Page 26 of Worse Fates

“You’ve been gone for two months, Golden. Where the hell were you?” Kai says, giving me his best ‘pissed off big brother’ look.

Luuk’s arms fold over his muscular chest, goofy grin turned grim. “That bastard came here looking for you.”

I wince. Well before I was running from Lucero, there was a much bigger problem I was hiding from. “What did you say?”

“We told him to sod off, obviously,” Apollo scoffs.

Summer nods, hip cocked. “What else would we say to that creep?”

“He was pissed off, mate,” Kai says, forehead creased. “You could’ve crashed with me if you needed to escape that nutcase.”

I cradle my cuppa. “It’s a long story.”

They don’t push for more information, not like I’d say anything anyway. Even when Kai would bandage me up, then hate himself as he sent me back.

Luuk takes me into a chill out room where they do tattoo consultations. The walls are painted black, art hanging in purple frames. The words to some punk song Apollo loves splashed onto the wall in a wild red.

I get comfortable on the much loved, velvet green sofa, Kai next to me, Summer on the other side. Luuk stands by the door like a bodyguard, while Apollo perches on the dark lacquer coffee table, piled with tattoo flash books and our knees knocking together.

For a while no one says anything. I sip tea—sweet as hell, just the way I like it— listening to the low punk music Apollo has playing through speakers up in the corners.

And in I don’t know how long, I relax. Comforted by tea and friends and familiar music I never really liked.

“I thought you were dead.” Kai moves some of his braids out his face to reveal old burn scars on his left side. Normally, he keeps them covered, but today it seems he wants both troubled green eyes on me.

Guilt eats me up, and I gently knock my head against his. “Kai, I’m so sorry. I…Fuck, I panicked. I might’ve…alright, so,you know about that slightly illegal fight club I was doing odd jobs for?”

“Slightly?” Summer quirks a brow.

Luuk shakes his head. “Someone once asked me to join it. But I’m a lover not a fighter. Besides, my boyfriend would’ve been pissed if I came home covered in bruises.”

Dropping my head onto the back pillows, all the air in my lungs stutters out between my lips. “It got…tense. There was a creepy woman who started hanging around. She wanted me to sell these weird drugs.”

Kai sucks in a breath. “And you didn't, right?”

“Do I look stupid?”

Apollo humms.

“Piss off, dude.” I snap. “I flushed the whole lot down the toilet, then left in the middle of the night.”

Kai cursed. “Why didn’t you come to one of us? And, again, where the hell were you, Golden?”

“I didn’t wanna get you lot in trouble,” I mutter. “It was my problem.”

“Don’t be stupid, you don’t have to deal with this shit alone,” Apollo snorts. Then rests his forearms on his knees, eyebrows wiggling. “But I guess you know that, since you’ve picked up a soulmate.”

“Wait, how did you know…?” Pulling myself up, I stare at him.

Apollo tilts his head, blinking innocently. “Know what?”

I groan. “You’re so annoying.”

“You’ve found your one true love?” And a small smile pulls at his lips.

“Hardly,” I scoff, shaking off Apollo’s strange behaviour. “I did meet someone. But it didn’t work out, he’s not over his many,many, exs.”

“Listen, I believe in soulmates,” Kai begins, “I’ve got one somewhere out there—”