He exhaled and removed the bike from its stand, starting it in the process. The engine growled loudly, making the girl flinch back in surprise as the rumble filled his bones with familiarity. Angel looked back at her and tipped his head,
“Get on.”
He saw the hesitation in her eyes, but before he could say anything, the girl was moving to sit behind him. She made sure to keep some distance between them, but Angel was going to speed, so he looked over his shoulder,
“Hold my shoulders or my waist, whichever’s comfortable for you. If it’s none of them, you can either grip my t-shirt or the handle at the back of the bike. But make sure to hold on tightly.”
She chose to hold the handle at the back of his bike and Angel nodded in acceptance, looking back ahead. He accelerated once, and without another word, took off in the cold wind of the early evening.
17
The sky was still orange when he reached the beach house. The entire place was stranded. Abandoned after June’s death. Either that or Maya had scared everyone off her property.
Angel didn’t care though. Not when he caught a glimpse of blueish-black hair swaying with the wind far,faraway. He ripped his helmet off and got off the bike after the girl did so.
“Stay close.” He said to her and took off, making sure he heard the girl’s soft pad of footsteps behind him. They ran past the beach house and stepped into the soft sand. Angel didn’t hear the girl’s soft gasp behind him, just kept his eyes glued to Ray’s as he said softly,
“Listen,” he started and finally ripped his eyes from Ray. He looked at the girl, his eyes narrowed in seriousness, “You need to stay close enough for me to hear you. If you feelanyone’seyes on you, or even a soft sound that doesn’t fit this place, you scream.”
The girl’s eyes widened as they started walking towards Ray. He stopped just a foot away from Ray, still looking at the girl as she stopped as well, “Stay here.” He said, “And don’t move. Remember the scream.Anything,and you scream. We’ll both come for you, I swear it.”
She didn’t say anything, but Angel took the faint sheen in her eyes as a sign of acceptance. Angel sighed and finally turned to face the other girl who was sitting in the sand. He was close enough to see her T-shirt sway with the wind and reveal an angry bruise on the side of her neck. When he was sure the girl had sat down behind him, Angel moved toward Raylene Walker.
She must’ve heard his footsteps near her, but she didn’t turn to face him. Just started speaking,
“Do you know we’ve known each other only for three days now?” she said softly but Angel heard her. He was looking at her body, searching for any other signs of injury. But apart from the angry red on the side of her neck, there wasn’t anything else.Still,a part of him raged at the way it stood out on her skin. Made a soft roar begin in the back of his mind as he spoke roughly through that haze,
“Four days.” He replied, and those honey eyes turned to face him. She winced. And the roar crashed upon him. His voice was low when he said, “Can’t forget the great introduction.”
“Ah,” Ray said and turned back to face the water, “When you rained my house with bullets.”
Angel didn’t smile at the hint of humor in her tone. Just fisted his hands at his side and said in a low voice, “Tell me where you were, Ray.”
She scoffed lightly and dipped her head, pressed her cheek against her knee as she looked at him through hooded eyes,
“That’s not a question.”
Angel’s shoulders stiffened, a soft snarl flitting across his face as he said harshly, “Care to tell me why there’s a red bruise on your neck?”
That anger wasn’t aimed at her. She knew it. He knew it. But still, those honey eyes flashed, “Would you care if I told you?”
“I wouldn’t ask otherwise.” He shot back and heard her suck in a sharp breath.
“I interrupted when I shouldn’t have. And got hurt in the process.” She said, her eyes darting behind him and widening, “You got her here.” She said softly and looked back at him.
Angel shrugged and walked closer to stand right in front of her. This close, he could smell the faint antibiotic on her skin, merging with her soft flowery scent. Her warmth radiated across his body, making him almost forget his next words.
“She insisted on coming.”
“And you listened.”
Angel scoffed and looked at the girl staring at the expanse of the sea with soft eyes, “I couldn’t leave her back there like that.”
Ray turned to look at her, something like despair passing her expression before she shut it all off. Angel tipped his chin, his eyes shuttering in annoyance as he removed his hands from the pocket of his jeans and took a step closer to her seated figure.
“You’re blocking the view,” she said, her eyes cast down in the sand, “Move.”
He didn’t move. Just went down on his toes in front of her, aware that his T-shirt was swaying violently with the wind as he leaned forward to face her. Her eyes tipped upwards, the finger that was twirling in the sand stalling. He saw her gulp and heard her sharp inhale as he leaned closer. As he lifted his hand hesitantly,
