Page 83 of Heathen

"Dude?" Bandera snaps at the man, bringing a smile to my face.

"Really?" Twisted chuckles.

Rooster turns his attention to the other man, and Twisted snaps his mouth closed.

"I don't think it's fair that you know so much about us, and we know hardly anything about you," I mutter.

"We aren't talking about me," Rooster says, even though both of the other men are nodding in agreement with me. "Twisted is right. You have to wear a costume."

"That's too embarrassing," I argue.

"Are you afraid of being embarrassed in an effort to get your woman back?" Twisted challenges. "Why do you care what others think?"

He's got a very good point, and it cements my decision to wear a costume for this grand gesture that's needed to prove to Kaylee that I care for her and with me is where she belongs.

I can't help but feel like I'm stuck in the middle of some romantic comedy with the way these three guys are grinning at me.

Kaylee came into my life because she was on the verge of possibly being sex trafficked to some piece of shit who would buy her like they would a fucking dairy cow. Life doesn't work the way it does in PG-13 movies. People get hurt. The guy doesn't always get the girl.

It makes me realize that I could’ve easily show up dressed as her knight in shining armor and she'll take one look at me, decide I've lost my fucking mind, and file a restraining order against me.

But I can't take the chance that she won’t smile and fall into my arms and promise to be mine forever, and that's what has me on my feet and out the door in search of a Halloween costume that would do my declaration of love justice.

Chapter 34

Kaylee

I can't recall a single other time in my life when I drank as much as I did last night.

I think we killed four bottles of wine between Morgan and me, and waking up this morning only to do all the work we shirked last night has left me utterly exhausted.

Even after a late afternoon nap and a shower, I still don't feel like even going downstairs to the party.

I stare at my reflection in the full-length mirror, feeling like a fool wearing the thrifted wedding dress.

I got it as a joke and had fully planned on ripping it up and covering it in fake blood, but I never got around to it. I had no way of anticipating what my week leading up to the party would be like. If someone told me exactly what had happened was what I was facing, I never would've believed them.

It all feels so unreal, and staring down at my empty left hand doesn't change it.

I took the ring that Dima handed to Ellis to put on my finger off the second we got into the vehicle to drive away from the warehouse.

He mentioned this dress being in my closet and asked if it was bad luck to wear a wedding dress when you weren't getting married, but I felt the same when I had that ring on.

I've never had any intentions of getting married. It's not something I let myself think about often, but it also didn't feel right wearing even a simple gold band when the vows we spoke were lies.

I don't know why I'm missing it right now or why I'm left wondering why he kept his on rather than putting it in the console of the SUV the same way I did that day.

I shake my head, reminding myself that I can't read anything into how he acted at any point during my stay with him because none of it matters.

If he wanted me to stay, he could have easily asked, but he simply kissed my forehead and let me walk away from him.

I swallow down the lump threatening to clog my throat and grab the princess crown from my overnight bag.

I frown down at the cheap plastic thing, noticing that one of the combs used to keep it in my hair is broken.

"Seems fitting," I mutter, throwing the thing back into the open bag.

Knowing I can't let Morgan down when all I really want to do is pull this stupid dress off and crawl back into bed, I leave the room, the thump of the music from the party already drifting up the stairs.

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