Page 62 of Overcast

“He can think what he wants.” He glares at her as if he actually hates the sight of her. “You played a role in this too.”

“Me?” She points at herself, then wipes more blood off her chin. “I didn’t do—”

“You’ve been fucking around with Hollis for God knows how long. Acting just like your whore of a mother. What’s missing is the needle marks and the simple fact that—”

“Leave her alone,” Hollis chides. “You weren’t taking care of her.” Stormi’s father snaps his neck to his buddy. “She had a fucking roof over her head, didn’t she?”

“And you might as well just have thrown a ‘for free’ sign on her chest because I had to fuck up two of your buddies for touching her.”

My jaw sets.

What the fuck is going on here?

“Who hired you to kill Reagan Lockwood?” This directed at anyone in the room.

And for the first time, it falls deathly silent.

I reach for Stormi and haul her into my side. “Should I touch her too?” I digress, placing her in front of me. “She’s beautiful. Better yet—” I lean forward, brushing my lips to the back of her ear and flick my attention to Hollis. “—maybe I should have you as an audience.”

His eyes darken. “That’s my piece of ass.”

“Not anymore. Finders keepers, motherfucker.” He hurls himself in my direction but is halted short from the chains above him.

“You’re going to die, boy.” I give him a lop-sided grin. “Not before you and the girl.”

“It’s alright.” His expression changes from pissed to menacing. “I wanted to fuck the Lockwood chick, but my lady right here—” He nods at Stormi. “—didn’t want me passing my cock around.”

Blackness.

I hide in it.

I live there.

It makes me feel unstoppable.

It also shrouds my brain from keeping up to my actions. My fists sweep out and blow into his face, his frame, anything they can land on.

It’s my farewell because the next time I come here, in this abandoned warehouse that Bishop found, he’ll be taking his last breath in a pool of his own blood. Missing limbs, fingers, pieces of his flesh.

I can’t keep going back and forth anymore. As much as Reagan is suffering from the aftermath of what happened to her, I’m in a similar boat and just want this over.

“ Enough .” The word barbs around my actions and halts my fists. It registers the direction and tone and— Hell, no. That wasn’t her.

“My dad and I don’t know anything.” Stormi’s vow strikes my ears. “Just let us go.”

Let us go. Too bad I’m not in the mood for listening to lies and fake news. However, I notice she doesn’t mention Hollis in that sentence.

Maybe they are just fuck buddies, after all. “What you want or need, sweetheart, isn’t something I give a fuck about.” I glance over my shoulder to find her already looking over at me.

If I didn’t say she was stunning before, right now, she’s positively gut-wrenching. Recognition dawns on her face, and I should feel somewhat euphoric that I broke her hope.

Except, I don’t feel anything. I am so stressed about becoming a failure to my sister and her family. That it shouldn’t be taking me this long to figure this out, and nothing is lining up.

“Enjoy your last days,” I vouch towards Hollis and her father while watching Stormi hug herself.

“Enjoy yours, fucker,” he shoots back. I don’t know what that means, don’t really give a fuck because I’m already going up the stairs so that I can leave them to it.

“Let’s go, Stormi.” She hits the steps a few seconds later, as my phone buzzes in my pocket.

Emmy: Where is the girl?

Me: Up your ass and around the corner.

Emmy: Bring her back to the cabin.

Me: No.

Emmy: Do it. I have a plan.

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