Page 63 of Explosive Prejudice

“I told you to go—”

“What’s going on in here?” a tall, suited man who looked like some bodyguard asked as he stopped beside us, his dead green eyes checking me out slowly before moving to Shay-Lee. The man seemed to be in his mid-thirties, with a sharp jaw and tousled dark hair slicked back. The mere panic shining behind Shay-Lee’s eyes told me this guy wasn’t just a nobody.

“Nothing,” Shay-Lee shot back quickly, all but ready to leave, when the man put his hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“It didn’t look like nothing.”

Turning to face him, Shay-Lee gritted his teeth. “Don’t touch me,” he hissed, quickly adjusting his jacket once the man removed his hand from him. “I stumbled on my feet, and this waiter saved me from falling.” He lied so smoothly, not bothering to glance at me while doing so. And even though I disliked being dismissed by him, I understood enough to shut up.

“Is that so?” The man’s eyes were back on me.

“Yes, Orson,” Shay-Lee snapped. “It is. Now, move on, or I’ll tell my father you’re ruining my evening.”

So, the son of a bitch’s name was Orson. I’ll remember that.

The prick didn’t say a word but instead tsked. The annoying sound danced on my nerves and pissed me off as I watched Shay-Lee walk away with Orson behind him.

For the next hour, I did my job without much interruption, while also trying to track Shay-Lee with my eyes. I managed to spot him for the first half hour until he disappeared. While being unable to find him bothered me, I was more annoyed with Orson and how he watched me like a hawk. His cruel stare was nothing but irritating, and after having enough of it, I managed to sneak out of the main room and into the backyard, where he could no longer find me.

Taking a deep breath, I left my tray on a stone table and pulled a pack of smokes out of my pocket, tucking one between my lips. I’d been dying for a cigarette for hours and hadn’t felt at ease until I took the first hit.

I shoved my hand into my pocket and looked around as I took a drag. “What the fuck is this place?” I grunted while scanning the area. We were still in LA, yet the place looked like a forest with tall trees, thick fog floating right above the ground, a flowing stream, and a path cut in stone leading into the mist. There was also a swimming pool and lighting that made it look more like an exhibition of a forest than a real one, but it was still giving me the creeps. While I could still hear the party, I could also hear the sound of the ocean. I walked to the edge of the cliff the house was built on and looked down at the spreading shore. Between the dark stone, the exposed concrete of the house, the forest, and now the threatening ocean, the whole place was a demonstration of power. One that sat well with its owners but not at all with Shay-Lee.

I was at the end of my cigarette when I noticed someone walking on the shore, a halo of gold around his head. I recognized those blond waves dancing in the wind from miles away.

Shay-Lee.

My heart stopped, the same as it did back at the hotel, and my body moved on its own, the same way it did back then, as I ran down to the beach. The water was rough, with crashing waves and wind that hit my face as soon as I was down at the shore. If my stress wasn’t high enough, watching how Shay-Lee wobbled on his feet and could hardly keep straight didn’t help. Him being drunk and alone next to a raging ocean was a disaster waiting to happen.

“Hey,” I shouted over the wind.

“Shay-Lee,” I called again since he didn’t seem to hear me or simply didn’t care.

Slumping his shoulders, he shook his head. “I told you to go away.”

The wind carried his cry just before I reached him and placed my hand on his shoulder, turning him around to face me. “Hey—fuck!” I cussed when his fist hit my face, sending me three steps back. The fucker just punched me. Spitting some blood and rubbing my jaw, I looked up at him. “You little fuck, what was that for?” I hissed but quickly let go of my anger when I saw the tears in his eyes.

“I told you to go.” He charged at me again, only this time, I dodged it. “Leave!” He hit my chest until he stumbled forward, and I seized the moment to grab him.

“Just calm down, will ya?” I panted since taming him was like taming a raging beast. “And for fuck’s sake, stop hitting me.”

“Why are you here?” He fisted my shirt and pulled me closer.

“Because I don’t want you to fucking drown!” I shouted back, watching shock take over his features.

“Like you give a fuck. I disgust you, right? Making you sick to your stomach… So why the fuck would you care?” He suddenly paused and dropped his hands from around me. “It’s true,” he sniffed between words, still not looking me in the eyes. “I am repulsive.”

“No, you’re not.”

“But I am,” he shouted, then pushed me again, sending the two of us to the sand while pinning me to the ground. Finally, I could see his face up close. “I am repulsive.” He pressed his hand to his chest while fisting his shirt and pulling it as if trying to break free from himself. “I’m dirty from the inside. Rotten to my core.” His fat tears landed on my face, each drop heavier than the one before, burning his pain to my bones. “I don’t want it, but I can’t control it.”

Swallowing hard, I moved my free hand and brought it to his face. “You’re not repulsive. I’m an asshole for saying that shit.” His eyes found mine, and he looked at me with pinched brows and disbelief as I stroked his hair away from his sweaty face. “The dirty ones are the people who used you.”

Shay-Lee was being abused. That much, I could tell. I may not know the specifics or the extent of it, but I did know his suffering was enough for him to believe death was a solution.

“Just go back to the party. Pretend that you never saw me,” he said, pleading in his eyes.

“But I did, and still am. I’m seeing you right now.”

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