Page 58 of The Rogue

“Or your wedding would definitely be canceled,” said Landry.

“Oh shut up,” he said. “Whatever. I’m taking her out tonight. I need to get her mind off of it.”

Bix looked at him. “Sounds to me likeyouneed to get your mind off of it.”

“I already told you, sis,” he said to her. “I don’t want your husband to arrest me.”

“That is fair,” said Bix. “I don’t want him to arrest me either. And it is often the only thing that keeps me on the straight and narrow.”

She looked very grave when she said it, and in spite of everything, it made him laugh.

“So, you told Rue that she needs to live like you.” Daughtry asked, “Does that include anonymous hookups?”

That hit Justice square in the chest. It offended him.Horrifiedhim.

“Absolutely not,” he said. “That isnotwhat I meant.”

“Well. It is what you said,” Daughtry pointed out.

“I think it’s fairly obvious that what I meant was she should take a night off and do a little bit of drinking. A little less thinking. Get up late the next morning. She isn’t running the shop right now, so she might as well. Might as well take a vacation from trying so hard. That’s all I meant.”

“Doessheknow that?” Daughtry asked.

“She wouldn’t do that anyway,” said Justice. “It’s not in her nature.”

“When your whole world is destabilized, your nature may get shaken up along with it,” said Bix, her tone overly sage.

“If I wanted notes fromvan lifeI would’ve asked,” said Justice.

“And if we wanted philosophy from a drunken man-whore we would’ve asked,” said Daughtry. “In all seriousness, I am sorry. I realize that it was so important to you that she... have this.”

It was. Because if Rue couldn’t get what she deserved, then who the hell could?

“Whatever. If you guys want to head out to Smokey’s tonight with us, you’re welcome to. Otherwise we’ll give you the highlight reel tomorrow.”

“We’ll let you manage her. She probably wants abreak from having a bunch of people around her to feel sorry for her.”

Bix spoke with authority. And he had a feeling that Bix was familiar with pity. Being that she had been an overly poorly creature when Daughtry had found her.

“I’ll let you know how it goes.”

But he couldn’t get what Daughtry had said out of his head. And it haunted him the whole rest of the day.

It was cold outside. The waning winter season was making it difficult to figure out what she was supposed to wear to a bar. She could recall that there were definitely kinds of women who seemed to just throw a big coat on over a very small dress and call it good, even when you could see your breath outside.

She rooted through her suitcase, and came up with a very short blue dress that came to her midthigh, and had long sleeves and a scoop neck. She had worn it one time to a military social event with Asher, but never in Pyrite Falls or Mapleton, because people knew her here, and she didn’t know how she felt about people who knew her all that well seeing that much of her boobs. But they were going out to... be wild?

She’d been sitting in this for a week, and for the past few days wrapped in the cocoon of King’s Crest, so it had been easy enough to pretend that the only crisis was the wedding that wasn’t. And then it had been easy to pretend she was just on a quest to do new things.

But something about last night, and the wild impulse she’d had to turn to Justice and...

It was all caving in on her right now.

All of it. And with that, came rage.

She had done everything right. She hadn’t been like her parents. She wasn’t even like Justice. Who she thought was a good person, honestly—it was just that he didn’t... he didn’t behave. And she did. She was so good. She was so... disciplined. Her entire life was in order, and through no fault of her own it was now in utter shambles.

She hadtried. She had tried so hard and what had it had gotten her?

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