Page 19 of Devil's Plaything

“Okay. Tell Cleo whatever you have to in order to convince her to stay away from me.”

“Don’t worry about that. You will never see her again.”

“Good.”

26

Cleo

I startle awake, sweat beads on my forehead. I know Zeke is gone before I even reach for him. It’s funny how you can convince yourself something is the truth when you know it isn’t. He was never going to stay.

The doc came by sometime last night and gave me a full check up. I assumed Zeke was just waiting outside. At least, that’s what I’d hoped. Aside from some bruised ribs and contusions, I’m okay. No broken bones. No concussion.

“How are you feeling?” Peyton comes in with a tray of food and a glass of water.

“Not hungry.”

“Too bad. You’re going to eat.”

She sits down, placing the tray beside me. Reluctantly, I push myself up and get a sip of water. The last thing I want is her fussing over me.

“What did he say when he left?”

Peyton shakes her head. “I don’t know. He spoke to Nitro.”

“Before you say anything about how you told me so and he’s a horrible guy, I don’t want to hear it.”

I’m the one who chose to ignore the red flags. I sure as shit don’t need that tossed in my face.

“In spite of all the drama between the clubs, he brought you here. He took care of you. In my opinion, that says something.”

“But he didn’t stay.”

Peyton shrugs. “He stayed long enough.”

I eat the sandwich and finish off the water to satisfy her. Once she’s gone, I call Zeke. I’m not surprised when he doesn’t answer. He was never the guy who was going to stick around. I blink back tears, annoyed with myself for being bothered by his disappearance.

“Hey, hey,” Nitro says, knocking as he opens the door. “How are you feeling?”

“Like someone beat the shit out of me and raped me, but I have a full belly, so there’s that.”

His jaw clenches at my response. “You won’t have to worry about that happening again.”

“Is that because you’re taking care of it or because Zeke is?”

“You don’t have to worry about that piece of shit anymore either.”

“What did he say to you?”

Nitro shrugs. “Said you weren’t his problem anymore.”

“Is that it?”

“What do you want me to say, Cleo? He bolted as soon as he could. I’m surprised he didn’t leave you where he found you.”

I slowly nod. “Thanks. I’m going to lie down for a while.”

“Just let me know if you need anything.”

---