Page 19 (1/2)

In the dreah In the dream…

Fuck Stop it

Gritting h ot shot—the smell of menthol makes me queasy now—but at this particular arette

So

Anything to distract me and center me

I pour the cocktail and slide the drink across the bar, paluy lays down on the slick wood But as I look up to see who else needs a drink, I freeze with the bill clutched in my hand

Marcus is here Sitting at the bar like he’s got every goddaht now Like he didn’t just shove his hand down ood-looking guy out for a drink with his buddies

Because he’s not alone either

He’s flanked on either side by twoat me with the same level of animosity as he did the last time I saw him

The other guy is Marcus’s other shadow I don’t know his nareat look at his face, but I’ news, these men always come in threes

The third ht they beat the shit out ofwith his elbows resting casually on the bar, sipping a glass of whiskey as he grins at me

I can feel Marcus watchingover lare from Ryland, it makes me feel like my clothes are about to be incinerated—and maybe the top layer of my skin too

So I ignore both of those aze settle on their friend instead

The guy whose name I don’t know looks… different than the other two

There’s so about his bearing It’s alar because it makes e fucking mistake