"Agreed, but she's always got fire in her belly, Nate. Take her out."
"Or?" I turned to face the woman I hated more than myself, which was saying something.
"Or I'll do it, and you're going down right beside her. I'm not living my life with something held over my head." She shrugged and sat down on the couch, crossing her long legs and licking at her fingernail. "Marry her and let's get something out of it when she ODs like her brother did."
I turned back toward the setting sun and held my breath. Jenna knew that Ashley was connected to the murder somehow. It would be a matter of time until she connected me to it as well. We'd been covering our tracks so well, and it would seem we were at the end of our good luck.
The woman I'd fallen in love with at the coffee shop for the last year was the one that was going to bring it all down on top of us.
"It's you or me, Nate. Someone has to kill the whore."
I nodded. "You're right. It's me. I'll take care of it."
"Good. You marry her, and I'll poison her with Zandra."
"No. She knows it's toxic. I told her. I didn't know there was a connection when I let her in on the little secret." I opened the sliding glass door. "Be gone when I get back. I'm not in the mood for company."
"That hurts."
"Yep. Suck it up." I walked out into the afternoon sun and closed the door behind me. Life wasn't going to cut me any slack anytime soon.
Jenna or Ashley. That was my choice, and where it seemed easy, it wasn't. I was attached to Ashley, tied to her side, and all of her money from our latest hit would remain untouchable until she granted me my half. She'd have to trust me to do that.
The money from our last kill was running out fast. I needed her more than I needed Jenna, but I wanted Jenna a million times more.
"So it's not really Ash or Jenna." I pressed my forearms to the balcony in front of me. "It's Jenna or poverty."
I closed my eyes as my heart broke in my chest. Life would fuck me once again. It was simply the way of things. I just hated it like hell for my sweet girl. She didn't deserve what was coming her way.
* * *
"What? No. Dude. No. I told you this shit was going to happen." Mikey chucked the basketball at me with aggression. "I like this girl."
"Yeah, I do too, dimwit. Fuck." I chucked it back and walked toward him aggressively. "What would you do? Hm?"
"I don't know. I don't get into these crazy, fucked up situations like you do. Shit." He threw the ball at me and turned and ran toward the fence.
"Hey, bitch. Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" A behemoth of a guy stepped onto the court.
I chuckled and chucked the ball at Mikey before giving my attention to the guy. "I'm not nearly as fucking fat as you are, man. That's an insult and I'm gonna take a pound of flesh from your face for that shit. You'll thank me later."
"Oh shit. Nathaniel. No, man. I was just being dramatic. Hey, Mr. Big Dude, thanks for the help, but he's my best friend." Mikey ran toward us as I turned to face him and lifted my hand.
The giant answered for me. "Your best friend is a fucking bully. He needs to be taught a lesson. Stay back, man."
"Bully?" I glanced over at the guy. "I'm having to decide if I'm going to kill my childhood friend or the girl that leaves my dick hard and my heart fluttering all day long. Excuse the fuck out of me for being a little loud about it."
I moved toward him with speed I'm not quite sure he was expecting. I'd laid three punches on him before he socked me once in the side pretty good. All the air in my lungs rushed out, and I moved back and gulped for air.
Mikey ran toward the guy, but I moved in his way and pushed him back, which of course resulted in him landing on his fat ass.
"See? Fucking bully. I hate bitches like you." The guy growled and moved toward me.
"Let me guess. You didn't get your first growth spurt until senior year and everyone beat your ass until then?" I moved out of his way as he reached for me and knelt down, punching him twice in the nuts before he could drop to the ground and roll on his side. I moved in front of him and kicked him once in the chest and again in the face. "Did I get it right, bitch? Join the goddamn club. Mind your own fucking business."
"Nate, come on, man. Don't do that." Mikey pulled at my arm and forced me to move back. "Stop that shit. People are starting to gather."
"Whatever." I jerked from his hold and grabbed my ball as I walked back toward my apartment. First Ashley and now Mikey. What else the fuck could go wrong?
