Oh, and the delightful sight of my daddy and his mutilated corpse. That had not been removed from my mind at all. I supposed it was a good thing the building I had been in had burned down to ash – Beau had told me so much when he went to check it out. The fire I’d set had done a good job of removing everything inside.
Even what remained of my daddy.
He was finally gone – finally at peace in every way possible. Even if I would have preferred to have gone to his grave sight – the place Beau had buried him, then the sick fucking stalker had dug him up from – knowing that he was ash and no longer able to be messed with by anyone else again did make a small part of my heart heal a little more.
“And with my help you will have a pretty dress within the hour and then we can go on to the most important part of a party – what sort of food are we havin’? Is it a buffet or a sitdown meal, ‘cause I love me some buffets.” Ruby continued talking as she shopped, and I pretended that I wasn’t missing anyone.
Delilah, Diamond and Yeva helped her. Yumi even followed as she stared at everything in wonder. Rika stayed in her seat, foot tapping on the ground, eyes locked onto her phone. She was waiting for something to do with her college, and it had been making her nervous for days, the poor kid. But all the girls were all having fun in the smallest of ways, and I was happy for them all, especially Diamond, who had never once seen a dress shop before.
The only odd woman out was Henley, and it was hard to concentrate on anything else when I kept glancing back at her as she sat on a lone armchair, staring out the store window. She’d come out with us, a surprise to me, for sure. But she was in an oversized black hoody of Widow’s, that nearly reachedher knees. A pair of black leggings, boots, and sunglasses added to the look, and she hadn’t once smiled. The gothic vibe was entirely un-Henley, as was the quiet and solemness she hadn’t been able to shake since my return. I couldn’t blame her, not even a little. But I was worried – exceptionally worried. She needed something, and I had no idea what, or if, I could offer it. But it was my job to try, and it was my responsibility to make sure that her smile came back one day.
“Lucky H, what do you think of this one?” I pointed to the current dress on my body, hoping to entice her into a conversation, knowing how sharp her tongue was.
She barely glanced my way before shaking her head. “Hate it.”
It was better than silence, even if not as in depth as usual. And I kept it going, for the twenty minutes that followed, refusing to quit until she had sat up and actively paid attention, rather than staring out the window of the random wedding dress store Raya had said she’d vetted and was secure.
I mean, there were at least ten Red Diamonds outside, hovering in a car or two, and on the street. A few of Raya’s Cartel were with them, the lot mingling as they watched the area for threats. I was as safe as I could be considering the current situation in my life, and I was not worried about danger.
I was just worried about Henley.
“I give up. This is pointless.” I huffed in defeat eventually, stripping down to my underwear as I passed the latest in a long line of horrid dresses back to the sales assistant who’d been watching us.
“Not just yet – we’ll get somethin’.” Ruby rummaged around the shelves, carefully touching each dress and declaring with a simple shake of her head that they were no good. “Is there anythin’ that isn’t on the rack out here?” She turned her head to the saleswoman. “I know we said we were in a rush, but there’sgotta be one or two pretty gowns out here that aren’t things us everyday folk would wear. Somethin’ that screams fancy event full of rich people.”
“This is the cheapest section of shelves we have. The other options out back are a little more… pricey.” The woman smiled tightly as her eyes trailed down Ruby and her outfit. “This selection would be more appropriate for your… your budget.”
“Oh.” Ruby stilled, back straightening, red painted lips pouting as she lost her smile.
She was wearing white hooker heels, a tiny pleated black skirt, and a white cropped T-shirt with a big lipstick kiss on it. She looked like a dancer, even in her everyday wear. But it suited her, and she was pretty, and she sure as fuck didn’t deserve the condescending tone of the sales assistant, nor the filthy look being shot her way.
I stepped forward, reaching for a gun on instinct even if it was on the side table with my bag, and someone being rude wasn’t a valid reason for murder. But it seemed I wasn’t needed – Ruby was more than capable of handling herself.
“Well,of course, the normal riff raff like me couldn’t possibly afford such pretty gowns. Hell, we barely have enough money to count on one hand on account of only survivin’ on singles and sex.” She laughed falsely. “But my friend over there is marryin’ a rich man so maybe you could be a peach and take this pretty black Amex and go find us somethin’ a little better to try on that doesn’t make her look as cheap as you think we are.”
The woman took the card, her caution turning into dollar signs in her eyes, no doubt at the thought of commission. Her attitude switched on instinct, and she was nothing but smiles and false simpering.
“Of course! I’ll go pull some things from out back now for you!”
Ruby narrowed her eyes just a touch, her smile turning blinding. “Well bless your heart, sugar. That’s mighty sweet of you to offer.” The moment the woman walked away, Ruby flicked her hair over her shoulder and muttered just a little quieter, “Bitch.” She turned to me with an eye roll. “Any objections to us not payin’? I kinda wanna rob the joint – and usually I don’t steal, but it’s a rich business, so a tiny bit of kleptomania ain’t gonna hurt ‘em.”
I inclined my head. “Your choice,mami. If you think that is appropriate, then we can do that.”
She stared at me a moment, lips twitching. “You totally want to shoot her, right? I see the crazy in your eyes that your daddy has, and that always leads to shootin’. So yeah, I think stealin’ is fine enough – she’s rude, but that isn’t bad enough to die. Yet.”
I didn’t answer with more than a laugh as the saleswoman returned, a handful of fancier looking dress bags in her arms. It seemed she had taken Ruby’s words and run with it, because the first two dresses were well over ten thousand each, and the third one was even more. But number four? Number four was a disgustingly large price tag that on any other day I would have said no, purely on principal, that no dress was worth that much. Only I’d put it on before looking at how much it cost, and I loved it within a millisecond of draping the fabric over my flesh.
Spinning around on my tiptoes to look in the mirror, I gasped, unable to hide the shock at the fact I actually liked what I found, and that the entire group with me had each been stunned into silence too.
“You look like a hot goth.” Delilah was practically drooling as she twirled her purple braids around her finger like a cartoon villain. “Why the hell does this dress suit you so perfectly? I would look like a swamp creature, and I wear black almost exclusively.”
I looked like a wicked fairy. Or some form of woodland nymph that haunted the darkness and made the world its bitch. And though I was not as into black as someone like Delilah was, I had to admit that I was fully on board playing goth for the night. The dress was thin and floaty. Tulle and gossamer and enough shine that I almost sparkled hung against me, delicate and soft enough to make me want to run my hands over myself again and again. But the best part of all was that it wasn’t white – it wasn’t a wedding dress sort of outfit, which was exactly what I had wanted to buy.
“Black like my bunny’s soul.” I snorted at my reflection in the mirror. “I want this one – this is it. I’m happy.”
It might have been hasty, but I didn’t need to question it, or try on more. I didn’t even need to think beyond a single second because I wanted it. I wanted it and it was mine, and that was that, regardless of the price tag or how much it looked like a dress for a different event than my engagement party. It was pretty and made me smile and that was the least I deserved, considering the shit I had been through lately.
Within ten minutes, I was dressed in my jeans and one of Logan’s jumpers, with everyone but Ruby back in the cars outside, ready for us to head on home. Each girl had been bought an outfit to wear to the party, and every single one of them had gone for a dress of some kind, except for Henley. She may have stuck with her usual colour palette and picked something pale pink, but she’d gone for a pantsuit over a dress. It covered her arms, chest and legs, and as much as I hated the fact she felt too self-conscious to wear a big princess dress like she normally would, I could not blame her. If she needed some time to feel better about herself in her skin, then she could have all the time in the world. I would just make sure she understood that she was beautiful still, regardless of the marks on her skin and the memories that were now staining her.
