Page 63 of Run Little Killer
Nix yanks his snapback off his head, placing it on hers with a satisfied nod. "Thatta girl."
Her eyes go glossy, bottom lip starting to tremble as he turns the key. His engine roars to life as he turns away from Lennon, pointing a deadpan stare at me.
He may be acting like a total dick right now, but it’s because this is gutting him alive. Nix doesn't process emotions well. I already can tell he's gonna need to go a couple rounds at the club's gym to start working through this hurt, and I’ll be right there with him.
"See ya later, darlin," I say with a wink, bike rumbling between my thighs as I crank my own key.
We watch Lennon walk out of our lives and up the front steps, knuckles rapping against the glass as she knocks on the door. A petite brunette answers, face lighting up with recognition before she lunges toward Lennon and throws her arms around her neck.
I look back at Nix, signaling that we can go now, and he twists the throttle, pulling back onto the street. I take off behind him, rushing past and weaving back towards thehighway. Wind whips by as I white knuckle the grips, speedometer climbing.
Eight-five… ninety… ninety-five... one hundred…
The leather of my kutte slaps against my back as I hit triple digits. Adrenaline and anger pummel my insides as I push my bike harder, needle tipping into the redline, trying to feel anything but hollow as we blow past the city limits.
Fuck this shit.
I'm not losing someone I love a second time.
I hit the brakes and my front tire locks, the ass end of my bike sliding as I turn. Nix’s headlights blind me as his own ties screech to a stop.
"What the fuck!" he shouts, engine idling beside me.
"We're not leaving her," I snarl. "Even if it means we take her kicking and screaming, let's go get our girl."
Nix’s face lights up. "Oh, hell yeah," he drawls, revving his engine.
We peel out, smoke rolling off the pavement behind us as we race back into Englewood.
Lennon
"Oh my god, Lennon!" Holly says with a shriek, arms winding around my neck in a hug as she pulls me into her house. "I didn't know if I'd ever see you again!"
"Samesies," I laugh, the sound of his hollow as I step over the threshold into her cozy living room.
"How are you? Where have you been?" she babbles, leading me over to a cream colored sofa and tugging me down to sit beside her. "I heard you were in some," her eyesdart from side to side before she leans in and whispers, "insane asylum."
My jaw tenses. I don't exactly know what all is public knowledge about me here– after I went into custody and was deemed mentally unstable, I was prohibited from seeing what the news had to say about me. The doctors said it would do me more harm than good to be privy to the court of public opinion.
"Uhm, I was in a treatment center," I admit, stretching the truth. "But I'm out now, good behavior and all," I say with a dismissive wave of my hand.
"Yes, oh my god, I love that," she gushes, pulling out her phone and swiping a finger across the screen to unlock it. "Kevin's on his way home, I'm gonna have him stop and pick up another pack of seltzers and then we’re going to climb into the hot tub and spend the night catching up, okay?"
"Kevin?" I question, furrowing my brow.
"Yeah, he moved in like six months ago,” she replies, a blush rising to her cheeks. “He's even talking about rings–rings, Lennon! Can you believe it?"
"No," I state dryly, unease rolling through me.
She keeps jabbering excitedly, and while I try to focus on what she's saying, my mind keeps wandering off. Holly is super sweet– a little naive, sure, but super sweet nonetheless. That's why I decided she was the best person to turn to when I arrived back in town. I’m aiming to lay low and keep a low profile. Not that I've ever had a problem with Kevin, but outside of Easy Jay's, our circles didn't overlap much. I’m not sure I can trust him to be as cool about me showing up out of the blue as his girlfriend’s being.
I don’t have any choice in the matter, because less thanten minutes later, the front door swings open with his arrival. "Booze is here," Kevin announces, holding up a case of White Claw as he kicks the door shut behind him and strides inside.
"Ohhh, yes," Holly squeaks, springing up from her seat and rushing towards him to pluck the drinks from his hand. "Thanks babe!" she coos as she hugs the seltzers to her chest, turning to face me. "My suits in the bathroom, why don't you go into my room and borrow one for yourself? Top drawer on the left."
"Thanks," I say, flashing her a smile that doesn’t quite meet my eyes.
It's not that I don't want this. Back at Briarwood, I’d long for nights spent sitting in Holly’s hot tub, sipping drinks I knew weren’t tampered with and just talking about anything. But that was before I escaped and started carving out a new life for myself, and now… I’m realizing, I’ve been mourning for a life I don’t even want anymore.
