Page 5 of Psycho Sinners

If only he knew the full extent.

“I think this deserves another round, don’t you? Miss Scar here needs to drink away her problems,” Steve said as he nodded at Raymond.

Raymond just gave me a thin-lipped, sympathetic smile before he got to work on another drink. I’d downed another cocktail before switching to my usual white rum and coke.

Steve was a welcome comfort in the form of endless drinks, his credit card one that Noms was more than happy to splurge with. Steve didn’t seem to care, especially since she was now hanging off him, her tits so close to popping out of her outfit that it wasn’t funny. I knew once her shift started, Steve was going to be requesting the ‘special’ attention in a back room.

Noms had used her body in the past to score, back when we were in the full throes of teenage rebellion and struggles of entering adulthood. She’d been clean for four years now, and I couldn’t be prouder. Watching her struggle yet still be a loyal friend had been hard, especially since my main troubles had been with partners, booze, and the law. Drugs had never been something I’d delved into.

Noms had me laughing as we reminisced about past incidents, including the time we’d put hair remover in an ex’s shampoo after he’d threatened to put me out on the streets because he thought I was cheating on him, and he’d have his friends teach me a lesson. We’d done a few other dirty things while he was at work, from disconnecting the hose from the washing machine to severing the coolant lines in his second car that he was doing up. I never did find out how that went down, but it sure had made me feel better before Noms had helped move all my shit out of his place and into hers.

As much as we got along like a house on fire, I always wound up moving out with partners. Noms had embraced singledom, enjoying the money brought in as she had her regular men who doted on her at work.

“It’ll be good to have you back, the spare room is always waiting there for you,” she said as Steve kissed her cheek, although her attention was focused on me.

“You say that like you expect me to come back all the time,” I shot back with feigned hurt as she laughed. With my track record, her front door was pretty much a revolving one for me. I’d moved in and out of her place far too many times, always thinking the next guy was the one. Tommy had held promise, helping me finally relax after years of shitty men and abuse. But, alas, it was all a facade, the sting not being eased despite the burn of each shot I threw back.

I cast wary glances to the front door, awaiting the men in blue to come marching in, but no one came.

“Come, dance a little with me.” Steve’s arm tugged lightly at Noms waist, and the edge of her mouth quirked downward as those sharp blue eyes burned into me. She had her full attention on me, knowing full well the hurt I was hiding. I was more than happy to drown myself in booze until I got locked up.

“I can’t, Scar?—”

“Is fine right here, doing another shot. I’ve got Ray-Ray here with me,” I said with a wide grin, my head now beginning to spin. All my worries were beginning to melt away, a problem for me to deal with at a later date.

Noms wasn’t convinced as her lips set in a thin line, but I waved her off.

“I have a drink, I’m set,” I assured her as I picked up the cocktail Raymond had slid to me. I had a sneaky suspicion he’d halved the alcohol contents in this one after how many drinks I’d tossed back already. I’d had enough of the rum and returned to the sweet delight of all the cocktails.

“C’mon, one dance, I’ll make it worth your while,” Steve stage-whispered.

“Do it, you may need to bail me out,” I barked out a wry laugh, and Noms finally caved in.

I waited until she had turned away to let my plastered on smile fall.

“How many years do you think I’ll get for burning the bar down?” I mused as Raymond planted himself on the other side of the bar, his hands spread on the glossy black marble top as he gave me a sympathetic look. Ugh, I hated that look, like I was worth his damn pity.

“I mean, Noms said no one was hurt, so that’ll work in your favor,” Ray said, although those dark eyes were worried as he let them drift over me. “You two have chaos at your heels. You need to think before you act.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s what normal people do, huh?” I took a hefty swig of my fruit cocktail, letting my gaze slide down the bar. Noms and I had pasts that plagued us, a history that had brought us together. We were two people who’d walked through our own hells and had found a way to survive. They said trauma did things to you, supposedly made you stronger. I believed it made us crazier, less trusting, more wicked. We knew that the hands that fed us brought us pain, that there was no true place that was safe. Those who were meant to protect us were the ones who would hurt us the most. And finding someone who understood that pain, had felt the same hurt, it bonded us like nothing else.

My eyes locked with two dark orbs trained on me at the far end of the bar, and a chill swept down my spine at the blond haired stranger.

Was he a regular? Why was he looking at me the way a wolf would look at a lamb?

Too bad this lamb had had enough. I was just as much a wolf as he was, whether he liked it or not. After Tommy, I’d be breaking hearts if it wasn’t getting locked up. I was never going to let another man steal my heart from me. I’d cage that thing up tight and throw away the key.

“Who’s that?” I asked as I focused on my drink, dragging my gaze from the fine specimen of mankind that had been watching me.

“Who?” Ray asked, and I arched a brow before sliding my gaze back to the man, only to find he was nowhere to be seen.

Well, that was a shame, he’d been quite a sight to behold.

“Guess this is life for me now, huh?” I said with a sigh before downing the last of my drink.

“How about some water?” Ray offered, but I just scowled.

“I’ll get plenty of water behind bars. I need booze.”

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