“You got that right. She was the carnival ride that everyone got on, except Krew and me. We stayed away from that stanky cunt,” Decker grated out. “I need to get the hell out of here—check the perimeter.” Without another word, Decker took off, leaving me with Krew.
I didn’t know what to do. To think that all this time, Maya knew what had happened to Decker and Krew, and she’d hidden their fates from me. That whole time in school, she had kept insisting that hanging out with the guys made me look like a whore. And that I should have asked her to come with us to the Honey Pot, to where Decker, Krew and I hung out without any of our classmates causing trouble for us—especially toward Krew.
She had sworn on a stack of Bibles, that, as my best friend, she was saving my virtue and reputation. When, in reality, the whole time, she had used me. She had wanted Krew and Decker.
Maya used me then, as she was using me now. I sat there silent and numb as the truth fully hit me.
I then turned to Krew. “Please, hold me.”
Chapter Twenty
Krew
I dragged Regina off her chair and placed her on my lap. With my arms wrapped tight around her, I whispered into her hair, “I have you, sweetheart.”
“I’m normally not a blubbering mess—hell, I don’t usually cry—you know that,” she confessed in a hiccup. “Lately, though, since I’ve been around you two, that’s all I’ve been doing and I’m tired of it.”
“Look at me.” I tried to tip her chin up, but she burrowed deeper into my chest.
“I can’t,” she uttered, her voice strained.
Her confession gave me pause, yet I let it go. “Alright. Then listen.” I squeezed her tighter to me. “You have every right to be upset. Maya was your best friend and she betrayed you.”
“This whole time, I thought she had my back—we were best friends since first grade,” Regina said. She was shaking in my hold. “And why does Decker piss me off so much?”
“You know how he used to be. He liked pissing people off—especially if he got any satisfaction out of it.”
“He’s never done that to me, or you?—”
“Hella ya, he did. You just never took his bait,” I admitted, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. “Eventually, he stopped goading you.”
“I don’t remember… I’m sorry for putting all this on you.” She wiped her eyes.
“I’m sorry that we didn’t tell you sooner about Maya, but Decker and I thought we had it handled,” I admitted regretfully.
“I’ve been such a bitch. This whole thing is just a mess. Still, Decker doesn’t need to be a dick,” she added.
“I get it. We’re all under a lot of stress. This isn’t a normal situation that we’re in,” I said with regret. “It’s been years since the three of us have been together. Maybe we should do a restart.”
She snorted. “I think that’s a good idea, but I’m not so sure about Decker.”
“You said it yourself—we have changed. We’re not the people we once were. And on top of it, we’ve been thrown into something we have no control over—Decker has no control, and it’s killing him. He hasn’t been sleeping, and he barely eats. While you’re in that bedroom, he’s constantly doing perimeter checks, cleaning his gun, contacting Sabrina and running down new leads, just to make sure we are safe.”
Regina finally looked at me. “When did you become so philosophical?”
I carefully wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I don’t know. When I was in jail?”
“You were in jail,” she whispered, more tears trailing from her eyes. “I should have looked for you—called—something.”
I tightened my hold around her. “I don’t know what drove you away from Elida, but it had to be big, in order for you to leave your parents—leave us, with no word. Whatever you’re holding back, I’m patient and willing to wait until you are ready to tell us. Anyway, I’m kind of glad you didn’t see me in there,” I said, cupping her face. Looking into her beautiful brown eyes, her dilated pupils swallowed up the gold flecks in her irises. “I truly missed my Regi.”
“Krew.” She leaned in, closed her eyes, and kissed me. The touch was so gentle—not like the one we had shared in the hallway upstairs or back at the motel in Chicago. This was innocent, like she was testing her boundaries for the first time. I remained still, giving Regina the time she needed to explore me with her lips.
Her hands skimmed up my chest, and in that moment, I cursed at the t-shirt I had on. She smoothed her hands over my hard nipples, up my throat, and along my jawline until her arms wrapped around my neck.
Regina deepened the kiss, her tongue probing the seam of my lips and I opened for her. She swept her tongue inside, and I was a goner.
I took over the kiss, delving my tongue deeper into her mouth like I was possessed. Because tasting Regina was a welcome refuge from the loneliness that had been my constant companion. My dad and my asshole brother were alive, but I was still very much alone.
