Page 35 of Shattered

I quickly shimmy myself out of the lane so I don’t get run the fuck over. To my surprise, the black car slows to almost a stop beside me, and a familiar face pops over the door.

“You alright?” Turner asks.

I use his car beside me as a brace to pull myself to my feet. “Just testing the road. Fucking hurts,” I chuckle, brushing the gravel out of my skin.

Turner’s brows sink. “Have you got a problem with your leg?”

And there it is. Whether it’s Bane, Sunshine, or this old guy, the moment anyone mentions this fucking leg, I see red. I can’t stand it.

“If I did, it’s none of your fucking business,” I growl.

Turner recoils, his brows lifting in surprise. “No, it’s not my business. But you just wiped out on the road, you stubborn prick. It’s okay to need help.”

Without a thought, I lash out, my fist colliding with his side mirror. The whole thing shatters in place, and Turner roars in anger, pulling his car forward in surprise and nearly running my foot over in the process.

“The fuck is your problem!?” Turner snaps. He looks ready to jump out of that car and fight me, but I can’t let him do that. He’llwin. Instead, I walk around the back of his car and continue across the street.

“It’s okay to need help!” I echo back to him, not looking his way. “You might wanna get that mirror fixed.”

His car pulls off to the side of the road, but thankfully, I don’t hear his door open. “In case you’re wondering, you can kiss your presence on my property goodbye!”

Perfect. Too many stairs there, anyway.

Chapter 12

Lila

What. The. Fuck.

I pull over in front of Asher’s house, unable to enter my driveway as I take in the scene. The house next door was always run down and ugly, with brown weathered siding. Not anymore.

It’s black—not dark, but BLACKER THAN BLACK. On the front of his house, an enormous white skull decoration that looks about four feet wide is positioned to match the sun on mine. His exterior is also decorated with a giant creepy red beetle, a spider to match, and a bat.

His car isn’t here, but my phone goes off as if he’s watching.

Asher: Your move, Sunshine. And don’t forget to lock that door.

Rolling my eyes, I pull into my driveway and slam my SUV into park. When I glance over, I find my lawn chairs on their fucking deck again. Would it be too dramatic to light them on fire in the driveway?

In my rearview mirror, I see a vehicle pull in behind me and Turner getting out of his car. When I exit mine, he stops and motions to both houses.

“Wanna tell me what this is about?”

“Your new buddy Asher is a fucking prick,” I say simply.

Turner winces, leaning against his car. “I’m not letting him into Koa. He had some blemishes on his police report, and clearly, he’s got you fired up. I get a bad vibe from him. Something’s off.”

“Thanks, Turner.”

“It’s not because of you,” he repeats, his voice cold.

I shake my head in anger. “Right, don’t do me any favors.”

When I turn to walk away from him, he grabs me by my arm and doesn’t let go. When I try to pry his hand off, I can’t budge it.

“You need to stay away from him. Whatever this is,” he motions to the two houses, “knock it off.”

“I just told you, he’s a prick!”

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