Page 17 of Sleeper

“No. Out of the question.”

“I was getting along just fine before you and your merry crew came to my rescue. Hell, at least the men in Nashville offered me a job.”

“You want me to take you back to Royal Road?” he asked, lowering his head. He seemed to genuinely want my answer. “I will, if that’s what you want.”

“No.” I was honest. Nothing waited for me in Nashville. The only things that came to my mind when I thought of it was it being the place I unwillingly became an addict and where my best friend died.

“Well, whether either of us like it, you’re stuck with me then.”

“Why?”

He drew a long breath. “Because if you go back to your apartment, you’re as good as dead, Kenzi.”

He was being honest with me as far as I could tell, so I decided to return the favor. That was the reason I told myself, but the biggest motive for me was every time I was forced to answer to her name, I wanted to curl into a ball and die. I missed her so fucking much it hurt.

“She’s dead.” I threaded a hand through my hair, trying anything to stop my anxiety from suffocating me. My chest lifted with a rugged inhale and then a heavy exhale blew out of my lips.

“I know she is.” His voice was the epitome of patience right now, despite the glare on his face.

“Wait, who do you know is?” I asked.

“Your friend, Vera Wang,” he replied, stepping forward.

“That’snotmy fucking name, Sleeper.” I snapped.

“Hold the fucking phone. Don’t you mean that isn’thername?” He asked, rubbing his hands over his face.

“No,” I huffed, defeat almost consuming me. “Kenzi is dead. I don’t know how she died or if I was even with her. The whole damned reason I agreed to go to Nashville was to keep her safe and I fucking failed. I fucking failed miserably,” I said. I was a horrible friend and a failure. Maybe if I hadn’t agreed to go, she’d still be alive. “The only thing I have to remember her by is this locket.” My hand squeezed the locket and then released it as my shoulders sagged with regret.

“Hey.” He took another step closer to me. His finger curled under my chin, and he lifted it. His stupid beautiful green eyes stared down at me, and I turned my head. “Look at me.”

I shook my head.

“Fucking look at me,” he ordered, and I didn’t know why, but I did. “You can’t think like that. We all die when it’s our time. When death comes for us, he doesn’t care who is around or what we’re doing. He takes us.”

“Do you really believe that?” I asked, choking back a sob.

“I do…Vera? Is that your name?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

15

SLEEPER

Ididn’t have the heart to tell her the locket she wore didn’t belong to her, that it wasn’t Kenzi’s to give, so I kept my mouth shut. Belle would lose her shit if she knew I didn’t rip it from Vera’s neck on the spot. I was a bastard, but I wasn’t heartless.

“How’s our fiend doing?” Ghoul asked from my phone. I leaned against the doorframe and peeked inside the guest room. “Sleeping. Any word on Willie?” I refused to call him Dad anymore. He never deserved the title and the meaning that came along with it, but he especially didn’t now.

“Fucker cornered one of the prospects and wanted to lowball them to get our guns back.”

“Fucking really? The balls on him.”

“Least we know he has our shit.”

“Or Monty talked and Willie’s just looking for a quick dollar. I know you trust Monty, Ghoul, but I don’t.”

Loud boisterous laughter wailed out of Ghoul, before he asked, “Is that what you think? That Spider and I trust him?”

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