Page 53 of Raine

“I’m fine.”

“Bullshit. Where were you tonight, Raine?” he demands, his cognac eyes blazing.

“Out,” I snap, growing annoyed with his twenty fucking questions.

“Where?”

“Stop it, Arrow, let it be.”

“You know what? Fuck this, man,” he snaps, finishes his drink, and storms out of the room.

“He just needs time.” Justyce releases an exhausted sigh, and it resonates within me.

“I know.”

Scrubbing his hand down his face, his onyx eyes find mine, and he asks, “Are you ok?”

“I will be. Goodnight, J. Try to get some sleep.”

He laughs but doesn’t grace me with an answer, and that itself speaks volumes. I leave the same way I entered and walk down the street to my house with my arms wrapped around my middle.

I enter the house, locking the door and turning on the alarm before dragging my ass to my room. I fall on the bed with a groan; the night beginning to play on repeat in my mind.

Tonight started off with promise but ended in disaster. I can feel myself losing grip on reality, but I just can’t find it in myself to give a shit. Pair that with the knowledge that I’m slowly losing Arrow; that I will eventually lose my best friend because I’m the bitch that friend-zoned him years ago.

I know he would have been good for me; he helped me work through my traumas and the rest of my bullshit, but I never wanted a knight in shining armor; still don’t, and that’s something Arrow wouldn’t have ever accepted.

I feel around for my phone in the dark, pressing the power button to light up the screen. It’s close to midnight, and I have a missed call and message. I open it up and click on the missed call to see that it was Justyce’s call from earlier that I hadn’t cleared.

When I open the message and see it’s from Gabe, my stomach knots, and I swallow the sudden pool of saliva in my mouth.

You can run, little one, but I hope you come find me when you’re ready. Yours, Daddy.

I read over the message a few more times before smiling and switching my phone off. The last thought I have before I close my eyes is that I might just run a little longer.

Chapter18

Raine

Islept like absolute shit. I’d hoped the mental and physical exhaustion I was feeling would have helped, but nope, not even a little bit.

I don’t normally drink coffee, but here I am pouring my second cup of the morning, hoping it’ll grant me some much needed energy.

Bringing the mug to my lips, I blow on the liquid before I take a sip; the bitterness coating my tongue, then sliding down my throat. I screw up my face at the taste, but drink the rest regardless.

Leaning on my speckled, white granite kitchen benches, I look around the space, loving the dark aesthetic and how the dark teal cupboards complement the benches and the stainless steel appliances.

The huge arch window in front of the deep, farmhouse-style sink opens the space up, along with the French doors that lead into the backyard and pool area.

I sigh, knowing I’ve procrastinated a lot this morning and mulled over everything way too much. Pushing off the bench, I fix my cami and sleep shorts and head to the bathroom.

My thoughts drift to Gabe, and my tummy dips, remembering what he did to me and how he held the reigns over my body like he’d been driving me my entire life. I won’t give into him as easily as he thinks because I know what men like him are like. They’re all the fucking same.

Images of Starr filter through my mind, and I pull up short, wondering what the hell she was doing working at Clandestine Moments and why the hell I didn’t know about it.

Even if I won’t admit it to anyone else, I am worried about how our training will go today, not to mention the routine after what we did yesterday.

It was all kinds of hot, but now I’m worried if there was more to it on her behalf — an emotional tie that I’m unaware of.