Page 6 of The Operators

Whenever I flirt with Amanda it drives Thea mad. That’s why we both do it blatantly in front of her every chance we get. “Someone’s in a mood,” I tease even though I know I’m pushing too far. The alcohol from the last shot runs through my veins.

Thea grabs me by the ear and pulls me a few steps aside. “Ow,” I protest, following her by no choice of my own.

She pulls my head down by my earlobe to the level of her mouth. “Listen here, Carver. If you even so much as look at one of my friends like you’re going to take them home tonight, you will regret it. Don’t forget I know where you live, and I know how to get in too. And don’t think this is one of those ‘I’ll kill you in your sleep’ threats. Oh no. Death would be the easy way out. I’d sneak in and out of your place, only making small adjustments each time, making you believe you’re going crazy. Left your keys on the kitchen counter? Nope! Now they’re on your nightstand. Put the leftover spaghetti in the refrigerator last night? Nope! Now it’s spoiled on the counter.”

Her breath is warm against my ear. I don’t know why I’m panting, waiting on every word out of her mouth. Her voice is so melodic. So intoxicating. We both know she’s not being serious, but her intensity is really fucking turning me on. I can’t even pull away.

“You want to know the best part?” she asks, keeping me in this frozen trance as her lips move so close that I can feel them against my ear. “I wouldn’t even have to show up. Every time you misplace something, you’d wonder if it was me.”

She pulls back with the most satisfied smirk. I’m actually out of breath as I watch her step back. “You’re a literal psychopath, you know that, right?”

“Mm, I thrive on the fear from men,” she sasses, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she turns to walk away.

I grab her arm, stopping her from leaving. “The fear from boys. You don’t scare me, Thea.”

Her eyes meet mine over her shoulder. She gives me a conflicted look that I can’t quite read. She opens her mouth to say something, but I cut her off, afraid that I’m taking things to a place they shouldn’t be.

“I gotta take a leak.”

She pulls her arm away, rolling her eyes and giving me that ‘boys are gross and annoying’ look that I’ve grown up with. I exhale in relief, letting my shoulders sag down as I watch her walk back to Amanda, and they both head back to their friend group.

I clench my jaw, only allowing myself a moment longer to watch over her before I walk out of the main area to the bathroom. I bypass the urinals and head right into a stall to have a moment to myself.

Shit.Now I don’t know what to do. I can’t keep trying to find someone to hook up with while Thea is here, but I can’t just go home. Not now that I know she’s here. I’m not doing anything else anyway. There’s no harm in making sure she gets home safe tonight. That wouldn’t be weird if I hung around.

“Did you see what that bitch, Thea, was wearing tonight?”

My body goes on high alert as I overhear the conversation happening at the urinal outside my stall. I’m about to barge out there, but I have to make sure I heard that right. I’m feeling drunker than I thought. Drunker? Is that a word?

“She thinks she can whore it around and I’ll come running back.”

My blood begins to boil as I recall where I know that voice from.

“All I’d have to do is say the word, and she’d come crawling back. Literally crawling. On her knees and choking on this dick.”

All I see is red. He’s going to die. Today is the day he’s going to die.

I whip around about to burst out of the stall and kick this motherfucker’s ass when I stop and pause.

I have to get Thea out of here.

Dammit!

I can’t get kicked out of the nightclub until I get her out of here. I can’t risk him saying I attacked him and security letting him stay when I can’t get to her.

I take a few deep breaths to calm down. It’s better if she doesn’t even see him. I need to figure out a way to get her out of here without her seeing him.

I size him up as I walk to the sink. Fucking punk ass bitch. I try not to stare daggers as I wash my hands, but I can’t help myself. I have so much hate for this jackass. The only reason he didn’t get his face caved in when I arrived at his place to get Thea out of there was because she begged me to just leave.

I never liked him. He’s always given off creep energy. I tried to convince Thea to drop his ass, but for some reason I’ll never understand she always gravitates back to these pricks. And the worst part is that there’s no way to stop it. Every time we push her to dump a guy, she stays with him longer I swear out of spite.

This guy was worse than all the rest though. She was so invested in him, and he treated her like dirt. The relief I felt when Trevor got the call to come pick her up from his place was short lived when I found out the reason why.

I almost couldn’t think on the way over after I found out what happened. He was slipping her diet pills. I’ll never forget the look on her face when we pulled in the driveway.

My heart sunk. Defeated. She was completely defeated.

“Where the fuck is he?” I yelled, slamming the car door as I marched toward the door.

---