28
Austin
“Are you sure?”I clarify as she stares out the window on another planet, I suspect.
“No, but I have no other choice,” she says quietly, close to tears, and weirdly, I feel like shit about it. I must be losing my cool here.
“No other choice?” I question. Fuck, she has no interest in me getting between her legs. My devious plan is working, although it doesn’t feel like the win I want. “So, you need money?”
I know the stubborn, proud mule finds it hard to confess it. “Yes.”
“How much?” I ask, assuming she discovered something inside her grandparents’ house because she went in normal and came out strange and distant.
She sighs. I can almost feel her pain. “So much,” she drops her head down into her hands and trembles, close to sobbing.
“You need to give me a number, Em,” I stress. “How much money are we talking about here?”
“I don’t entirely know, but,” another sigh, “the bank is angry because they haven’t paid their mortgage for seven months so that they might force a sale, and then we’ll be homeless.” She lifts her head from her hand and stares out the window, too proud to look my way. “I know you paid that invoice,” she adds.
“So, you assume I’m made of money?” I jab to see how she reacts, and I make myself feel worse instead.
“Forget I asked,” she states, sniffing. “I have no other choice. I can’t see beyond tomorrow and don’t know how to solve this. And it was you who offered me this prostitution deal.”
I snort, “It’s hardly prostitution,” I argue, amused.
“Paying for sex is prostitution,” she hisses, glancing at me for the first time since she climbed back into the car.
“Yeah, okay. Fair comment.” I offered the deal in the first place because I enjoyed intimidating and luring her into my lair, knowing that she needed the money. I felt satisfied because I had complete control over her, but that was weeks ago, and a lot has happened since then.
Xave is sleeping on the couch when we turn up, and Aaron is nowhere to be seen. Emaline runs to Xave’s side, and I ignore the jealousy stirring within as she fusses over him. I wish that she’d do that with me. But if I want her attention, I have to pay for it. Fuck, my thoughts are a rotating wheel, and I can’t get her out of my head. I have her where I want her, yet I don’t feel good about it.
Dumping the fried chicken in the kitchen first, I run up to my bedroom to grab my key for the Honda, then quietly without telling them. Checking my phone, I expect to receive another update from Aaron, but there’s no message there, and as I ride down the drive, Aaron’s SUV comes around the bend.
“Sup,” he brakes his car in the middle of the quiet road and buzzes his window down. “Where are you going?”
“For a ride. I need some fresh air. I left fried chicken in the kitchen, so help yourself,” I explain, trying to raise enthusiasm. “Anyway, how did you get on down at the police station?” I don’t want to hang around and talk, but he probably wants to update me.
“They’re taking it seriously. Officer Davis has passed the case over to a detective, and they’ll be interviewing Brielle to get the truth out of her,” he elucidates. “So, all this shit will be over soon, and we can move back to the apartment.”
“Yeah,” I agree, glancing back at the two-story Cliffton house and seeing two figures standing at the living room window. One tall and broad and the other small and nervy. The jealousy strikes me again, and I must get out of here. “I gotta go.” I put my bike into gear and rode off without a goodbye.
I head into town to the nearest liquor store, buy a bottle of Jack Daniels, and ride out to my favorite place to be, which is on Landers’ Silo. The sun is falling, but it’s hidden behind clouds, and the damp chill as I ride shivers down my spine. Usually, I feel a little cold wrapped up in my leathers and a hooded sweatshirt, but on this evening, I’m in a shitty mood, and nothing can keep out the cold wind.
Finally, out in the countryside, surrounded by empty fields, my body and mind would relax, and peace would follow. But not tonight. My mind won’t calm tonight, and my body will remain tense.
I turn off down the country road that’ll lead me to the silo, and then I ride off-road, where my bike tires grip the dirt taking me at a reasonable speed to the base of the silo.
My mind is on that sweet face as I climb up the ladder to the roof, as the last time when I was here, she arrived unexpectedly. It isn’t until I sit down and screw open the lid of my bottle do I realize that I’m smiling, reminiscing about her scaling fearfully up the ladder, and then the kiss…
I gulp the Jack and swallow, but the flavor is not typical. I hold the bottle up to the light to find the ‘used by’ date to see if I bought a bottle of old shit. Regardless, I still keep drinking it even though it’s making me cringe with every mouthful. What the fuck is in this shit? Did they pour the good stuff out and replace it with dirty motor oil?
A flock of Canadian geese flies overhead in a V, probably searching for a field to land in to rest for the night before continuing on their journey. It’s so quiet out here that I hear them honking as they fly, keeping in line with the leading goose.
My eyes are glued onto the V of geese until I can’t see them anymore, and a sense of loneliness comes over me. I take another swig, regretting not grabbing my stash of green before leaving. I need something a little extra tonight.
Something a little extra like…
I take out my phone, find Emaline’s number in my contacts, and message: Meet me at Demon Cove in an hour.