Page 27 of Primal

Well… acquaintances. I don’t do friends. I don’t keep close relationships with anyone, for that matter.

One thing Kiara didn’t mention is my estrangement from my parents; I don’t know if she forgot or if she simply doesn’t know.

Making sure my ski mask is in place, I pull my hood over my head and cut a sharp glare at him. “Don’t start with me, Gavin.”

“If you’re still going after that girl, let me know so I can find another partner,” he says harshly. “I don’t have time to deal with your stalker bullshit.”

After sliding my gloves on, I flex my fingers and turn to face him. “My relationship with her is none of your goddamn business. Stop worrying about what I’m doing and maybe put as much effort into finding a real job to support your drug and alcohol addiction.”

Gavin stares at me a moment. His face is obscured by his own ski mask, but I can see his eyes, and they’re filled with murderous rage.

“You know what?” he starts with deadly calm.

I step to him and look him in the eye. He’s half a foot shorter than me, so he has to tilt his head to look at me. “What?”

“I’m done. You’ve been flaking on me ever since you met her. If she does it for you, that’s fine. But don’t expect me to keep waiting around for you.”

Without hesitation, I shrug and say, “Fine.”

He scoffs and rolls his eyes. “You’re fucking sick, bro, obsessing over a girl who clearly doesn’t want you. I didn’t know you were such a simp.”

Before I have a chance to think about my next actions, I shoot out my hand and wrap my fingers around his throat. “If I’m a simp, then so be it, but if you keep talking to me like that, I won’t hesitate to put you in the ground.”

His eyes widen when I lift him off the ground like I did Kiara. He’s much heavier than she is, but the fury I’m feeling gives me a whole new surge of strength.

“I-I’m sorry, man,” he manages to wheeze out.

He falls to the ground when I release my hold on him. “I’m done with you. If I’d known you were just going to bitch and whine like a little pussy, I would’ve cut you off a long time ago.”

Gavin gets back up and starts to walk away. “Fuck you, Zyran. You’re done,” he spits as he practically runs down the street to his car.

That’s fine. Now I have more time for my butterfly.

CHAPTER 21

KIARA

“How are you feeling?” I ask as I take the kettle off the stove and pour us both a cup of peppermint tea. Yolanda looks the worse for wear—she’s extremely hungover, a few of her braids have come undone, and she has a couple bruises forming on her arms. When I asked her if she remembered what happened between her and Ahmad last night, she somehow was able to recount more than I would have thought.

I thought I’d gotten there in time, but they didn’t even get out of the car before he started touching her. By the time I’d gotten there, he’d already raped her twice. He must have slipped something into her drink at the club because she wasn’t even that drunk when I last saw her there.

I hand Yolanda her mug and rub her back soothingly. She’s been sitting here staring into space for the past ten minutes.

“Talk to me, Yo,” I push gently. “Let’s call the police.”

She shakes her head furiously, the beads in her braids clinking together. “No, Kiara. Just drop it.”

I sit back and stare at her, astonished. “So, you’re just going to let that bastard win? He took advantage of you when you were vulnerable, Yolanda. He deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life.”

She seems to consider my words for a moment.

“What about Malcolm?” she asks quietly. “Did he try to… you know…”

Malcolm.

In the craziness of last night’s events, I’d completely forgotten about him.

I take my phone out of my pocket and pull up the local news app. My stomach sinks when I see Malcolm’s smiling face underneath the headline reporting his death.

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