Page 11 of Love and War

A bat.

Suddenly our eyes locked. Instead of her looking mad or upset, she smirked. She looked cocky, like she knew something I didn’t. I just couldn’t tell what it was.

“Killian…” Zane sounded completely unsure for the first time since I’ve known him.

She looked so beautiful marching towards us, the smirk on her lips. Her blonde hair swung around her face; she was so goddamn gorgeous.

Reaching for the door handle, I got ready to open the door. But I was frozen as she stopped at the hood of the truck. I had a bad feeling, an uncomfortable pit in my stomach…

Then it happened.

She swung the bat with everything, bashing it into the windshield. Both of us flinched as the glass cracked. Swinging again, the glass was near the point of shattering.

“Killian get your crazy bitch off the fucking truck!” Zane yelled. Leaning back into the seat like it would go anywhere. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. Our gazes locked onto each other as she swung the bat onto the hood, over and over again.

“DUDE, DO SOMETHING!” he yelled louder.

Finally, glancing at him, Zane looked like he was ready to strangle her. I wouldn’t let him, but I almost didn’t want to deal with fighting him if he tried to lay a finger on her. Sighing I pushed the door open before she could take another swing at the car.

“Enough!” I barked.

She held the bat above her shoulder, ready.

“Care to explain what you’re doing?” I asked, shutting the door so Zane couldn’t hear much of what we were saying.

“Why are you following me?” she growled.

“We’re not answering questions with questions, moya Printsessa,” smirking just to make her mad. Except instead her expression was masked. For what might be the first time since I’ve known her, I couldn't figure out what she was feeling. I couldn’t figure anything out about her.

“Don’t call me that,” she hissed, “and don’t follow me, it’s creepy,” she calmly ordered. “If I would’ve known you liked following girls around, I would’ve bashed your brains in years ago.”

“Moya Prints—”

“I’m not your little princess.” Finally she was getting angry and showing it. I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t dare. She still held the bat above her head, and there was a small chance she got mad enough at me, she’d use it. She’d bash my brains in. And I couldn’t tell if I was afraid or turned on.

Maybe batshit crazy was my type too.

“You’ll always be mine,” I said, readjusting myself.

Her eyes dropped, narrowing before she said, “I haven’t been yours in a long time. I stopped beingyoursthe moment you left me. When you abandoned me. You didn’t give a flying pig on a stick about me!”

My. Heart. Broke.

Everything froze as she said those words.

I abandoned her.

It’s true. I left her. I had reasons, she just couldn’t know. She wouldn’t believe me. But hearing her speak those words, hearing her believe that I wanted to, I couldn’t bear to hear it. Everything stopped moving.

“You left me, Killian.” Her voice broke, her eyes welled with tears. Tossing the bat at my feet, she said, “Also, you owe me five hundred for the bat.” Flipping me off, she cooled her expression, walked back to her vehicle, and drove away, not sparing me another glance.

3

Aziza

“Greatjob,ladies.”Clappingmy hands together, I smiled at the twelve-year-olds as they began changing out of their ballet shoes into their tennis shoes. Four years ago when I walked past this small place for rent, I decided to open my own tiny company. It didn’t take much since this small town didn’t have any dance or ballet studios around. It was why I always had to travel so far.

“Miss Sinclair?” Amy, one of the girls, shyly walked over to me.

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