Page 56 of Soulless Saint

“Stay away from her. I don’t want her involved with you. Involved with any of this shit. You leave her the fuck out of it.”

An irrational anger simmered in my gut, laced with something like guilt. I didn’t want to stay away from her. Quite the opposite, but Dad was right about one thing; with all the heat on us right now it would be stupid of me to get close to anyone, let alone a girl who I actually…

Shit, I was a fucking goner.

“Kaleb.”

“All right! Fuck, Dad. Yeah. I heard you.”

I understood what he was saying, but what I didn’t understand was why he was saying it. Why did Dad give two shits about some chick from Thorn Valley?

I was about to open my yap and ask him just that when he snatched the bottle of scotch and his glass from the counter and left the kitchen, crossing the house to shut himself into his study.

My phone vibrated in my pocket after the house finished rattling from his slamming the door of his study shut behind him.

Clay: Becca’s working 11-4 tomorrow. Then she has plans to go shopping with her roommate. The gay one.

Kaleb: His name’s Toby, dickhead.

Clay: Right. Toby. Sorry. Sounds like they might be going to the race tomorrow night, too.

I bit the inside of my cheek, knowing that her being there would make my avoiding her fucking impossible. There was no way I had enough self-control to stay away if she was right there. I was a Saint, but I wasn’t a damn celibate priest.

Kaleb: All right, just keep tabs on her for me, would you?

Clay: You got it.

I pulled up the tracking app on my phone. The one that received a GPS ping from the device I planted in her purse. Exchanged for the one that’d already been there. She was at home now. 82 Carlton Street. And if Clay’s sleuthing skills were to be trusted, she was in apartment five, the one at the very top of the building.

“I feel like I’m naked,” I groaned. “Is this really necessary?”

I tugged at the tight little short shorts Toby dressed me up in. Paired with the tit squishing tank top that resembled something closer to a bra and the heels with the strappy laces that went up to my knees, I looked good. But good in the way a high priced hooker looked good.

Not exactly the vibe I was trying to push out into the universe.

…even if I wasn’t exactly fasting anymore.

“Yeah, Tobes,” Katie agreed, removing the little neon mesh top he gave her in favor of a baggy t-shirt in a light blue color. “I don’t know about that top. It was way too pink.”

“It’s race night!” Toby argued, leaning over the bathroom counter to rub a dark charcoal liner over the rims of his eyes. His trademark look. “Nothing is too slutty or too pink for race night.”

“If Kate gets to wear that baggy ass t-shirt, then I’m changing,” I decided, but Toby caught me before I could leave the bathroom.

“Girl, you look hot as hell. Literally, I’d fuck you and I’m not even straight, okay.”

I preened a little at the compliment, but still, this outfit screamed trouble, and I was trying my very best to stay far away from that. Whether or not I was succeeding was beside the point.

“Fine,” I acquiesced. “But I’m putting a sweater over it.”

“Nuh uh,” Toby disagreed. “Don’t you dare coat that sinful delight in cashmere. Use my jean jacket. It’s hung up by the door. Fits the whole…” He gestured to all of me with pride-filled eyes at his monstrous creation. “Vibe.”

I gave my eyes a roll but I did what he said, dragging my ass to the front room, where a jean jacket was hung by the door. The one side in the front was almost entirely covered in enamel pins. There had to be at least nine different animated fandoms represented and several others I didn’t recognize.

At least we shared the same taste in music and TV so I wouldn’t mind repping his faves tonight.

Outside the door, I heard the shuffle of feet over the music playing low from Kate’s Bluetooth speaker in the bathroom. I frowned, pressing my eye to the peephole in time to see what I thought was someone going down the stairs.

I didn’t think much of it until I remembered ours was the only apartment on the top floor and all of us were home. Hardin’s stupid face popped into my head, as it tended to do lately, and I ripped open the door, calling down the stairwell.

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