Page 87 of Promises in the Dark

I took another drag and blew the smoke in her direction, watching as it enveloped her face.

“What do you want me to do, huh?” I shot back, my own anger rising to meet hers. “Cry like a little bitch? Scream until my lungs give out? Would that make you feel better?”

Red shook her head, her eyes flicking towards the door that led to the operating room. “At least then I would know you give a damn!”

I met her gaze dead on. “And what difference does it make to you whether I care or not?” I shot back, the smoke curling around my words. “Viper is fighting for his life in there. Do you really think me breaking down is gonna change a damn thing?”

I blew out a cloud of smoke, watching as it curled up towards the ceiling in lazy wisps.

Red’s breath hitched, her anger bleeding into something raw and wounded. “Yes,” she whispered, her eyes welling up with tears. “Because if you cared, I wouldn’t feel so damn alone in this.”

The cigarette was almost down to the filter. I crushed the stub under my boot, the ember extinguished with a hiss.

Fuck me. She was ripping me apart, and I didn’t have a clue how to stop it.

“You want me to hold your hand and shed tears? Sorry, sweetheart, but that’s just not my style.”

Fuck this shit. I was standing there, trying to be all patient and shit while Red was having her emotional meltdown. She was always like this, wearing her feelings on her sleeve, expecting everyone to cater to her fragile ass emotions.

Well, not me. Not anymore.

I pushed myself off the wall, so fed up with her emotional rollercoaster I could vomit.

“Deal with your own shit however you please. But don’t expect me to play by your rules.”

Red recoiled, her whole body jerking back like I had slapped her, her eyes filling with tears.

Great, here we go again.

“You heartless bastard...” she screeched, her words slicing through the air like a sharpened blade.

Real fucking original, Red.

I shrugged, feeling that shitload of frustration and resentment building up inside me. Red had this way of looking at the world like it had chewed her up and spat her out, and I wanted to be the one to show her that not everyone was out to screw her over. I wanted her to stand the fuck up for herself, to stop letting people walk all over her like she was nothing.

But she needed to hit rock bottom before she’d finally claw her way back up and stop being such a fucking doormat.

“Maybe I am. But at least I’m not a hypocritical mess like you, drowning in your own self-pity.”

Her hand connected with my cheek, snapping my head to the side. The sting was sharp, but I welcomed it.

“Never belittle me again,” she spat out, all fire and venom.

About time she showed some backbone.

I chuckled darkly, rubbing the spot where she’d slapped me. “Remember this feeling, sweetheart,” I said, my smile widening. “Use it the next time someone tries to step over you.”

Her eyes narrowed, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Don’t push me, Lieutenant,” she warned, her eyes flashing with a fire that sent shivers down my spine.

And fuck me if she didn’t look sexy as hell when she got like this.

I licked my lips, my gaze locked on her like she was the only thing in the room worth looking at. “Push you?” I asked, my voice low and husky. “Oh sweetheart, you have no idea how badly I want to do just that.”

She sighed, her eyes meeting mine in a showdown of wills. She wanted to be mad at me, I could tell. Hell, I’d practically given her every reason to be pissed off. But there was something else there too, something that made her hesitate.

“I don’t have time for this crap,” she said, turning to leave.

“Well, I sure as hell do.”

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