Page 46 of Rayne
Never in my entire life have I wanted them willingly to hang with me. But the real question is… why do I want them to?
You want answers… I convince myself. This is exactly what Hawk wanted. He wanted to plant the seed of doubt in my mind, drive me to insanity so I'd go to them.
Better yet… so I'd beg for them.
Taking a deep breath, I hit dial on my cell, putting it to my ear. It rings a few times before Margot's voice floats into my ear.
"Hi, Rayne," she greets warmly.
"Hey…" I trail off.
Immediately, she pauses. "What's wrong?" she asks.
I laugh. "Am I that predictable?"
"You're readable," she corrects. "Do you need me?"
"Yes," I answer, unashamed. "Are you free?"
Margot laughs softly. "Always for you. I'm on my way. Do we need alcohol?"
"Fuck, yes," I breathe out in relief. "I'll take anything at this point."
"I got you," she says. "Give me half an hour."
Margot and I curl up on the bed, glasses of wine in hand. To be honest, I expected hard liquor—but then again, she probably doesn't have the strength to hold my hair up again while I vomit non-stop.
We've got Deadpool on, but neither of us are really watching. I filled her in on my catastrophe dinner, and as usual, she's way too good for me.
"Don't overthink it," she says gently. "Hawk is being an asshole. Just distance yourself and keep your guard up."
"I'm trying," I sigh. "But every time I think I have some ounce of control, they swoop in and remind me that I don't."
Margot looks at me sternly. "YOU control your life. Not them. You're the boss here."
"Margot, he broke into my house," I groan, gulping down some wine. "I'm not even safe at home. I'm not safe at my parents' house. The only place I'm safe is at work, but if you could get in, then I have no doubt they could too. Hell, Hawk was already at the bar last night after work. They know everything."
"It's messed up," she agrees. "But I mean… they haven't hurt you. Right?" she asks for clarity.
I rock my head back and forth in thought. "Define hurt."
"Rayne," she says firmly. "Have they hurt you?"
"Not really," I mumble. "Not in that sense."
Her nose wrinkles up. "Look, I'm no stranger to a good spank, but… urgh. My brain will never recover from that image."
"Just imagine how I feel," I answer wistfully.
Chapter 16
Storm clouds rumble over Phoenix, the humidity finally catching up to us as Mother Nature gets ready for a bang.
Apparently, we're in for intense thunderstorms for the next three days, and as much as rain is needed, it's still a pain in the ass.
The whole office is in chaos Monday morning. Jason's big case starts in the Supreme Court, several support staff have called out sick, and Nick is even more stressed than usual. The moment I walked through the door, I've been bombarded with paperwork and files.
Urgent subpoenas, motions to dismiss, new client appointments… it's all happening.
