Page 124 of Serpentine

He freezes, his hand tightening on the wrench within it, but he doesn’t look at me. He doesn’t even turn in my direction, even though I know he heard me.

Tears of guilt trickle out of my eyes. How much can someone cry before dehydration?

“You show up now?” he says, standing and throwing the wrench at the ground.

The clanking of metal on concrete makes me jolt. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I didn’t know what was happening here.”

“No, you didn’t. Nor did you fucking care, either.”

His tone grates my nerves, and I’m sorry for making him into this version of himself. Then again, he’s using his anger towards me to deal with what’s happening, so is it so bad?

“I—”

His eyes bore into me, stopping me in my tracks. He creeps closer, looking every bit the killer I know he is. “You abandoned us. Hid from us. I thought we were all on the same fucking page, Aella. After the hospital…” He shifts his head from side to side, stretching his neck to release tension.

Fear scampers in my veins.

“I didn’t…”

“Bambi, don’t forget who the fuck I am. Please don’t lie to me. I can feel lies in my veins like fucking poison. Don’t insult me that way.”

“I did. I abandoned you.” I look at my feet, aware of him getting closer because I can feel the air shifting to give him a wide berth.

The vibrations of Braxton Bardot slinking closer cause the hair on my body to stand on end.

“I expected to find you bloodied in a fucking ditch, your nails pulled from their beds from trying to crawl back to me,” he lifts my hands to inspect them, and I keep my eyes downturned, “but these nail beds look clean and pristine, nor do I see blood leaking from any portion of your body.”

“No,” I whisper.

“So, this confession should be that much more interesting, hm? So, go on out with it. Tell me why you left me alone. Why did you let me sit in that fucking appointment alone while that doctor read off my diagnosis when you promised to be there? Why were you missing when I needed you most? When I stood by the road and looked at Miles’s wrecked bike in shambles. Tell me!” He finishes with a loud shout as I keep my eyes turned away.

I’d forgotten his appointment in all my self-pity and wallowing.

Fuck.

I flick my eyes toward him, knowing I can’t tell him like this. I can’t admit where I’ve been and what happened to him while he’s in this state. I jut my chin up in defiance.

“We need to find Miles, Brax. We can deal with this later…” his hand cut my words off, wrapping around my throat.

Fear hurries through me, sinking to my marrow. The look in his eyes is cold, calculating. “No. I have people looking for Miles. Who the fuck do you think I am? I don’t run from those I love.”

His words settle between us as his hand tightens, and I gasp for air. My hands scratch at his hold, but it’s unwavering.

“Maybe you need incentive, hm? Is that it? You need to see the other side of me, Aella?”

I try to shake my head, but his grip is too tight.

He nods, jaw tightening as he clenches his teeth.

He seems to decide, and he lets my neck go to lift me over his shoulder.

“Brax!” I wiggle in his hold.

He says nothing else, but as he treks through the cold, headed toward the house, I know where he’s headed.

I hope he doesn’t leave me tied to that infernal table this time.

THIRTY-NINE

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