Page 46 of Touch Her and Die
“Look. I’m not dense. I’ve been around blood and things all my life. We all do what we need to do to get by.”
An idea popped into my head.
“How close are you to Parks? If he left me with you, I assume he trusts you?”
When she smiled, it made her even more beautiful, and I found myself considering what her damage could really be, being that pretty.
“Oh, he’s my best friend and cousin of course. Our family dynamics are odd. Basically, I have no value, outside of marriage. Parks had value as long as he could kill things. We bonded.”
A strange, comfortable silence settled. I didn’t want to kill her. I didn’t want to rip her hair out. When was the last time I’d liked another human? My sister. Parks on the good days. I took a sip of coffee.
“Bonded?”
Her softness around the edges and her cute little dimples had me almost trusting her. She might have reminded me of my sister, before they broke her.
“Yeah, you know. Neither us were good enough just as is. We had to prove ourselves. And me? Well. I think this place kind of says what I didn’t do.”
So, she was bitter and loyal.
“So, what do you think of this marriage?”
She glared at me.
“It’s bullshit. I fucked up and my brother, well you know. So poor Parks is now the target for an alliance.”
The warmth of the coffee didn’t do much to soothe my anger.
“Didn’t you have a wedding planned soon? I know I opened an invitation.”
A storm rolled in over those innocent little eyes of her.
“My father is still thinking I’m going to go through with it? He has a lot coming to him. So much bad karma.”
My brain liked the caffeine I was chugging down regardless of the burn.
“Are you a virgin?”
The burst of laughter caught me off guard.
“Uh? Are we already on terms to talk about my sex life?” she asked.
I smirked. “Not that kind of virgin, although, sure. I mean, we’re stuck here in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of animals you seem oddly fond of, so I guess it’s all relevant. But no. Do you know how to fight?”
She scratched her nose and leaned against the counter.
“Sure. I mean, in theory. Parks showed me lots of things over the years.”
The mug scratched on the counter as I set it down.
“Great. Why don’t we go take care of all your problems. Well, mine to. Want to go find the girl and take her out? Since that wedding is first?”
Emilee scrunched her face and looked at me.
“Look. I like him with you. He’s never seemed so happy. He’s told me so much about you. But finding his bride to be and killing her, won’t solve a lot of our issues. I tried to get out of my marriage and the only reason I wasn’t killed was because my dad thinks he can sell me off to a new bidder once people forget about the scandal.”
She smirked. “Turns out, fucking the groom’s brother in your wedding dress right where the groom will find you is a scandal.”
She winked.
