Page 59 of Dirty Little Secrets
“Be careful. You know if you need anything…anything at all you can count on me, right?”
I soften. “I know. Thanks.”
She smiles and blows me a kiss. “Behave.”
I step into the elevator knowing my night is about to suck. My past refuses to loosen its grip long enough for me to breathe. Long enough for me to remember who I am without it.
Brent is already at the usual spot, leaning against his bike. It’s always dark when I meet him. The street is littered with garbage. The smell reminding me of back home and the trailer I lived in with my mother. The yellow glow of the streetlights bounce against the brick buildings like a horror flick.
This time, he didn’t come alone. Trevor’s here. Tammy too clinging to Trevor like she wants to be anywhere but here. Benny pulls up a second later, the growl of their Yamaha R1s echoing off the walls like a warning.
“Took you long enough,” Brent says loud enough, flicking the end of his joint to the pavement and crushing it under his boot.
“I have a roommate,” I say coolly. “She actually gives a shit about where I go. I had to make something up.”
He doesn’t respond. Just narrows his eyes.
I know he has someone watching the building. My plan was to leave Kristina’s place in a wig to head to the club and make it harder for anyone to trace me. Whoever Brent has watching me wouldn’t question it.
“Watch your mouth, Norianna,” he snaps. “Don’t lose your head just because you’ve had a taste of freedom and think you’re a city girl.”
I bite my tongue. Not because he told me to, but because I’m close…so damn close to the finish line. Even if he’s bluffing, evenif he has no intention of letting me go, I am leaving. He’ll have to kill me to drag me back to Seattle.
“I don’t have anything,” I say. “You know… we could’ve skipped this whole meet-up.”
“Why?”
“It’s not that simple. You know who we’re dealing with.”
Brent storms toward me after hooking his helmet on the handlebars. I brace instinctively, expecting a blow. Wouldn’t be the first time.
“You’re smarter than he is,” he spits.
He says it like it’s a compliment, but it’s not. He doesn’tknowXaiden. He just wants to use me for what hethinksI can do.
The truth? I’m not even close to Xaiden’s level.
Xaiden is a fucking genius.
I’ve only made it this far because he’s distracted, because there’s a pull between us I didn’t plan for. My attraction to him is real. Dangerous. I'm playing with fire on both ends, and it’s only a matter of time before I get burned.
“I wish I was,” I say honestly. “It would make things easier for both of us.”
He chuckles, a low, greasy sound that crawls across my skin. “Oh, that’s right. You’re still chasing that dream. Freedom.”
He steps closer, his thumb brushing my bottom lip. I want to bite it. Rip it off. But I hold still. I can’t provoke him. Not in front of Trevor, Tammy, and now Benny, who’s finally killed the engine.
“You sure you don’t want to stay with me?” he asks, his eyes undressing me like he owns every inch.
I’d rather die.
“You know that’s not a good idea.”
“What’s wrong, Nori? Don’t wanna have my kid?”
My throat tightens. “You know I can’t.”
That’s not true. I could. But I’d rather set myself on fire. I would never bring a child intohisworld. Brent’s DNA is a curse. A guarantee of violence. Addiction. Misogyny. His son would become another predator and I would be trapped.
