Home > Play Rough (Black Rose Kisses #2)(7)

Play Rough (Black Rose Kisses #2)(7)
Author: Eva Ashwood

I don’t think Sloan would care either way, except for maybe bringing it up because he wants to pick a fight or something.

“What are you even looking for?” he asks, and I tense even more. Case in fucking point.

I don’t even know what the answer to that is. I was hungry when I came down here, but now my stomach is just burning with anger and hatred.

How dare he just stand there like he hasn’t done anything? Acting normal like he didn’t kill my dad in cold blood when he came to Sloan for help? I grit my teeth and clench my fingers around the handle of the fridge, not sure if it’s better to ignore him or tell him to fuck off.

“I don’t know yet,” I say, managing to sound mostly civil. It doesn’t help that Sloan has always been pretty standoffish around me, questioning the things I do and treating me like I’m a dumb kid instead of a grown-ass woman.

It’s been more of the same since he killed my dad, and I can’t tell if that’s just a continuation of how things have always been, or if he’s just waiting for his chance to get me too. Before, I was usually able to ignore him or shut him down with a sarcastic comment, but now I’m being standoffish right back, even if I’m trying not to be.

I can’t remember what normal is anymore, and it’s making everything harder.

“Well, fuck. Don’t just stand there with the door open.” Sloan grunts, sounding annoyed. “You’re letting the cold air out.”

“Who are you, my mother?” I snap before I can think better of it. I slam the fridge door closed and move away from it, glaring at him.

He lifts an eyebrow and looks right back at me, an assessing look in his steel-gray eyes. “No, but I’m one of the people who pays the bills for this house.”

I roll my eyes, my jaw clenching so hard my teeth hurt. “I’ll give you the fifty fucking cents if it’ll make you feel better.”

“It won’t,” he says coolly, taking a bite of his sandwich. “If you want something to eat, just make something.”

“I was going to!” I insist, my hands curling into fists.

Jesus fucking Christ. This is such a stupid fucking thing to be bickering about, and once again, I can’t tell if this is the normal level of hostility and fuck-off attitude that he usually has, or if this is something different.

It feels bizarre, and a bit like I’m losing my mind, standing here trying to work out why we’re arguing about cold air in the fridge of all things. I want to throw something at him, but before we can get too much further into this argument or make things any fucking weirder, Levi comes in.

He looks between the two of us for a second, and Sloan rolls his eyes and goes back to eating, clearly done with me for the moment.

Levi sighs and then looks at me, running a hand through his dark brown hair. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

I nod, grateful to have an excuse to leave the kitchen. Maybe when I go back in to find something to eat, Sloan will have fucked off back to his room or wherever he goes when he’s not murdering people or getting in my face.

Levi leads me into the living room, and I follow, going to sit down on the couch. It’s far enough away from the kitchen that Sloan would have to either come to the door or work hard to overhear us from the kitchen, and judging from the sounds upstairs, Rory has music on in his room.

“So,” Levi says, sinking down beside me and turning a little to face me more fully. “I talked to Gavin, like I told you I would. I asked him if there was any chance of letting your dad out of his deal, or if there was anything we could do, but… he said no.”

I perk up at the mention of Sloan’s dad, the head of the Black Roses and the man who insisted my dad make up for not throwing a fight like he was supposed to by doing them a “favor” in return.

After my dad called me, sounding scared and agitated, I freaked out. Levi promised he would see if there was anything that could be done. It feels like it was forever ago that I asked, and it’s crazy to think it’s been less than a week.

My heart drops when he finishes, though. It’s nice of him to follow through on his promise, but it’s definitely too late to save my dad. Even if Gavin had said yes, it wouldn’t mean anything. Still, it pisses me off that the leader of the Black Roses said no in the first place. What was so important that my dad was doing that he couldn’t be let out of the deal? That he couldn’t pay off his supposed debt in some other way.

“When did you talk to him?” I ask, forcing down the lump in my throat and trying to piece together the timeline of all of this.

“Sunday,” Levi replies. He grimaces. “I’m sorry, Mercy. I know it was important to you. But Gavin’s got his own reasons for doing what he does.”

That was the day my dad died. The same day I had that talk with Levi after we hooked up.

Shit, did Sloan know that Levi was trying to get my dad out of his deal? Is that why he killed him? Was it my fault for interfering? If that’s the case… fuck. That would make all of this even more massively messed up than it already is. It just gives me even more questions about what the hell is going on here.

Did I get my dad killed by trying to save him?

Just like when I spoke to Rory, I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been sitting here not saying anything, my mind spinning with thoughts and questions and half-formed ideas. None of it is helpful, and I feel like I’m spiraling all over again.

“Hey.” Levi’s quiet voice breaks into my thoughts, snapping me out of my daze for a second. “Are you okay?”

There’s a split second of worry that everything I’m feeling is clear to see on my face, or that Levi can somehow read my thoughts. But his eyes are just concerned when I look at him, like he’s worried that I’m disappointed he couldn’t help my dad.

I lick my lips, trying to find a smile for him, but it’s not easy. It’s hard as hell when I know there’s nothing I can do to fix this, and when I don’t know who I can trust. Levi seems sincere, but maybe he’s just a good goddamn actor. Maybe he’s just stringing me along.

Shit. I wish I had stayed in my room.

“Mercy,” Levi says again, reaching out to take one of my hands in his. “I know it seems bad, okay? But it’s going to be all right. Your dad will be fine. I promise.”

My heart hurts just hearing that. Levi’s either lying or oblivious, but either way, there’s no comfort to be taken from his words. I know they’re not true, no matter how sincere he sounds.

Because my dad’s already dead.

 

 

5

 

 

School is a welcome change of pace from being cooped up at the house, and I go through the motions all day on Wednesday

It doesn’t really help that Levi is there after every class, waiting on me with that lopsided smile and teasing me about telling him what I learned in each class session. It’s familiar, and if it wasn’t for everything going on, it would even be nice. But now it just makes me feel guilty and conflicted, and I hate that.

We go back to the house in the afternoon, and Levi disappears to go handle some business or whatever, leaving me to trudge up to my room alone. Once I’ve closed the door behind myself, I drop my bag on the floor and sigh, flopping onto my bed and staring at the ceiling.

Hot Books
» House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1)
» A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
» From Blood and Ash (Blood And Ash #1)
» A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime
» Deviant King (Royal Elite #1)
» Den of Vipers
» House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2)
» The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #
» Sweet Temptation
» The Sweetest Oblivion (Made #1)
» Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels #6)
» Wreck & Ruin
» Steel Princess (Royal Elite #2)
» Twisted Hate (Twisted #3)
» The Play (Briar U Book 3)