Page 9 of Above All Else

“And did you take this to the police?”

“I tried.” Liquid filled my mouth, the end of the tumbler coming too fast. “They wouldn’t accept it because they couldn’t determine how it was obtained. Something about being inadmissible in courts.”

“That’s some shit luck there.”

“Yeah.” I shrugged. “I think the person wanted me to end her tomorrow. I think they knew who I was and what I was a part of.”

Paul’s face slackened, then narrowed as he leaned into me. “Why do you say that?”

“It may be a secret society, but everyone seems to know of its existence.”

“Members aren’t public knowledge.”

“It’s just a theory, Paul. Relax.”

Paul slapped the top of the bar, a joyous smile stretching across his lips—the rapid change in his demeanor gave me whiplash. “Well, tomorrow, you get to be the judge, jury,andexecutioner.”

I breathed in through my nose and nodded, exhaling with puffed cheeks. “I need it. More than anything else.” I checked my watch again.

His mouth twitched as he held his glass up. “To justice.”

“To justice.” I clinked my empty glass against his, paid my tab as he finished his first glass, and climbed off the bar stool. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Hey, before I forget.” He dug into his pocket. “Put this in the rental. It’ll open the gates.”

He dropped the little round device into my palm, and I shoved it into my pocket with a nod.

Paul chuckled. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”

Scoffing, I turned my back to him and strode out of the bar, walking for a few blocks until Java Bliss appeared across the street.

June sat with Bailey, her tan cardigan falling off her shoulder, her long brunette hair pulled into a tight bun at the base of her neck.

She beamed as I stood on the street, staring into her perfect little life. An irritation dug under my skin like a bullet fragment working its way to the surface.

Why does she deserve happiness?

I watched her smile, laugh, frown, and sulk in silence with her friend, experiencing a wave of human emotion over an hour before she waved goodbye.

Here we go.

Exhaustion lingered in my bones, my twenty-four-hour day, bleeding into a solid thirty. My heart rate quickened as I jogged across the street and shoved my shoulder into hers as she looked down at her phone.

She spun in a full circle as she fell, then landed on the hard cement with a thud.

June groaned, her phone skidding across the sidewalk, the remnants of her coffee spilling over her clothes and ground.

“Oh God. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Her skinned knee and elbow bloomed a vibrant red.

I stooped and grabbed her upper arm as she tried to stand. “Here, let me help you.”

“I’ve got it.” She bounced up, the top of her skull crashing into my chin, causing my teeth to jar.

June groaned again, falling back to the ground as I relinquished my hold, her hand touching the top of her head.

Standing taut, I gripped my chin, closed my eyes, and breathed. Ire burned deep, her sweet perfume spreading the poisonous desire throughout my system.

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