Page 12 of Inevitable Destruction

EVERETT

“No Life”—Dark Station

“You look like shit.Did you even sleep?” I glare up at Jamie, my lip curling. Eight o’clock came all too fucking early. She smirks as she hands me a steaming cup of coffee. “I’ll take that as a no.” I snatch the cup from her and bring it to my lips, taking a sip even though it’s hot enough to burn my tongue and throat as I swallow.

Jamie takes a seat at her desk next to me and kicks her legs up. My eyes flick up to the clock on the wall—8:37 A.M.—and then down to the pile of paperwork littering my desktop. It’s going to be the longest fucking day, especially when the only thing on my mind is a certain pretty boy and the downfall I have planned for him.

“Seth keep you up all night?” My eyes dart to hers, my glare deepening, which only serves to make her laugh. I fucking knew I shouldn’t have told her about him. Or about my sexual preferences because all she does is use it against me. But she’s as close to a best friend I will ever have, so there’s that.

I tell her as much, grumbling as I take another drink of my coffee.

“Ah, c’mon. Now that’s not fair. Just like it’s not fair that you have a hot frat guy to fuck, and I’m stuck fucking my hand every night.”

I splutter, my coffee spewing from my mouth, across my hand and my desk, narrowly missing the stack of papers in the upper right corner. “Jamie, what the fuck?!” I balk at her, my mouth falling open with a laugh. And that’s exactly why she’s my best friend. She’s a fucking hoot, and I honest to God never know what’s going to come out of her mouth.

Does she cross boundaries? Every fucking day, but I just blame it on her lack of social interaction most of her life. She grew up with extremely religious parents who homeschooled her until she turned eighteen, and she left without ever looking back.

She’s grown into herself exponentially ever since we met a couple years ago when she moved here and joined the force. I found myself spilling secrets to her I never let see the light of day. She knows I’m gay, that I have a daddy kink, and she knows about my dad.

The day we had to go and find that girl, Essa, and tell her about her parents being dead, Dominik was there unexpectedly; I couldn’t hide my reaction. I was instantly sickened at the sight of his face. So fucking pretty and too goddamn similar.

Jamie knows me, and therefore, she started asking questions—ones I couldn’t answer—and I’ve been hiding my newfound obsession with Dominik since then, resisting in every way I can. I haven’t looked shit up about him even though my hands twitch with the urge to type his name into the system and find everything out that I can. I don’t even know where the fucker lives. But I run into him almost every time I go visit Pops’s grave.

And that’s when I let my desire for revenge peak in my mind. His face fuels my hatred and the anger I’ve been suppressing for so long; it doesn’t even feel as if any time has passed since my father’s murder.

“Well, I’m just saying. It’s been months since I’ve been laid. I need it more than you do, daddy.”

I groan, rolling my eyes and dropping my throbbing head into my palms. “You’re an asshole.”

“No, sir. You’re the asshole. I’m just giving you back some of what you’re owed.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” I shake my head, already exasperated. My temples throb, my neck aches, and my eyes sting. I didn’t get a lick of fucking sleep last night. For the first time ever, Seth stayed the night, a week after Dominik and I made eye contact at the cemetery. He curled into my side and slept the entire night plastered against me.

I have never “cuddled” with another person in my entire life, and I didn’t realize it until then, but that shit is fucking annoying. Who the hell would want someone in their space for so long, with their breath on them, and their body hair prickling their skin.

Nope. Never a-fucking-gain.

I take a long, languid sip of my coffee and get to work on the pile of paperwork that needs done by the end of the day—which is one of the worst parts about being on the beat. You get stuck doing the shit work, and most days around here are either spent at this desk, filing papers, or driving around aimlessly.

Le Grande isn’t terribly small, as we have a university, but it’s surprisingly low in crime. The only issues we usually have on a weekly basis are noise complaints from old folks who live near campus. Ninety percent of the time, we go out, knock on the door, and tell them to keep it down. Arresting underage drinkers or busting the party is a waste of time when they’ll be back at it next week.

They’re all usually pretty good at keeping shit straight, so, in conclusion, my life is a boring, endless circle of the same bullshit, just a different day.

The day drags, yet passes quickly, and before I know it, I’m looking up and finding it’s already after six in the evening. Jamie’s hammering away at her keyboard, too, and when I lean back in my chair, it creaks, jolting her out of her zone.

She glances over at me, and we both let out a laugh. “Wanna go get a drink?” she asks, and I nod.

“Let’s get drunk.”

“We have to work at eight, Rhett.”

“Don’t be a Debby downer. No one likes them. Who knows, you might find someone to bring home.” I quirk a brow, a smirk pulling at my lips.

She shuts down her computer and pushes away from her desk. “If I find someone to fuck, they definitely won’t be coming back to my place. What if they were a serial killer or something?”

I stare at her. She’s fucking ridiculous. “Yeah, Jame. I think a serial killer is going to willingly fuck a cop.” I deadpan.

“How would they know I was a cop?” she asks as we push through the doors of the building out into the chilly, dense air. I stop, causing her own steps to falter.

---