Page 24 of Promise to Break

"And you hate Lila."

"I will not marry her, you know that. I don't want you to marry girls you don't want." My attention shifts to Kai. "What if she's ugly or worse?"

"It doesn't matter. It's our purgatory, and you need to stop sharing your need for love and feelings and shit with us. We don't need it." Liam speaks for Kai, who nods.

"I don't need it, either," I yell.

A loud bark from the dog interrupts. A fucking dog!

"The dog comes with us," Liam declares. "And we need to find a vet." Fuck. Fuck! I'll just have to keep my distance.

Usually, we have a secure place to bury bodies, but for some reason, I need this boy to have his proper place, so we search for a spot until the dog, now in the backseat, starts to howl again. We stop and check out the place we just passed before stepping out of the car. I know I'll have to give up this vehicle, just like so many others, but I must give this boy a proper goodbye. I may not be a believer myself, but I don't know about the people I kill, and it's the least I can do.

"It's the perfect place. You're a good boy," Kai tells the creature that pointed us toward an abandoned park. The dog looks at him as if it understands every word.

"We could do it there." Liam points to a tree with a patch of land around it. I nod, and the deed doesn't take as long as expected. It's not our first time taking care of the dead, so we do it as efficiently as we can.

"Do we know anything about the lad?" Liam wonders, and I shake my head. I'm almost certain we'll hear about a family broken by this boy's loss, but probably not until it shows up in the news.

"We have to take the dog to a vet." Kai's voice is unwavering as he looks down at the furry animal. I don't say a thing because since the three of us decided to be friends and accomplices, we've always let the majority decide, and I may not need another thing to take care of in my life, but I know those two are already smitten.

"This sweet boy is okay," the vet explains. "He's approximately one-year-old, I'd say. Sadly, he doesn't have a chip, and he looks malnourished, so we'll have to take care of his food. He looks calm, but for the sake of his and your health, you'll have to give him shots. That's if you plan to keep him. If you do, you'll have to take care of some things first, and he'll have to stay here for a few days. If you don't, we'll take him to a shelter." The female vet takes care of the calm beast. I'm sure it's in pain, but it doesn't do a thing as she pokes and prods.

"No shelter," Kai instantly responds. "And we're taking him today," he adds, as if he's going to war with the Vikings and he's defending his savior.

I roll my eyes as I see Liam's charming English smile spread across his face. "You see, love, this sweet boy came to us for help, so we can't leave him here. We've got plenty of money, and I'm sure we can take care of whatever he needs. Believe me, this little guy will be in the best of hands. Won't you, fluff ball?"

Un-fucking-believable.

We take some time to find a second taxi willing to allow a huge dog inside, as we had to burn another car, and the Uber that brought us here couldn't hang around. We have a lot of disposable vehicles like that one, though, and the only car that matters to me is my little red baby. It was a present from my mother last year, and the thing grew on me.

The taxi parks near the forest where our house is stationed and lets us off. Kai and Liam climb out, taking the dog with them while I go on ahead.

My partners in crime decide to name the dog Hero. I didn't have a say and didn't want one. I still refuse to look at it. That's something I plan to avoid at all costs.

I stop near the door as I spot Maricela's bunny panties. They're covered with my cum and hanging on the knob with a note that reads, "You won't get any closer than that, so don't come near me if you don't want my wrath!"

A smirk covers my lips as I lift the tiny patch of fabric and put it in my back pocket.

"That girl wants a war, mate." Liam sounds giddy as he lets the dog inside. Fucking Hero.

"I'll grant her whatever she wants," I say as I enter the house and try to ignore the fucking dog who rubs itself on the rug Raven bought us.

Chapter eleven

Maricela

"He did what?" Raven exclaims.

"Please, chica, I need to hear you say it again." But she doesn't stop talking or even slow down before going on. "Wait until Julian hears. He's going to flip. I'm kind of glad I didn't see him naked, though. Was he hot? Of course, he was. Killer's hot on a daily basis, so seeing him naked must have been the show of a lifetime."

Raven's giggles cause Sir Baron Ashwood the First to meow at full volume in protest. Baron is a black cat with a single white spot on his right ear. He lives on the top of our dorm buildings, going from one to the other as he pleases. Today, he's located on top of building B4. No one really knows how he gets up there, and no one ever sees him come down. Raven loves to tell everyone silly stories about how she met the little guy.

The story that was told to me was that the cat welcomed her to the roof with a foot rub and a blank stare, as if asking what took a peasant like herself so long to come and feed him. That, and all the other stories she likes to conjure up, makes total sense for his ludicrous but suitable name.

Sir Baron is a very demanding twelve-pound cat that loves his fish, Raven, and, occasionally, some petting. Raven is his person, while he only tolerates Julian, Ronen and me. Today, our little Baron got some raw pink tuna for dinner that, according to the paper I signed in the kitchen this morning, cost a hundred dollars a pound. It took me a while to convince myself to eat as well as I do in this place, but I know I won't find a good chicharron here no matter how hard I try, and for that, I must go elsewhere.

"He was in my room naked," I repeat, ignoring Raven's laughter. "He fucked my bunny panties, then he strutted through campus naked in front of the entire school and proceeded to eat my face." Too ashamed to admit even to myself that I didn't change the sheets before I touched myself on them last night. I don't look at her. The dirty dream of his lips all over my body still haunts me. I woke up all wet, dammit. I hate him.

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