Page 19 of Pretend
“Oh, hey, babe!” He shuts his phone off. Still not acknowledging me, he turns his head to the side towards the TV. “Can you make me lunch? I’m starving.”
He doesn’t bother asking me about what Ravenmore wanted. I want to tell him everything. I need to tell him.
It’s like I’m a ghost in my own home…and lately, I feel like one, too. I feel unseen by my boyfriend.
“Sure thing.”
I walk into my bedroom and go straight for the laces on my boots. I sit down on my white bedsheets, but something unfamiliar catches my eye.
In the center of the bed sits a bouquet of flowers. They look just like the ones in my car. Maybe two dozen peonies and one bright pink one in the center.
Unknown: Flowers for the birthday girl.
I drop my phone just as fast as my heart falls to the pit of my stomach. Am I being watched? Can whoever this sick person is…see me?
I turn around, looking at my surroundings. The broken window is boarded up with wood. There’s no way he can see me. It must be another wrong number or text message.
“Jack?” I rush out of the bedroom, tripping over my foot. I stumble, but I manage to regain my balance. I stomp toward him and get in front of the TV, blocking his vision.
“Are these from you?” I jolt the flowers in my hand.
“No?” he responds, clearly thrown off by how his brows pinch together and his tone laces with questions.
“I found these on our bed. How did you not know these were there? Weren’t you home all day?”
“Yes, I—I mean no,” he stutters. “I left for a bit to take the jeep for an oil change. Who is leaving you flowers? And how the fuck did it get in our house?”
Sweat coats my skin. Is this unknown person a problem?
“I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”
7
ALESSIA
The closer Iget to those black entrance doors of El Devine, my boots hit the pavement with anticipation. I can almost hear the glass windows vibrate from the music and drunken chatter. It is a Saturday night after all.
As soon as I swing the door open to El Devine, I'm met with the usual bright neon cattle skull in the center of the bar. The TV in the corner shows a sports game, and country music is playing loud as cowboy hats and boots galore fill the small yet wide space.
One last night of fun with my friends before I’m on my way overseas.
I filled in Ella Winters on my stepfather, who ordered two SEALS on a “personal security detail” for me. She knows we need drinks.
I look around to spot Jack since he left the house before me. He told me he would meet me here because he was meeting his friends. He was too impatient to wait for me.
I walk forward, and a loud uproar of cheers and sounds is coming from the bar area. With Winters at my side, I can hear the scoff she spills as her pink lips form a smile. I follow her gaze, and my mouth drops open in disbelief as I soak in what’s in front of me.
Slaughter and Hannibal have their shirts off.
Operator Bane and Operator Creaturehave their shirts off.
Daegan has a massive dragon tattoo that covers his entire back. Its wings spread out, and its mouth is open like it’s about to breathe fire with about a hundred pointed sharp teeth. A pile of skulls on his lower back. It’s a work of art. His back muscles are...captivating, to say the least. He’s muscular but not too muscular, and— I need to look away.
Imust look away. But I can’t.
My eyes trail down, and I spot more tattoos.
He has another mythical creature on his ribs that starts from his chest. A Kraken with tentacles all over, holding onto an anchor. His left arm has a sleeve tattoo. I squint, trying to decipher what the symbols are, and it becomes clear when I spot a Cheshire Cat with a big, creepy, sharp-toothed grin on a tree branch.
