Page 26 of The Afterthought

"I don't give a fuck about that guy at the coffee shop." It's not a lie, although I'm still considering the job because I could use the steady income.

"Just talk to me."

"I don't want to." I walk around him and pull the door open, waiting for him to leave.

He doesn't fight me anymore, and I'm thankful. He steps out and turns to look at me one last time. I slam the door in his face and lock it before he has a chance to say anything. Slowly, I turn around and press my back to the door, sliding down and pulling my knees to my chest to let myself fall apart. Memories from that day always destroy me.

Chapter 13

Greyson

Iwas so confused by her reaction to me holding the knife that the entire reason I went there in the first place slipped my mind. I was supposed to be putting her in her place, but somehow, she managed to get the upper hand. She was supposed to be explaining how the fuck she ended up letting Alec slip his slimy cock inside her. The thought of it makes fire burn through my veins. He had to know who she was. This was to get under my skin, and it fucking worked.

The only reason I left her house was because I knew something else was going on. Something in her shifted when she saw me holding the knife, and she slipped into some kind of memory. I wish she would have talked to me about it, but she shut herself off and refused. That's fair, I suppose. It's the treatment I deserve after everything.

How the fuck did this happen? I slam my fist on the steering wheel, staring back at her house, and debating whether or not to go back in. How did I let her get inside my head this fast? I was supposed to be making her leave town, but the only thing she hasn't been able to leave is my mind. I walked away from her all those years ago, but I don't know if I'm prepared to do it again.

The moment I saw that fiery orange hair and those deep brown eyes after so long, I knew any hope of getting her out of my mind was ruined. The image of her is burned into my brain. Every time I close my eyes, I see her. When I drive through town, I see the things we used to do together. I was fooling myself when I said I could keep her at a distance.

Maybe I could have kept up the act long enough for her to leave town, but something in me awakened when I saw Alec put his hands on her. Something that I haven't felt in a long time. I thought I needed to give her up to give in to my needs. I thought she would never understand why I had to join the Crimson Rose. They are my only way to be my true self and fully embrace the flames without ending up in prison. Maybe I was wrong all along.

The idea of having her so close but not being able to have her has only made the urges worse. Today was supposed to cure my craving, and it did until I laid eyes on Ava. I fucking love the way she looks when she falls apart for me. I forgot about so many of the tiny details about her. I've had a taste, and now I'm obsessed. She is my new urge.

Things have changed. I need to talk to Knox and make sure he knows where I stand with her. Alec's involvement adds an extra layer of complexity to this, and it can't be allowed.

I'm worried about what Knox is going to say about Ava. He knows how connected we were when we were younger, which is part of why he ensured I was in check when she returned to town. She’s always been the one person to keep my urges both in and out of control, depending on the state of our relationship.

Ava thinks she doesn't belong to me, but she's wrong. She’s mine, whether she wants to be or not. I'll just have to make sure I remind her every time she forgets. I'll burn anyone who tries to come between us alive and spit on their charred bones.

I glance back at her house one last time before pulling my phone out of my pocket and dialing Knox's phone number. It rings three times before he picks up.

"Hey, everything okay?" he asks.

"I need to meet you. We need to talk."

"I'm at the garage. Does this have to do with the Cobras?" His tone goes cold. I can tell he is trying to prepare his mind for how to retaliate against whatever they did.

"No. Yes. Sort of. I'll explain everything when I get there. They didn't strike us directly. Not officially."

"Okay, I'll wait here for you. Dad's nursing home called, though, so I can't be long. He's having a bad day today, and I have to make a trip out there."

Guilt wracks through me at the idea of keeping him from going to see Dad. Our dad had a nice twist of fate with the drugs he was trying to manage back before Knox took control. Dad was still in charge, and he sampled the wrong thing, which sent him into a fit of seizures. Something in his brain chemistry changed that day, and he hasn't stopped regressing from the brain damage since.

It was enough to land him in Dune Valley Nursing Home. Some days, he's more lucid than others, but he barely knows who we are most days. I don’t bother stopping in anymore. Knox handles everything that has to do with him, so I don’t have to.

"If Dad is having a day, it can wait," I say.

"It's fine. Just hurry up."

He ends the call, and I drive over to the garage, wondering what he ended up doing with that asshole I tortured earlier. Was that why Alec ended up at the coffee shop with Ava? There's no way he could have known the shape of his man by then. He only would have known that he was missing. Is that enough to encroach on another man's woman? Can I even call her my woman? I know I’m grasping at straws, but him being with her doesn’t make sense.

I pull up to Adam's Garage a few minutes later, parking the car and strolling right inside. Two guys huddle in the corner, whispering when I walk past, and I narrow my eyes at them. These are newer members of the crew. I don't like whispering. Whispering is suspicious, but I don't have the mental fortitude to deal with that right now.

I push open the office door that I've come to know so well and find Knox sitting behind the desk, scrolling through his phone. He looks up to meet me and nods to acknowledge my presence. I do my normal routine of powering off mine and placing it on the desk for him to see.

He looks up at me after a moment, and I can see the concern on his face. He's able to clearly see that something is bothering me. He glances back down at his phone to finish whatever he is doing before placing it on his desk next to him.

"What's going on Grey?"

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