Page 30 of Love Fire

Hank finally leaves, ominously. His glare didn’t falter until leaving the basement through a door hidden off the side. I don’t waste time in leaving myself. Who knows how much time I have left now.

I send out a text.

I need more help than I thought and I need it tonight.

27

BRENT

Ican’t hear anything Alessandro’s saying. My brewing anger blurs his words. My fingers grip on the counter to hold myself back from shifting.

Those two were in the garden. Erin must really think that I have no idea what goes in my fucking place. Like how I know they smiled at each other. Talked to one another.

I especially noticed when she smacked his arm playfully. In my human form, I can’t hear from far. Only now does that fact bother me.

“Hey, are you okay?” Alessandro asks.

I respond while clenching my jaw. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why? What’s up?”

This stupid jealousy kills me, but it’s not my cousin’s fault. I can’t blow up at him because of something Erin did. Yeah. She’s the problem.

“Just asking,” he says. He points a thumb behind him. “Well, I’ll be going to bed now. Feeling a little tired. ‘Night, Brent.”

I reply frigidly. “Yup. Goodnight.”

After he left upstairs, I wait for Erin in the living room. I try breathing exercises to calm down. I can’t. I keep remembering how close they were.

It’s not jealousy. It’s not jealousy. She’s just trying to get another victim under her control. That’s a dealer charm.

Eventually, Erin walks in, and I’m still pissed off. In fact, I don’t even wait until she sits the fuck down. My mouth has no control anymore.

“Do you take pleasure in taking advantage of people who are starting to get sober?”

She stops in her tracks and looks at me incredulously and with slight disgust. I don’t fall back on my words. This is for the sake of my cousin’s recovery.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

I stand up and point at her. “You’re fucking him, aren’t you?”

She jerks her head back. “Fucking who? Alessandro?”

“Yeah. My cousin. You fucking him or what?”

“Of course not! We didn’t even talk that much to even get to that point.”

“That sounds like you’re considering it.”

She scoffs and crosses her arms. Her left hip sticks out in pose. I’ll admit, she looks pretty sexy like that. I’m still angry though.

“I am NOT sleeping with him. What the fuck is your fucking problem? I never did anything that made it seem like I’m even interested in him like that.”

“Oh, so you are interested in him in some way. Right?”

She gets in my face. “No! I’m not some type of girl that passes around family members!”

I shout back. “Are you sure about that? A lot of shady shit’s been happening around you two.”

“Well, you’re fucking wrong and a fucking idiot,” she snaps back.

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