Page 52 of Gemini
“Because he’s a friend of a friend and you hear stories. He also jerks off to feet or so I’m told. Always suspicious of those types.”
I rolled my eyes. “Please.”
“And maybe I just didn’t like how he looked at you.”
“And how did he look at me?”
Leslie glared at me, the slightest hint of a smile on his face. A look similar to the one he’d given me back at the dive bar. “I think you know that look,” he said softly. “I think you’ve encountered it more than a few times.”
I stared back at him. “Maybe.”
“I heard Dom showed you around a little.”
“He did. Just the club though.”
“Good.” He started to walk toward the other side of the building. I stared at his back until he stopped and turned to me. “You coming?”
I glanced at the building. Unlike the club, there were fewer lights to be seen and it looked more abandoned. It reminded me of the church in that way, with half of it in ruin.
What was it with these people and partially unlivable places?
My gaze returned to him, feeling uncertain. “Maybe I’ll wait for Dom,” I said.
His expression changed and I caught the disappointment in his eyes. “Still mad about the other night, huh?”
“You know it’s more than just that.”
He nodded. “Right. Guess I should have expected that.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Too late to say sorry and move on?”
“It is when you say it like that,” I snapped.
He dropped his hand. I swear his eyes glowed in the dark. The intensity in his glare made me shiver. “Okay,” he breathed. He walked back over to me. “How about this then, I’m not sorry for what I did. I’m not. I did what I felt I had to for us fucked up kids. I would have doneanythingto give me and Dom the vengeance that we deserved. You and Eve were caught up in it and that sucks. I didn’t trust Eve, and by extension, I couldn’t trust you. No matter how much I wanted to.”
Anger instantly washed over me. “You made me think I could trust you.”
“And you shouldn’t have.”
“You’re right, it was really stupid.”
He paused, peering out across the courtyard as if thinking. “I don’t regret what I did,” he said after a moment. “Not if it meant killing those fuckers at Severfalls and stopping them from ever hurting anyone again. But you know, even as I planted myself in front of you that night and had my gun in my hand…I still felt sick.” He laughed softly as if what he was saying was absolutely crazy. “Not because I was afraid of what I had to do but because I knew what I was losing. I couldn’t get rid of that feeling no matter what. I knew I’d lose…” He stopped. I waited. He shook his head. “Shit, I’m not good at this,” he mumbled.
I stepped closer and forced his gaze on mine. “I’m listening,” I said.
He studied me and seemed to relax. “I’ve seen and been through a lot of fucked up shit. Some things I can never escape. A lot of things I had to cope with. Other things I was able to get over. That night I got through Severfalls just fine. Blood and fire and all.” He paused again as if finding it hard to speak. “But coming back from what happened and seeing you sobbing on the floor still haunts me. It really does. Seeing what I had to do. Getting into Severfalls and killing was the easy part.Breaking you…” His jaw clenched tight, his expression faltering. “Breaking you was the hardest.”
The silence between us was like nothing I’d ever felt. I had no words at first. All the emotions started to flood me and I couldn’t tell one from the other.
Something in my gaze must have made him uncomfortable because he shifted, looking away. “So, yeah, can’t change what happened. I get that. Hate me like you want, I won’t say I still don’t deserve it. But maybe just for now we put the past aside. Let me help find your sister and keep you safe until we get her back.”
I swallowed, wishing my throat didn’t feel so tight. I put my hand out and he looked down at it. “Alright,” I whispered. “Truce. I’ll let it go. For now.”
His eyes flicked up to me and he smiled. He took my hand, but instead of shaking it, he held it. We stayed that way for a moment until he started pulling me toward the building opposite. “Good. Let me give you the VIP tour now.”
“Oh, okay,” I said, almost stumbling to keep up.
“Your legs still sore? Need me to carry you?”
“I-I’m fine,” I stuttered.
