Page 20 of Encounter

“This is yours,” she said when I stopped in front of her and handed me my gun and knife. Her voice shook a little, even though she smiled and tried to act tough.

I accepted my things. “Wasn’t exactly the fun I had in mind for tonight... Sorry.”

“Wasn’t your fault,” she said, shaking her head. “And no one got hurt.” The people around us listened, and as I glanced to the side, they all seemed to be playing along. “No one sawanyonegettin’ hurt, anyway,” Larissa added cheerfully, assuring me.

Carefully grabbing her around the waist, I pulled her close. “Always have my back, huh?” I whispered into her ear and briefly squeezed her in a hug. “We better get going,” I said, pulling away again, and turned my attention to the kid. He didn’t utter a sound and didn’t meet my eyes. “Promise I won’t get cold feet next time,” I told Larissa with a wink and tapped Galen’s knee to get up.

Staring at the glass in his hands for a moment, he abruptly put it to his lips and took several sips. Coughing, he placed the glass at the bar and followed me to the door.

It was cold and quiet outside. No police in sight, thankfully.

Hearing his shuffling steps behind me, I walked to the car and plopped myself into the seat, letting out a deep breath. My knuckles already ached with dull pain as I wrapped my fingers around the wheel. I was going to be destroyed tomorrow.

When I turned to Galen, he still avoided my gaze. As quiet as a little mouse, he settled in the passenger’s seat.

“Put your seatbelt on,” I told him firmly when he just sat there, but as the life-or-death sensation and animalistic instincts faded away, I tried to make my tone more mellow and understanding. Rubbing my eyes, I waited for him to do as I asked before starting the car.

I’m scaring him again, aren’t I?

I must have looked like some fucking heartless murderer to him, killing all those people. Sometimes I felt like it, too, when I was in the heat of it. Now that he was next to me—and I knew how hard it must have been for him—I was more guilty than usual.

Instead of torturing us both with forced conversation, I focused on driving.

After a few minutes of silent ride, I decided to speak again. “You really don’t need to worry. No one’ll say anything. And those guys... Those guys were from one of those white power gangs. Abusive lowlifes. No one’ll miss ‘em.” A bitter smile flashed over my face, before my lips eased back into a straight line. Galen didn’t respond, and after another while of that strange pressure building up in the air, I continued. “Sorry you had to see it,” I nearly whispered.

A strange, unfamiliar shame settled on the bottom of my stomach. As I moved my arm to shift the gear on the intersection, Galen noticed the wet spot on my shoulder.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?” he asked.

“It’s nothin’ serious,” I said, dismissive and firm. For the rest of the ride, we stayed quiet.

The house was dark and unsettlingly quiet when we got back. It creeped me the fuck out. It looked abandoned, so perfectly staged and decorated like no one actually lived there.Who could enjoy coming back to such a place?

“First aid kit?” I asked plainly after locking the door behind us, and Galen timidly pointed to the direction of the bathroom.

“Under the sink.” Galen timidly pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

He stayed behind while I walked into the room, turning on the lights. I couldn’t help but subconsciously worry about leaving blood stains anywhere around that white, sterile place. It was too clean, too spotless. The probably even had some little cleaner lady who came in to make it that way.

Bending down with a sigh, I opened the storage area under the sink and took out the first aid kit, opening it on the towel shelf next to it. I was starting to feel like in my late sixties instead of thirties, and in a need of a good nap. Growling in discomfort, I pulled the shirt over my head and threw it on the floor.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I leaned over the sink, and as I bent my aching fingers around it, I felt the sticky blood covering my hands again. Turning the cold water on, I carefully rubbed my joints as if to wash it off—even if I already did at the club—before focusing on the wounds.

When I heard careful, slow steps behind me, I glanced up in the mirror and briefly looked at Galen. He stood in the door, calculative eyes darting all over my reflection.

“Are you... Are you okay?” he asked, and there was a genuine concern in his voice.

“Told you I’m fine,” I responded after a while.Well, at least physically. Even though I came out alive, the entire situation left me tense and irritated. “I’m just not the youngest anymore,” I said, exhaling deeply as I leaned against the sink again. “Considerin’ I fought right as I was about to empty my load up Rissa, it ain’t too surprising I wasn’t really tuned in for a fight.”

After my bitter chuckle passed through the needlessly large bathroom, there was a block of silence.

“You... killed three armed guys all by yourself, within... like... seconds. And that other one, too. Didn’t seem like you were struggling,” he pointed out, and the sheer admiration in his voice made me look up with interest.

Like he forgot I was there—and for the very first time seemingly unbothered by my attention—he ran his eyes from my shoulders and down to my stomach.

The new scars must have looked serious to him, but it was pretty insignificant compared to the others. Considering the world he lived in, he must have seen me like some hero, taking care of those guys.

In reality, I might have won, but my ego felt bruised, even if all I got were some cuts. Jack still caught me by surprise. Anger brewed deep inside my chest—it straight up enraged me I didn’t see the threat coming and how unnecessary it all was. Larissa could’ve gotten hurt. Someone could’ve died for no reason.

---