Page 37 of Bone's Destiny

“Go away.” I rolled onto my stomach, keeping my eyes closed so I didn’t fully wake.

“Destiny needs you!”Thump. Thump. Thump.

Destiny? I flew out of bed, fumbled with the lock, and swung the door open. “What happened?”

Cash looked at me oddly. “You might want to put some bottoms on, boss.”

I covered my junk with my hand. “What happened? Is Destiny okay?” I vaguely recalled undressing and watching porn in the nude.

“One of the fire alarms in the basement went on the fritz. I only heard it when I got home after one. Destiny was screaming and banging on the door. She thought the place was on fire.”

“Fuck.” I went and pulled out a pair of sweats from my dresser and tugged them on.

“Espada is with her. I’ve been banging on your door for fifteen minutes.”

“Shit.” I ran the whole way down both sets of stairs to the basement. Cash followed. The prospects were leaning against the walls outside of the mechanic room. Espada was in the doorway. “Move.”

She was wrapped in the down comforter. Her face was red and blotching, her eyes swollen and puffy. She looked furious.

I squatted and whispered. “Hey, you okay?”

“What do you think? I thought the place was burning to the ground, and no one came to get me.” A tear skittered down her cheek.

“It was a faulty alarm. There wasn’t a fire.”

“Well, I didn’t know that.” She hiccuped and sniffled. Fresh tears rained down her face.

“Hey, it’s okay.” I reached for her, but she swatted my hands away. “Destiny.”

“Leave me alone.” She pulled the blanket up to her chin.

“I’ll stay with you for a little while.”

“Why? I’m obviously disposable.”

“You got this, Prez?” Espada asked.

“Yeah. You can all go.”

“So can you,Prez,” Destiny said sarcastically.

I held back from responding until everyone was out of earshot. “Look, I didn’t hear you. If I had, I would’ve come sooner.”

“You smell like Roland. Booze seeping out of your pores and cum.” She shoved me with a look of disgust on her face. “Go away.”

“You’re upset. I’ll stay.” Damn, her nose was ultra-sensitive, but she wasn’t wrong.

“Are you listening to me? I don’t want you here.”

“For fuck’s sake. It was just a glitching alarm. You’re o-kay.” Dammit to hell, I saw her point. I must’ve passed out, drunk off my ass, and the television was on. I didn’t hear shit. Only Cash had because he came home late.

“If the house was in flames or something had caught fire in the basement, I would be dead. Dead, you asshole. And it would’ve been an excruciating way to go!” she yelled. “Now get out!”

No way would I leave her down there alone. “Stop talking!” I yanked her and the big-ass comforter off the floor and threw them over my shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

“Put me down.” She squirmed wildly.

I took the basement stairs two at a time. Then grunted, going up the main stairs. She wasn’t heavy at all, but the down comforter made things more challenging. Having two flights of stairs didn’t help.

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