Warped (Dueling Devils 4)

“You want to get breakfast?” Chase asked as they hit the lights and exited the building.

“I have some things to take care of this morning. But thanks for the offer.”

“No problem, I’m going to grab a breakfast burrito on the way home and crash out. No amount of sleep is too much for me.” She gave a small wave and strolled to he

r bike, looking for all the world like an alternative model with her pierced lip and a full sleeve visible in her short sleeved t-shirt.

Symone watched her drive off and placed a call to Gia.

“What’s wrong?” Gia asked. Her worried tone made her wince.

“Nothing. If you have the time, I’m ready to have that long overdue talk.”

She gasped. “There’s a gaggle of people here at the hospital. I won’t be missed. When and where do you want to meet up?”

“My place in fifteen…twenty minutes?”

“Done.”

They disconnected and she walked to her car excited, nervous, and immersed in her past. Memories of their time together floated on the surface of her brain. The good, the bad and the indifferent. As sisters did, they’d had their knockdown drag outs, and always came back together, because in the end, all they had was one another.

She steered her car through the streets, reflecting on her history. She pulled into the parking lot, cut the engine, and rested her head on the steering wheel. Right or wrong, confronting painful things was always difficult, and acknowledging that her feelings were fucked up, cut her deep. They said misery loved company, but the reality was hurt people, hurt people. Seeing Gia, whole, beautiful, and blissfully happy had been a knife turn in a festering wound. She’d always be the one who got away while she stayed behind and lived through hell. It was an unfortunate fact, but she didn’t have to let it rule her, or continue to make her bitter.

I’m going to do this right.

Any sort of tension between Demon’s Vice President and his woman was bad. She got out of the car before she could change her mind and walked to her apartment. The small space felt almost foreign. She’d been spending more and more time at Monster’s condo and all her best memories were there. Barring the ones she’d made with Chase. She set her purse down on the table near the door and toed off her pumps. A knock sounded. A glance through the peephole showed Gia dressed in jeans and a Dueling Devils hoodie.

Symone opened the door and stepped back.

“Hi,” Gia greeted.

“Hi, thank you for coming. Please come in.” She gestured her inside with her arm. “We can sit on the couch.”

“Okay.” Gia walked over to the mid-sized couch and sank down.

Symone locked the door behind her and joined her. “There are many reasons why I asked you here. But the first is to explain myself. Seeing you was a slap to the face. You’re happy here. You have a family of your own making and your beauty. It’s a painful reminder of what slipped through my fingertips. Picturing you somewhere in the United States free and happy was a double-edged sword. It gave me the strength to endure, but it also gave me a place to misdirect my anger. I couldn’t express that to Mylandra or her people. It would give them too much pleasure and lead to making things worse for me. It was shitty, I admit it. But I never claimed to be perfect. When I saw you again, it was like all that bitterness exploded inside me and spilled out of my mouth.” Symone shook her head. “I’m sorry for that. I really am. I had to put distance between us to get my head back on straight.” She met her friend’s hazel eyes and winced at the pain visible there.

“I understood in a way. When I found out you’d been alive this entire time while being tortured. I hated myself. If it hadn’t been for Lefty, I would’ve spiraled into a bad place. We understand more than most that life can fuck you up majorly. But this was—too much,” Gia whispered.

“You have no idea,” Symone whispered back.

“Where do we go from here?”

“Some place better, I hope. Things have changed for me in the past few months. I have a clearer vision of what my life could be like. I spent so much time over the past years feeling afraid and numb. I don’t want to do that anymore.

“And you don’t have to,” Gia whispered.

“Why are you so good to me, Gia? We both know I’ve been a bitch.”

“Because you’re my sister and you were hurting. Because with a few inches to the right we could’ve had our roles reversed.” Gia took her hand. “I know it won’t happen overnight, but I think what we had is worth fighting for.”

“I agree.”

Gia smiled.

“I need to tell you something.”

Gia tensed.