Page 29 of Ravaged and Ruined
Crank grins around the cigarette. “Cleaner than your conscience, Prez.”
I snort. That’s a joke if I ever heard one.
I nod once, “We hit it tonight. In and out before they even realize what the fuck happened.”
Crank smashes out his smoke and nods. He starts rattling off crew names, logistics, timing. He’s already building the bones of the job while I just stand there with my heart thudding like a war drum I can’t quiet. I let him talk, let him plan because it’s what he’s good at. What I need him to be good at.
This job might be just what I need. Something to pull my head outta the mess with Lacey, hit Ricci where it hurts, and stack some real cash. Cold, hard, untraceable. Before this casino turns into a damn money pit.
I push off the countertop, the knot in my chest still tight.
“I’ll catch you later,” I give Crank a slap on the back. “Need a minute to clear my head.”
Crank doesn’t question me, he just gives me a grunt and a nod before diving back into the heist plans. He knows the drill. Knows when I need space. Knows better than to poke at the shit behind my eyes.
I step out of the clubhouse and into the cool air that hits me like a bucket of water. The hangover from last night isn’t alcohol, it's guilt, and it clings worse than smoke. I lit a fuse with Lacey I can’t put out.
Her face flashes in my mind. The way she slept, curled up in my sheets like she belonged there. Like I hadn’t already let her down once and might do it again.
I light a cigarette, barely feeling the burn in my chest as I suck it down. I should go back. I should explain. I should fucking try. But the truth is, I don’t know if I can.
So I don’t.
I pace the lot instead, my boots grinding into the gravel, my jaw clenched so tight it aches. I stare out across the open stretch of road, the kind of space that promises a clean slate, even if it’s a lie. I flick the cigarette into the dirt, watching the ember fade like the part of me that wants to believe I could have her and keep her.
Then I throw a leg over my bike and tear out of the lot and on to the road. The wind bites at my face, cuts into my skin, but I welcome it. The pain reminds me I’m still alive. I take the back roads, the ones that weave through forgotten parts of thiscity with its abandoned lots, shuttered factories, and streets too cracked for the rich to care about.
I have no destination in my mind. No plan. Just the road stretching out in front of me, endless and empty. Like me.
I made a choice, and right now all I want to do is ride.
Chapter Thirteen
Lacey
The light filtering through the blinds is bright and warm when I stir. For a second, I’m content, cocooned in the tangle of sheets and the lingering scent of sex and him in my nose. I reach across the mattress, my fingers splaying across the sheets. It’s cold and empty. My stomach drops before my eyes even open.
No. Please, no.
I sit up slowly, the ache between my thighs a sharp reminder of last night. Of the way he claimed me. Of everything he said, everything he made me feel with his body, with his mouth, with his damn words.
Tomorrow, I’m going to wake up with you next to me. And I’m not letting you go again.
Liar.
I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and stare across the room.
His cut is gone. His boots, the ones he kicked off in a hurry last night, leaving one tipped on its side near the bed are gone too. The dresser’s empty. His keys, his gun… all gone. So is he.
The silence punches me in the chest harder than any fist ever could. I press my hands to my face, trying to will the burn behind my eyes away. I told myself not to believe him. I knew better. He’s always said just enough to keep me tethered, only to yank the chain when I got too close.
But last night felt different. Didn’t it?
I stand, pulling the sheet around my naked body like it’ll shield me from the sting of the hard truth.
There’s no note. No message on my phone. Not a single fucking sign that I meant anything more to him than another night of control and sex.
The Lacey from a few months ago would rage. Would tear his room apart, scream at the walls, and storm out like fire licked her heels.
