Page 44 of Slay Ride

I lean to the right and spot Kindra sitting on the edge of the bed. Jesus fuck. Shouldn’t she be screwing my brother right about now?

“I can’t sleep with her making all that racket in the bathroom,” I say. “I just popped by to ask her to shut the fuck up.”

Cat winces. “Fucking tin man.”

The door slams in my face, and I’m left in the hall with more questions than answers. Tomorrow, I’ll need to find time to get Cat alone. First I need to explain that what I said was only to throw Kindra off our trail. After that, I want to know why she was crying. Ezra mentioned that she was having a tough time too.

It has nothing to do with caring about her, either. That fleeting urge to comfort and protect her has passed. I’m just being nosy now.

Most importantly, though, when I talk to Cat tomorrow, I need to know if she’s still down to fuck around and find out. She’s consuming my thoughts, and fucking her is the best way to clear both heads at once. After that, I can finally put this whole shit show behind me.

Chapter Eighteen

Cat

Shorty purrs and stretches his claw-tipped toe beans toward my face. With closed eyes and a deep sigh, he’s the picture of contentment this morning. I wish I felt the same.

I look at the faux sunshine streaming through the window. Technology has come a long way, but that realistic image lacks something. It makes me think of Bennett. He’s just like that rectangle of pixels. He can fake the sweetness until you almost believe it, but when you get too close, you realize what’s missing.

The warmth.

I turn onto my side and slam my fist into the pillow. Shorty stops purring as he assesses the situation, but his rumbling resumes when I cease throwing a tantrum. But why shouldn’t I pitch a fit? Especially after the bomb Kindra dropped last night.

While my audition lineup isn’t exactly what anyone would consider emergent, Kindra was kind enough to have my messages forwarded to the service we use for our retreats. All the cast lists I’ve been waiting on were released in a clump together, and I wasn’t on any of them.

I even applied for a commercial for wart cream.Wart cream!

I knew breaking into this business was supposed to be tough, but I never expected it to be impossible. The rejections were par for the course, as was the mounting disappointment. Now that disappointment has piled so high that I can’t see the other side.

Before the hopelessness can swallow me whole, I roll out of bed and drag myself to the bathroom to wash my face. I don’t know why I bother. Maverick is no longer on my radar after what Eve and Bennett had to say.

And I sure as shit don’t want to impress Bennett.

Like an idiot, I was actually disappointed when Kindra and Ezra interrupted us at that tiny cabin, but now I think it was for the best. After the way he acted when he came to my door and saw me crying, I’m happy to go back to being mortal enemies.

Someone knocks on my door just as I’ve applied the cleanser to my face, so I hurry to rinse it off. A bit of soap squeaks past my clenched lids and infiltrates my left eyeball with the fire of one thousand suns.

“Shit, shit, shit,” I whisper as I waterboard myself.

The knocking intensifies.

“Just a second!” I scream.

I look for a hand towel with my good eye, then pat my face dry before going to the door. Eve stands outside, holding a plate in her hand and wearing a smile on her face.

“Brought you some muffins,” she says as she holds the plate toward me. “We were all so worried about you last night.”

I take the muffins and motion for her to come in. “I was worried for a bit, too. I’ve never minded the cold, but these temperatures are something else.”

“Most people can’t understand it until they’ve experienced it.” Eve sits on my bed and looks around. “Where’s the cat? Kindra said you brought one.”

The spot where Shorty was curled on my pillow lies vacant. I place the muffins on the bedside table, then drop to my hands and knees and peer into the darkness beneath the bed. Two yellow eyes stare back at me.

“He’s under there,” I say as I get to my feet. “He hates strangers. Kindra’s the only one he doesn’t run from besides me.”

“I’m more of a dog person, myself,” Eve says.

I won’t hold it against her.

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