Page 8 of Wrecked By a Devil

“I’ll pass,” I say calmly. Noah is not aggressive as long as he’s sober and he appears to be so tonight. “Can you please move so I can get inside?”

“Hmm,” he sighs, but he makes space for me to open the door and walk into the building. “You’re no fun, neighbor.” I can hear him mumble but I choose to ignore it, not wanting to spend another breath on him. Besides, I know that getting into an argument with a guy like that would only make things worse for me.

After climbing what feels like a never-ending flight of stairs, I finally reach the fourth floor. By the time I dig my keys out of my bag, my legs are burning and my patience is hanging by a thread.

The hallway is as worn down as ever, with faded paint peeling from the walls in places and the overhead light flickering weakly. The building is quiet at this hour, save for the distant hum of a television coming from one of the neighboring units.

I let myself inside and gently push the door closed behind me, but the weak wooden frame still rattles loudly. The sound echoes through the apartment and I freeze, worried that I might have woken up my roommates.

“Riley?” Elena, one of my two roommates, calls out from the living room. “Is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

I find her curled up on the couch, with a calculator in her hand and a math book spread across her lap. Empty coffee cups and highlighted notes cover most of the coffee table.

“Tough night?

“You have no idea,” she sighs, taking another sip of coffee. “If you want a cup, there’s still some in the kitchen.”

“Gosh, it’s like you’re reading my mind.”

After thanking her and wishing her luck with her studying, I head toward the kitchen. Though, calling it a separate room is generous. A thin wall cuts the apartment in two, creating a narrow space just large enough for a stove, a sink, and a few cabinets. The counter barely has enough room for a coffee maker, but somehow we’ve made it work.

The entire apartment is like that.

We have three small bedrooms branching off a short hallway, and the bathroom is squeezed between them. There isn’t much space but I’ve learned that having the right roommates matters more than square footage. Thankfully, Elena and Lexi are both organized, which makes the cramped apartment feel a lot more livable than it should.

Tonight’s going to be a long night.

I pour myself a large cup of coffee and head down the hallway. Another siren blares somewhere outside, the sound drifting in through the old windows. As soon as I reach my room, I find my noise-canceling headphones and put them on.

My desk sits tucked into the corner between the bed and the window, leaving just enough space for a chair. I set down my coffee, open my notes, and force myself to focus on tomorrow’s exam.

It lasts all of five minutes.

Even though I’m doing my best to focus, my thoughts keep drifting back to Ezekiel and the ruthless look in his eyes as he was pinning me against the wall. Heat spreads through me before I can stop it, and I cross my legs, dragging my attention back to the pages in front of me.

CHAPTER FOUR

Ezekiel

“They’re already here,” Malachi speaks as he shuts down the engine of his brand new Mercedes Benz. He then gently opens the door and walks outside, closing it shut with a lot more care than I’d expect from anyone, let alone my brother.

“You know it’s just a car?”

“Don’t say that, it can feel you’re not taking it seriously,” Malachi’s pale green eyes look dead serious as he’s speaking. He runs his hand through his hair, making sure the light brown curls are tamed and under control, like everything else in his life is.

“Imagine if you crash it tomorrow…” I say more to myself than for him to hear it.

“Not gonna happen,” he says calmly as he makes his way to the entrance of the villa and unlocks the front door.

I have never seen my brother show so much care for anything in his life as he does for this car. It’s completely out of character for him, which makes me want to understand it even more. And also tease him.

I follow him inside and we’re welcomed by the automatic lights turning on as soon as we set foot into the foyer.

Malachi has servants at his villa, same as the rest of us, but they have limited access to most areas in the house, and we rarely cross paths with any of them, aside from the security guards.

Malachi and I head toward the study, where our three younger brothers are waiting for us.