Page 87 of Lies Like Love

My attempts to drown out the memory of her led me down dark paths. Blood, rage. Anything to escape the fact that I’d left all the good in my life behind.

I should have kept it that way.

It would have been for her own good.

At least, that’s what I thought.

The piece of paper Sage handed me in the office earlier burns a hole in my pocket. Information confirming Fel’s been swimming in a sea of piranhas.

What does it say if I’m the safest option for her right now? Because I’m not much better for her than they are.

Not that she sees it.

Today at the shop, her eyes spoke volumes. While she likes to act tough around me, her cool exterior melted from the adrenaline rush of being pierced. She let out every hint of insecurity I’m sure she’s been burying.

It doesn’t matter how hard I fuck her or how tight I hold her, there’s a space between us she can’t trust bridging because I’ve left her once, and she thinks I’ll do it again. So she cloaks that fear in concerns about me fucking other women—and maybe it is something on her mind—but if she could only read the thoughts in my head she’d have known better.

I’ve lived my life trying to get over her, just as she’s done with me. We were young and confused, and I was stupid enough to allow us to be apart for a decade.

Not anymore.

Felicity Alcott is my destiny, and the moment I accepted that, the truth consumed me.

To the end we go.

I don’t know if she’s ready to live up to what that actually means,but I am.

Crew pours another round of shots for him, Sage, and me. I’m not sure why he’s here. All he’s going to do is piss Echo off. But maybe that’s his plan. I wouldn’t put it past him to ruin her birthday just for the fun of it. If anything, getting under her skin is his favorite hobby.

A few knocks come at the door before it swings open. This apartment might be mine and Sage’s place, but the whole shop treats it like their home away from home. Crew and Echo both have keys and crash on the couch when they need to.

Echo walks in first. Her half-black, half-white hair is stick-straight around her shoulders tonight, and she’s wearing a black leather jumpsuit that would be more fitting for a BDSM club than Incinerate. Her red heels bring her tiny self to almost average height, and she’s smiling until her gaze lands on Crew.

Rhett is noticeably missing from her side. Partying at a club is probably something he sees as beneath him, even if it’s his girlfriend’s birthday.

Doesn’t matter. Because any other thought leaves me when I see the flash of red hair behind Echo. A sight that drowns out whatever jokes Crew and Sage are making about Echo’s over-the-top outfit.

All I see isher.

Fel has her arm linked through Maren’s, and she’s smiling as her gaze locks on mine. Blue pools that used to make me believe if I swam in them long enough, I’d find the other side. No such luck.

She’s sparkling in a short dress that’s covered in rainbow-colored gems. It’s tight around her chest and dips low between her pierced tits. I love that the stones hide the barbells, making them a secret just between the two of us.

The dress hugs her waist before it flows out, swishing where it hits her mid-thigh. And her hair’s in big waves with a braided piece holding it off her face.

She looks too damn sweet for where we’re going. Too polished for this part of the city. Too bright to be allowed in my shadows.

But I’ll take her there anyway because I’m sick and can’t let her go.

She and Maren walk over, and I’m sure her friend’s tight white dress should be appealing, but nothing compares to Felicity Alcott making a statement.

Maren whispers something in Fel’s ear, before breaking off and following Echo to join in on the next round of shots.

“You want me to murder someone tonight, Red?”

She stops in front of me with a smile she tries to play off as coy, but she knows what she’s doing. She’s purposely made herself a glittering beacon for attention, and fuck if I’m not drawn in.

Her wrists are covered in bangles and bracelets, and as usual, her fingers are decorated in a variety of rings. She’s sparkling—bright—all good things I should have either taken when I belonged in that world or left behind.

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