Page 77 of Devious Gambit

She slammed the door and strode in the cold to her bottom step where she paused to throw her bag over her shoulder. I hoped at that point, she’d turn back, but she kept looking forward. Too much damage was done for her to ever go back. A sudden surge of anger stormed through my body and I took my rage out on my steering wheel, hurting myself more than the car. Once satisfied that I’d punished myself enough I drove back to the Vault in a fucking bad mood.

“Sup!” Cody called out from the living room when I stepped inside the grand entrance.

I couldn’t be fucked answering and ran up the stairs to my bedroom. Seeing the large Victorian in the distance turned my stomach, making me feel suffocated and depressed. I needed to get of there. I needed to get out of the fucking city that stunk of dirty gold and wrecked dreams.

“Going somewhere?” Cody asked, leaning against my bedroom doorframe, watching me pack two bags.

“Yep,” I replied, not looking at him because I was too enraged. I longed to punch his fucking face.

“What about the game tomorrow?” he asked, because that’s all he cared about.

“What about the fucking game? I’ll tell coach I’m sick, got food poisoning.”

“When are you coming back?”

“Don’t know.” I zipped up my bags and threw them over my shoulder.

“But we’ve still got four more games, until the end of the season. Are you coming back for any of them?”

“I guess.” I didn’t know. I couldn’t let the team down, even though there were plenty of dudes willing to take my place, given half the chance.

“Are we still going to Maui?” he asked. I could tell he wasn’t sure what to make of my behavior. It was a rare thing for me to be in a bad mood with him. He’d been my best mate since elementary school and we always had each other’s back. But I just couldn’t bear to be around him at that moment. I couldn’t bear to be around any of the fuckers who lived in the Vault.

“Fuck knows. Look, you got what you fucking wanted and that’s all that matters. I hope your family is happy when they dig up the Klimt, if it’s still there.”

“I owe you, dude,” he said, holding out his fist for me to pump.

“I know you fucking do,” I bit, ignoring his fist as I barged past him.

“Is Gallagher alright?” he asked me as I walked away from him, down the hall.

“She’s fine. Hates my fucking guts, but you know, it was all for a good cause,” more sarcasm.

I heard him snigger, “Two problems solved.”

My feet froze and sunk into the wooden floorboards. Instinctively, I wanted to fly at him and plow my fists into his face. I was all sorts of angry that I’d completely lost reasons of why. In a haze, I picked my feet up and ran down the stairs to my car outside. I had no idea where I was going to lay my head that night, because I had absolutely no idea where I was going. I had money in my wallet, petrol in the car, and a burning desire to leave with the intention of never going back.

THIRTY

Jace

I tapped on her door and pressed my ear against the wood.

“I left it unlocked, Kate!” she shouted.

I smiled and turned the handle, opening the door a crack to peer inside her apartment. “Are we ready to bleach our roots,” I called out in a girl’s voice, which sounded really bad.

“What the hell,” she yelled back, “get your ass in here.”

I stepped inside my sister’s apartment, fully redesigned to be wheel chair friendly, as Botticelli her black Labrador assistant dog came trotting towards me. I gave my buddy, Celli, a rub behind the ears before I acknowledged my sister who sat in her chair with a deep scowl indented her face.

“What?”

“Are you on break?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Liar.”

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