Chapter 16 #2
And when you throw it away like garbage, maybe there’s some kind of karmic consequence in knowing you might never get it back.
But that was his decision.
And I hate that I’m standing here looking at him like he’s an unwanted dog at an animal shelter.
He made his choice. He left me broken. I put the pieces back together one by one, all by myself. It isn’t fair that I have to waste any more emotional energy on him at all.
“What’s the plan?” Ryder asks as we sit down at a table.
I check my phone. Delphi got held up at her office and is running a few minutes late. I’m only about a five-minute walk from the restaurant, so I tell her I’ll stay here until she gets closer.
Nobody answers Ryder. He looks around the table. “You guys don’t have a plan?”
“I mean…kind of,” Antonio says, letting out a heavy sigh.
We’re in mixed company and out in public. A couple of girls two tables over keep staring at us. I hate that I’ve accidentally become some sort of public figure simply by being married to Xavier.
Almost as if she knows exactly what I’m thinking, Mabel texts me.
You’re trending on TikTok.
I click the link she sends. It’s a video of me standing onstage at the piano bar, singing.
“Oh, great,” I grumble. My brothers and Ryder all lean over to look at my phone. No wonder Victoria was so pissed. As a publicist, she definitely has her work cut out for her.
“Most of the comments are nice,” Leo says, scrolling. “You have a good voice.”
“Thanks.” I let out a heavy sigh. Yeah, plenty of people are complimenting my singing.
But for every nice comment, there are two or three pointing out how bizarre my behavior looked.
The theories are already running wild. People think Xavier held me spellbound too, and that’s the only explanation for why I was acting so erratically.
And by the time I got onstage, I’d switched into those dirty Crocs.
Standing under a spotlight in a nice dress and filthy shoes probably isn’t helping my case that I’m completely stable.
“This is the least of our worries right now,” Antonio says, trying to reassure me.
“I really don’t care,” I say, mostly trying to convince myself. I lean forward and let my hair fall around my face, shielding me from anyone looking over. I don’t care what strangers say about me online. What I do care about is being recognizable in public. I hate being the center of attention.
“Have you heard anything?” Antonio asks Ryder. He doesn’t need to elaborate. We all know he means Vivian, Marco, the Order, or demons.
“No,” Ryder says. “It’s been unusually quiet. And the hunters in our usual circle are getting assigned cases far away. I got one today. They want to send me to Texas.” He scans the QR code on the table to order coffee.
“I keep wondering how deep this goes,” Leo says, deliberately vague. “How many people in the company have been bought?”
“Right.” I exit out of TikTok. “Is it just our regional office, or is it nationwide?”
“Or worldwide,” Antonio adds.
My phone buzzes. “Delphi just parked.” I say goodbye to my brothers and Ryder, then hurry out of the coffee shop. I meet Delphi outside the restaurant, and we go in together. Larkin, who must have been waiting nearby, comes in almost as soon as we sit down. She has two other pack members with her.
Bodyguards.
Which immediately tells me this meeting probably isn’t going to be friendly.
“Hi,” I say, mind blanking at the greeting I’m supposed to say to a pack leader.
“Hello, Florence,” Larkin replies as she sits down. The two bodyguards stay a table away, giving us some privacy but being closed enough if needed. “Thank you for meeting with me.”
“Of course. Anything I can do to keep the peace, you, uh, know I’m more than willing.” I force a smile but internally roll my eyes at myself.
“What the hell happened last night?” Larkin cuts right to the chase. “We have sixteen dead gangsters and then the Governor of fucking North Carolina hits himself with a microphone on live TV and then ten minutes later you’re on a stage, singing karaoke.”
“It was more like a performance not karaoke, but, uh, yeah. Hearing it out loud for the second time today does make it sound insane. And it is. But it was because of a demon.” I flick my eyes to Delphi, who’s watching me with wide eyes.
Her brow is slightly pinched, and I don’t care what Xavier said, there is definitely some sort of girl code that exists between us.
Yes, I totally acknowledge that she has loyalty to her pack master.
But Xavier doesn’t get how deep female friendships can run, especially when you’ve lived most of your life feeling like an outsider.
“The same demon that was giving you issues before?” Larkin questions.
“No. Related to that one, but a different one. He’s dead though, don’t worry. The Reapers were used as a ritual to bring the demon from Hell to earth, but it was a short lived vacation.”
She blinks a few times and then leans back, motioning for the waiter to come over. She orders a round of drinks for our table along with pretzel bites and cheese dip. “Why did you sing?”
“The stage had the best vantage point,” I say simply. “I didn’t know they would think I was the performer and then I just kind of panicked and went along with it.”
“You were really good,” Delphi tells me. “I had no idea you could sing like that.”
“Thanks.” I take in a deep breath and pick up my water. After taking a drink, I look into Larkin’s eyes. “Xavier is doing everything he can to keep the city safe. The Order started this, and I intend to finish it.”