Page 37 of Wrath

They’d always met at various locations in the area to make their drops, each time different from the one before, so there was no known warehouse or building for us to plan to attack. It felt like we were all talking in circles until Savage finally said, “We aren’t getting anywhere with this. We’re just gonna have to wait for Bones and Big to find us something we can actually use.”

“Agreed.” Cotton turned to me and motioned his hand at my blood-stained shirt. “And that means you can finally get home and take a shower.”

“Why?” I acted offended as I asked, “You don’t think red looks good on me?”

“Shower, brother. For your sake and mine.”

“I’ll take that as a no,” I scoffed. “I’ll go home and shower, but I expect to be called if anything comes up with the Demarco brothers.”

“Absolutely.”

I did as I promised and went home to shower. When I got to the house, I didn’t bother with the dirty dishes in the sink or the unopened mail. I simply grabbed some clean clothes and headed for the bathroom. I started the shower, and as soon as I stepped under the hot water, the tension in my muscles started to subside.

After a long, brutal day, I was finally starting to relax, and it wasn’t long before my mind drifted to Mia. I thought back to the night before when I found her in my bed and how disappointed I was in the morning when I discovered she was gone.

It was a feeling I had no business having, but I had it, nonetheless.

I decided it was time for us to come to an understanding, so I threw on my clothes, grabbed my cut, and headed out to my bike. I was just about to put on my helmet when I spotted Rosa walking towards me. I wanted nothing more than to just ignore her and drive off, but I waited until she got closer and said, “I was just heading out.”

“I see that.”

“There something you need?”

“No.” Her eyes drifted to the ground. “I was just hoping we could... Never mind. It’s not important.”

Our past hookups hadn’t meant anything to me, but clearly, they’d meant something to her. She was a nice girl who’d been through a lot with an abusive ex. The last thing I wanted to do was add to her hurt, but I had no interest in getting tied up with her. Instead of drawing things out, I gave her a nod and pulled out of the driveway.

I went straight to Mia’s, and we hashed things out—if you can call it that.

I’d planned to end things with her, but once again, I found myself in her bed. What can I say? The woman was a temptress, and I simply couldn’t resist her.

I’d been lying there thinking about things for God knows how long when I turned to check if Mia was still asleep. I was surprised to find that she was not only awake, but she was staring right at me.

Her voice was low and raspy from her slumber as she whispered, “Where did you go?”

“I’ve been right here.”

“You have, but your mind is a hundred miles away.”

“I was just thinking about my crazy day.”

“Is that why you can’t sleep?”

“Partly, but it’s nothing new.” I sat up and reached for my boxers. I slipped them on as I told her, “I should get going and let you get some sleep.”

“No, I’m fine,” she argued. “So, what do you usually do on nights like this when you can’t sleep?”

“I don’t know... Watch TV or take a ride.”

“A ride sounds nice.” Her lips curled into a smile as she said, “We should go.”

“You serious about that?” I pulled on my t-shirt and grabbed my jeans. “It’s going to be chilly.”

“Absolutely. That’s what coats and toboggans are for.”

She tossed the covers back and scurried to the bathroom. After cleaning up a bit, she came out with a towel wrapped around her. She collected her clothes, then returned to the bathroom. In a blink, she returned to the bedroom wearing a pair of jeans and a hoodie. She smiled as she said, “Let me grab my coat, and I’ll be ready to roll.”

“You sure about this?”

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