Page 48 of Haven

“What the fuck did you three do?” I hissed as I walked into Sawyer’s place. He and his friends had a house on the outskirts of town that his mother gave him before she died three years ago.

“Uhm, well. We might’ve raided their last shipment and burnt a container with guns. Also saved a couple of girls they kidnapped from Florida and New York.”

I clenched my fists together. I tried telling Dad that this would happen, but he was fucking distracted by his promise to my parents.

“He knows it’s you?” I asked, trying to hold back my anger, keeping my clenched fists at my sides.

“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to retaliate.”

I gave him a quizzical look. “He wouldn’t dare.”

“Yeah, he wouldn’t touch us, but…” he paused. “We have a girl that we like, and we don’t want to bring her into this. She’s in Florida, but you know Evan is a crafty asshole.”

Evan Rowell was almost as bad as Luke Callahan, if not worse. Thankfully he wasn’t in Crestview, but he worked with Luke from time to time. He didn’t care if he hurt children; at least Luke had some moral standing with underaged girls. I needed someone to kill them both to make my life easier, because I was getting tired of dealing with their shit. I wanted to make sure the women and girls in Crestview were safe, but with them lingering in the shadows, it was hard to do that.

“Is she in danger?”

“Aren’t we all in danger? This life isn’t the safest.” His joke fell flat under my glare and he scrambled to keep talking. “I honestly don’t know. We played it safe because we knew we were being watched. She knows our names, and that’s already dangerous enough. Her name is Babs—Barbara. I’ll try to get her last name, but please have Zade look.”

“You know how many Barbaras could be at Jacksonville? And I won’t do it until you tell me something. I’m not telling Zade to look for your booty call.”

“Look, we fucked up and I think she might be in danger, okay? We were never supposed to do anything or…fall for her, but we did. Evan had people watching us. They know we care for her. We can’t make it known, or he will hurt her. I just want to make sure she is safe.”

I couldn’t be angry at them for finding someone and having sex, but this seemed different. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“We like her a lot. It was flirty and we knew the dangers, but the pull was intense. She has a girlfriend, but she wanted us, too. Can you believe it? I think she wanted more, but we had to leave.”

I hated men. “So you fucked her and then you left her?”

He ran his hand through his hair. “It was an unforgettable night, but if they know, she will be…” He didn’t have to explain anything else. “It was better to leave for everyone’s safety, especially hers.”

“I’ll see what I can get him to do and I’ll keep you updated.”

I didn’t have the energy to deal with Sawyer’s shit right now. I was thankful they wanted to help because my dad was between a rock and a hard place, but if they were going to cause more issues, all three of them needed to stop.

Thirty-Nine

Rory

Ipopped my pill organizer, looked at the half a dozen drugs that kept me sane, and debated on throwing them in the damn trash can. Trauma was a cunt, because why was I dating an insanely gorgeous woman who worshiped the ground I walked on and I felt myself trying to sabotage it? Why was I like this? Why did my mother have to be a raging bitch who ruined my life, giving me a shit load of issues?

Happy thoughts, Rory. Happy thoughts.

Dumping the pills into my hand, I popped them into my mouth, washing them down with hot chamomile tea. Today wasn’t a good day, and I knew it wasn’t a good day. If I was being honest, the last few days weren’t great because of everything going on.

Cinder was pissing me off, and I knew I was close to snapping. With the drive-by and an apparent stalker, she was glued to me, asking me if I was okay, being extra persistent and pushy, and being a helicopter sister. I loved her, but sometimes I just needed her to stop.

ME

Today isn’t a good day, so I’m sorry if I seem avoidant.

HADES

Do you need anything from me?

ME

No. I have good days and bad days. It comes with the trauma. I’m sorry.