Page 9 of Hail Mary

Reaper

Can I ask you something, jail bait?

No, you can’t ask me anything. You’ve taken everything from me, Corvin.

Reaper

You want to ruin me?

Yes, I want to watch you burn.

Reaper

You hate me?

Yes, more than anything in this world.

Reaper

The sight of me disgusts you?

I hesitate for a split second before I reply.

Yes.

Reaper

Good, I need you to hate me and look at me like I’m nothing but the bane of your life.

Why….

Reaper

Because the sight of you doesn’t disgust me and that’s dangerous. Don’t make the same mistake she did and find some low-life scum like me worthy of your time.

Corvin

I had to get the hell out of there earlier. Being that close to her and having my hands on her had me wanting to kiss her. I knew if I did that, she would kill me… but not only that, I couldn’t do that to Cody. I ran away like a bitch. Darius was right, I do run from shit when it gets hard, which is why I drove around for hours until I found myself at the beach. I sat on the bonnet of my car, staring up at the night sky wondering if Cody could see me making a shit show out of my life. While I was there, I called the group chat I have with the guys for the first time in weeks. It was awkward for a bit, but then we slipped back into our old ways and talked shit for a long time. After that call, I started texting Lexi. I never should have sent that last message but I can’t take it back. To get my head on straight, I go to my voicemail and click on the last message I got from Cody, the one where I rejected her call because I was a fucking prick.

“Corv, baby.” The fear in her tone has me slamming my eyes closed and my heart aching inside my chest. The rest of the message plays out, and by the end of it, a lone tear trails down my cheek. I reply to the message and listen to it on a loop letting her voice lull me into a false reality where I can close my eyes and picture her face like I always do when I listen to it. Except this time, after the fifth time hearing the voicemail, it isn’t her face I see behind my closed lids, it’s Alexa’s. I sit up so fast I slip off my hood and tumble to the ground on my knees.

“Fuck!” I growl out as I push myself to my feet, pocket my phone and jump in my car, then peel out of the lot, and head home, berating myself the whole fucking way! I’m a piece of shit. Here I am crying over the last voicemail from Cody and yet it’s her fucking sister's face I’m picturing. I’m going to hell.

* * *

By the time I pull into the garage of my penthouse, it’s after three in the morning. The moment the elevator doors shut, I slump against the wall as I recall I still need to tell the jail bait about her starting college on Monday and I can only imagine how well that is going to go. No doubt the crazy pyro is probably going to stab me or some shit! The moment the doors open my jaw unhinges.

“Motherfucker!” I roar as I march into my house, dodging bits of glass and broken pieces of furniture and art. I round the corner to see all the paintings on the wall are ripped and some look like she took a knife to them. I come to a halt between the kitchen and living room. The TV is smashed, plates and other various kitchen appliances are broken and scattered around the room. I march down the hallway and thank God that I locked the gym and the office doors this morning, so I continue on to her room. I throw the door open ready to rip her a new asshole but the fucking room is just as trashed as the rest of the house! I check the closet and the bathroom and find them empty. I begin to worry that someone might have broken in and my stomach bottoms out as dread pools in the pit of my stomach. “Alexa?” I scream as I race from the room and run up the stairs. I slam to a halt at the sight of her sitting in the middle of my bed with that tiny red box sitting in the palm of her hand. I looked and see no damage has been caused to my room except for the bedside drawer is open.

“You got this ring for her, didn’t you?” I slowly walk toward her and drop down onto the side of the bed near her but keeping enough space between us. I stare down at the ring in her hand, it’s an Emerald cut ruby and trapezoid, 18k, white gold diamond ring. Alexa slowly lifts her guilt-ridden gaze to mine, begging me without words to answer her.

“Yes,” I whisper. She gasps, drops the ring and leaps off the bed, then stands in front of me. She strikes out and slaps me across the face.

“You couldn’t even tell her you fucking loved her but you bought her a ring?” she screams. I don’t touch my cheek to ease the sting, I just turn back to face her and wait for her to continue berating me. “You never deserved her!” she screams before slapping me again but this time I don’t just take it, I snap my arms and grip hers. Then I yank her toward me and slam her on the bed, before climbing on top of her and pinning her arms above her head, while straddling her legs to keep her in place. “Get the fuck off me!”

I get right in her face until our noses are touching. “Shut the fuck up!” She stills beneath me for a tense moment then out of nowhere she fucking head butts me. Thanks to the close proximity the hit doesn’t do shit, but it does stun me. “Calm the fuck down, you crazy little devil,” I shout.

“Fuck you!” she screams so loud my ears ring.

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