"You're going to need ID. I know a guy. Actually, I know a lot of people. It's what happens when you're around for a long time."
"What's cookin?" Bic asked as he walked in the kitchen with Angus and interrupting them.
"These are fantastic!" Angus said.
Faith turned to see he'd already lifted a cutlet and taken a bite.
Cutty jumped down off the counter and immediately took a defensive position in front of the food, grabbing the fork lying beside the plate and wielding it in front of him. "Back off the chicken."
"I can have chicken," Angus said and then looked at Faith. "Tell him."
She didn't have a chance to say anything.
"You'll get your allowed portion, no more!" Cutty said and then started to count up the cutlets.
She was flipping the last of the chicken in the pan when she realized they were all looking at her. She ran a hand over her shirt, wondering if she'd flicked some raw egg on herself.
"She made them," Cutty said to the other two guys.
"But she's so little," Angus said. "She can't possible eat that much."
"Angus, just be happy Fate and Lars aren't coming and you don't have to share with them," Cutty said.
"They couldn't come?" she asked, a little relieved that Fate was missing dinner but strangely confused over how she felt about Lars not coming.
"Not sure what Fate is up to but Lars said he had to go help him out over at his place," Angus explained, still trying to reach around Cutty for more chicken.
Lars had barely spoken to her over the last two days, so why did she feel like someone had just finished off the last slice of cheesecake when she hadn't had any yet? She couldn't possibly be feeling disappointed. She shouldn't even want this cheesecake. He was definitely the type that would make her sick for sure; way too rich and creamy. She grabbed a stack of plates and walked over to the table, telling herself life was much better without him around. Everybody knew cheesecake was bad for you.
Chapter Nine
Faith closed the door to the bedroom, took a step inside and immediately jumped back, slamming her spine against the door. Right outside her window was Keith, Malokin's man, the one person she'd never wanted to see again. His tawny hair curled slightly over is forehead and his pale blue eyes stared at her. No one that bad should look so much like an angel. He stood barely a foot or two away from the window, only glass separating them.
"I wouldn't scream," he said. "Or did you already tell them about us?" he asked in the smuggest way possible, guessing she hadn't.
He was right. She hadn't said a word. Who would, with the way they'd acted, especially that guy, Fate. He'd looked like he'd wanted an excuse to kill her. What was she supposed to do? Hand him one?
Her hand gripped the doorknob at her back as if it were a lifeline between Keith and the guys downstairs. But he was outside. He couldn't get in. If he could've, she wouldn't be standing in her room alone. She was still safe here. She could let this scene play out without raising the alarm and bringing more doubt crashing onto her.
"What do you want from me?" She knew some of the desperation she was feeling leaked out into her voice. He heard it. She saw the glint in his eye.
"Why did you leave?" He said it as if she'd committed a crime against him, and not the other way around.
"Because I don't belong with you. I was killed so that you could have me. Why would I possibly want to stay with you?" He really was crazy. Inhuman and insane added up to a very bad combination. Why was she was trying to speak rationally with someone she knew wasn't sane? It was pointless, and yet she couldn't help herself from trying to handle this situation like they were two normal people with an everyday difference.
"You were going to die that night, either way. I had nothing to do with the man who stabbed you. You were his third victim that night." His chin went up and his lips pursed. He paused, as if waiting for some sort of reaction from her. Did it matter that her death had been inevitable? No, not to her. He still stole her life. She should've moved on from this world. Even if she refused to mourn the loss, he'd still been the culprit. There was also the problem of who he was. She'd rather cease to exist at all then be with him in any way.
She walked closer to the window, feeling more and more confident that he couldn't get in or he would've already.
"Will you come with me now?" he asked, obviously getting the wrong impression.
She dragged both of her hands through her hair in exasperation. "Never. I would willingly slit my own throat before I went with you."
His eyes narrowed. "You're making a mistake, and I'm not a patient man. You've already put me to a lot of trouble. You were promised to me and you will be mine, however long it takes or whatever the cost."
Growing braver with each minute that he didn't breach the room or try to come inside, she walked up to the window and grabbed the Roman shade's cord. "Bye, bye," she said, smiled wide and dropped it down in front of him.
She walked away and into the bathroom, telling herself she wanted to take a shower and she wasn't doing it to hide. And when she stayed in there longer than normal, she told herself it was because the water felt that good on her skin.
By time she dried off and got dressed, she'd worked up the nerve to go back over to the window. Refusing to be a coward, she pulled the shade up. He was gone.
She settled into the bed, still rattled but proud of herself for not screaming bloody murder.
She tossed and turned for a while before she finally fell asleep. She woke to a dream of rain and made up for the screaming she hadn't done earlier.
Chapter 10
It was four in the morning and Lars had only had about two hours of sleep when his phone rang. He rolled over, intending to hit the mute button, figuring it was a booty call. Sadly, he found himself only interested in one piece of ass lately and that was one call he wouldn't make.
His finger changed direction to answer as he saw Cutty's name flash across the screen. Cutty didn't call this late unless there was a problem.
"Yeah," Lars said as he answered.
"We had an incident."
Lars shot up out of bed, all the drowsiness of sleep immediately wiped from his system. "What happened?"
"Obviously something shitty or I wouldn't be calling you right now." There was a dragged out sigh afterward that warned Lars he wouldn't like what Cutty was going to say next.
"Are you going to tell me what?" His hand clenched the phone and he had to force his grip to relax before the screen cracked. The local phone shops were closed up and he didn't have a spare.
"Faith received a message," Cutty said, after a few very long seconds.
"What was it?" Lars hit the speaker button and dropped the phone on the bed. He grabbed the jeans he'd just taken off, which hadn't made it to the hamper yet, before Cutty had the time to reply.
"What are you doing? What's all that shuffling?" Cutty asked.
"I'm getting dressed."
"Why?"
"Why? You need to ask that?" He threw a fresh t-shirt on over his head.
"Okay, probably for the best anyway."
"What was it? You still haven't told me."
"If you're coming, best you wait. You really need to see it in person to get the full context."
"I'll be there in ten." Lars hit the end button and slipped the phone in his back pocket. He grabbed his keys, left his apartment and floored it the whole way over to Cutty's.
He got there in under five minutes, less than half the time it normally took him. The door was locked, which was understandable considering what just happened. He leaned on the doorbell for the second time, his body tensing with the delay. What if Malokin had returned? He was considering how long was an appropriate amount of time to wait before he busted the door down. He'd just come to the opinion that he didn't care what was appropriate when Cutty opened it.
"Were you going to kick my door down?" Cutty said, seeing Lars' position.
"If you took another second, yes."
Cutty shook his head and walked back inside, Lars at his heels.
Angus and Bic were already there. They played poker on Tuesday nights and it could run pretty late. He was usually there as well, along with some of the locals from town who had no idea who they were really playing cards with.
He'd bailed out on tonight. After watching Faith walking around the shop all day, he'd thought it was best to keep some distance between them.