Page 4 of Pretty Broken Wings

I rip the door open.

Pretty Boy’s face lights up. “Hey!”

In the daylight, he looks different. Taller, if that’s possible. His cheekbones are defined, and his lips are the lightest shade of pink. He doesn’t have the hat on today, and his hair is icy white. He looks ethereal.

The man’s face is stretched into an easy grin as he stares at me. “You gonna hit me with that?”

I blink, looking down. The bat is still in my hand.

My first impulse is to laugh it off, to make him feel comfortable even though I have no obligation to. And I hate that reaction.

I don’t let go of the bat. “You have something of mine?”

“I’m Axel.”

I blink.

He grins. “My name.”

I glare at him.

“Oh, right.” Axel laughs, reaching into his pocket. “You left this in the bathroom last night.”

He holds out my wallet, and I stare at it for a second. He thinks I’m going to believe that bullshit lie?

I snatch the wallet out of his hand.

The corner of his mouth twitches, but as soon as I look at him, it’s gone.

“Sorry it took me so long to get it back to you.” Axel tucks both his hands in his pockets as a blast of cold air rushes past us. I smell mint again, and I spot him chewing gum.

“It’s okay.” The words are out automatically before I can stop them. Immediately, I hate myself. It’snotokay. So, I adjust. “I mean, you took it, so I wouldn’t expect you to get it back on time.”

Axel’s grin doesn’t falter. If anything, it stretches wider. “Ouch. Okay.”

Okay, picking a fight with a man I don’t know is arguably very stupid. I’ve never been very good at balancing my hatred with common sense.

Axel peeks behind me. “Nice what they did with the place, huh?”

I move to block his view. He’s looking at my home. My safe space. “I, uh, I have to work.”

“Sorry, yeah.” He raises his hands again. “It just sat empty for years. Weird to see it as a studio.”

I didn’t realize how much everyone was in everyone else’s business till I moved here. Fucking small towns.

I glance around. There’s a car parked out front with someone in the front seat.

“Hitched a ride, so I’ll let you go. Catch you later,Raven.” Axel glides off my front step, climbs into the car, and they take off.

Raven. Why did he say it like that?

Because he saw your license, you idiot.

Fuck. As panic surges in me, I shut the front door and lock it.

Axel took my wallet. He stole from me. Then showed up at my door.

Fuck him for that. I’d like to hurt him for that. Make him cry. Make him beg me to stop.