump out of bed immediately to bolt over to my closet. In seconds, I’m wearing loose sweatpants and a t-shirt that’s probably seen better days, but it’s still soft and that’s what matters.

“Say you’re my girlfriend. I just need you to say that, and that I was here three nights ago all night. And last night, obviously.” When I glance at him, I see he’s already pulled on his jeans and is in the process of tugging on his t-shirt. He leaves off the gloves, the mask, and, quite obviously, the knife.

When he runs his fingers through his hair to tousle it and grins sweetly at me, I really can think of him as just Huxley . Just the guy I fucked last night, with the scar in his lip and the cutest smile I’ve ever seen on a man.

Then the doorbell rings again and I jump, nearly levitating a few feet in the air at the sound as my heart attempts to take flight. “I’m coming!” I call, with my eyes firmly on Huxley’s. “What, umm...” I don’t know why I’m considering this.

I don’t know why I don’t just get my speech together to turn him in. It would be so easy to get him arrested. Especially if they’re asking about him, anyway. But somehow that thought makes my stomach twist in a less than pleasant way.

Somehow, turning him in feels like the wrong move.

“What’s your last name?” I hiss, already heading down the hallway.

“Denver.” I stop and glance at him, but he only gives me a flat look in return.

“Okay uh…” I wrack my brain, trying to figure out what else the cops might ask about him. What I need to know about him. “When’s your birthday? How old are you?”

“Thirty. And it’s February first.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

I hear his footsteps come to a stop, and I turn to look at him, perplexed.

“My favorite color?” Huxley repeats when we’re only a foot from the door.

“Look, I’m sort of panicking here,” I grumble, then rub my clammy palms on my sweatpants, biting my lower lip. “I have no idea what I’ll have to answer, or what they’ll want to know! I’m just trying to be prepared.”

Huxley just watches me for a moment, until another knock on the door makes me jump and causes his eyes to flick toward it. “Teal,” he sighs finally. “It’s teal. Now open the door and stop looking like I’m holding you here at gunpoint, all right?”

“I’ll consider it.”

His hand is on the door before I can open it, and my stomach does a little flip when he leans in, lips brushing my ear. “Consider it harder. Because even if they arrest me, I’ll be back here, little bunny, and you won’t like the side of me that comes to visit if you turn me in right now.”

The shudder that goes down my spine is one of pure fear, and I take a moment to compose myself, inhaling deeply, as his hand slides down the door to drop to his side. “Fine,” I mutter, and I yank open the door before the cops can get paranoid and break in.

That would certainly give Patrice something to talk about. Though I know for a fact just their presence on my porch is going to sustain her for weeks, if not months.

The two officers that are currently occupying my doorstep don’t exactly look thrilled with their lot in life. The man, who’s balding in a very unfortunate way, wears a pair of reflective aviators and is looking around like he’s bored with the situation.

The woman is the one to take her sunglasses off, and she smiles reassuringly at me before her eyes go to Huxley behind me. “Good morning,” she says, in a friendly tone that I’m not expecting. As I watch, both of them hold up very official looking badges. “I’m Officer Diaz, and this is Officer Whitman. Could we come in for just a few minutes? We wanted to ask you some questions.”

“Alone,” the man adds, finally looking over. Even behind the sunglasses, I can tell he’s glaring at Huxley. “Why don’t you step outside with me?”

“Uh, sure?” Huxley is all innocent charm and bemusement as he edges out from behind me, and he doesn’t even give me a look or a touch before he’s ambling down the stairs with the male officer. “Maybe not right here, though?” he chuckles. “She has the nosiest neighbor across the street, and she’s already going to get a ton of shit for cops showing up.”

“Sorry about this,” the woman adds with a sigh, stepping inside when I move back to invite her in. “I live in an HOA as well. I know what it’s like trying to hide things from the neighbors.”

“She’s on the HOA council.” I sigh, closing the door and moving to sink down on my sofa. It’s so hard to seem casual. To act like I have no idea why they’re here, or what they might need. “Is everything okay, officer? Did something happen?”

Officer Diaz smiles in a kindly, amicable way that I don’t buy for one second. “I’d like to ask you a few questions about your friend out there.”

“Hux?” I ask, still feigning confusion. “Why? What’s up?” I try to keep my answers short and to the point, not wanting to ramble or have to remember an intricate lie.

“How well do you know him?”

I roll my shoulders in a shrug at the question. “Umm. I don’t know. Well enough to let him spend the night?” I give her an almost-guilty grin and she returns it with a chuckle. “He’s sweet. He’s fun, and he’s nicer than a lot of guys I’ve met in Lexington.”

“Gosh, it makes me feel bad to have to ask you anything weird about him then.” The blonde smiles at me with a winning grin that definitely works on unsuspecting accomplices.

Too bad I’m the overly suspecting kind instead.

“Can you tell me when he’s been here recently?”

“Sure? Uh, he was here last night, obviously. And he spent all night here. Then three nights ago he was here and spent the night. He left early that morning, though. Left me a stupid post-it note.” I roll my eyes, feigning frustration, and I hope to God putting a bit of truth in with the lie won’t fuck up things for Hux.

“How early?”

I roll my shoulders, looking thoughtful. “Couldn’t have been any earlier than, like, six or so? I remember being up and tripping over his shoes. I threw one at him, he moaned at me, and I ended up going back to bed pretty soon after.”

She laughs, but it’s a fake, filtered sound. “My husband is like that. I hate to tell you this, but it doesn’t get better.” She looks around my small house while I watch her, still forcing myself not to let on that I’m a little freaked out. “This is nice,” she says finally. “I don’t meet a lot of girls your age living alone in nice houses like this.”

“My Aunt Hortense left it to me.” That part is easy, since it’s the truth. “She died last year and gave me this place. It was, umm, really nice of her.”

“Your family local?”

“No.” God, this is worse than being asked about Hux. “They’re in Florida. Pensacola, actually. I’m the only one that ever got out of the state other than the late, great Hortense.”

“Must be hard for you.” She gives me a comforting smile. “To be so far away from everything you know.”

But I can’t answer her right away this time. I’m too busy considering how shitty of a childhood I had. How much I always wanted to get away from my parents, my family, and everything else down there. I lean back, curling my legs up under me with a sigh. “Something like that,” I agree in a noncommittal way. “So, is there something wrong? Did something happen with Hux?” I try to sound like a worried girlfriend, instead of like I’m really just anxious.

“Probably not. But he was definitely here all night when you said he was?” Her gaze sharpens—no matter how much she tries to hide the sudden intensity—and I feel her full attention trained on me as I bite my lip and try to look pensive.

“Yeah? I mean, I doubt he could’ve snuck out without me waking up. I tend to sleep, uh, attached to him like a sloth. That’s really cute, right?” I scrunch my nose in false embarrassment, and immediately her shoulders fall in both disappointment and expected relief.

“Adorable.” Diaz gets to her feet and heads to the door, stopping to look at the little glass bowl that holds my keys. “I’m sorry for ruining your morning,” she apologizes, and with her free hand, she pulls the door handle to admit the sunlight from outside.

And the unmistakable voice of Patrice.

My groan is full of real frustration, and Diaz gives me an understanding grimace. “Don’t worry,” she tells me. “I’ll try to ensure there’s nothing for her to talk to the HOA about.” I follow her as she heads to the side of my driveway, where both Huxley and the male officer are standing and looking at Patrice with varying degrees of dislike.

Huxley, at least, is putting on his best indulgent smile, but I can see the tightness in his face and the boredom in his gaze. The officer, however, is staring at her with plain dislike on his features while she talks about something I refuse to let filter into my brain.

“Everything okay?” Hux asks. He’s the first one to notice me, and when I stand beside him, he throws an arm over my shoulders affectionately.

“Everything’s fine,” Diaz assures him, and looks at Patrice with her faux smile. “We just needed some questions answered about the other night. Did you know there’s been some robberies a few streets over?” She draws Patrice away, walking back across the street with her as she engages her in the juiciest kind of conversation that she can.

But the male officer, Whitman, certainly doesn’t look pleased. He glares at the two of us behind his aviators before letting out a huff. “Whatever.” He’s almost disappointed, if I had to guess, and I can somehow sense that his eyes are on Hux instead of me. “You have a good day.” With that, he strides back to the car, and minutes later, Diaz joins him with a quick wave in our direction.

“See?” Huxley kisses my temple. “That wasn’t so bad?” But I can feel the tension in his grip, and when he nuzzles into me again, it’s with a slight sense of hesitation. “What did she want to know?”

The sunlight is warm on my skin, and it seems to sink into me just like his touch. I let out a breath and turn to him, eyes narrowed. “She wanted to know how well I knew you and where you were three nights ago. I said you were here, and that I knew you a little bit. Not overly well or anything, just…” I shrug. “That you’re a good guy.”

He snorts, and I narrow my eyes up at him. “I lied for you.” The words feel like an accusation, and the only response I get is a cocky ass grin as he leans down to kiss me again on the temple, though this time it feels almost mocking.

“You did,” Hux agrees sweetly. “And so you’ve earned staying alive another day. Another week. Another fifty years, if you don’t do something stupid. That’s what you want, right?” He steps away from me, and I watch as something in him…changes. Like some mask comes over his face, even though I can see his smile plain as day.

“I’ll leave you alone now, Kaira,” he tells me in a way that confuses and frustrates me. I don’t reply, because his words are jarring. Unexpected.

Unwanted.

“I’ll leave you alone. That’s what you want, right?” But he doesn’t give me a chance to respond. He just reaches out, his fingers coming close to my face before dropping, then gives me a rueful smile before he heads down the street to where a black SUV is parked on the curb, shiny and nonchalant.

All I can do is watch him go while I try to figure out what I’m supposed to say or do.

Or feel.