I sucked on the sweet smoke, holding it in before exhaling as I pushed through the front door. Instantly, Cece stumbled into my chest, a red Solo cup in one hand and a burning cigarette in the other. I could do with a cigarette.
“Meraki!” Cece’s skinny fingers dug into my arms as she shrugged her natural blonde hair over one shoulder. “You look hot, girl.”
Her eyes fell up and down my body, nodding in agreement. I kind of knew I did. I dressed every single day like it was a statement. Tonight, it was all about my inner Goth who constantly wanted me to let her out every now and then. Black leather skirt with buttons clipped from the hem to the waistband, tights that stopped at my upper thigh, a black crop top, and a short leather jacket. My hair was in its natural state, and I had a copious amount of makeup on.
“Thanks.” I eyed her carefully. “How much have you had to drink?”
She whined in that annoying way she always did. “Too much, which is why I’m going to find your man.” She tapped my nose with her finger. A potent whoosh of whiskey scent closely trailed. “To get some candy off him.”
“Okay.” I sucked back on the joint while taking her drink out of her hand as she continued her trip. Music pulsed throughout their home, rattling the family portraits on their walls. Ma and Niko’s old man would be at The Seven Knights’ compound, no doubt, since his dad was the vice president and Ma was the actual queen of The Knights.
Kurt Cobain rasped on about a heart-shaped box, and all I could think about was getting drunk. Any time I was near the Cathedral, it left a shadow in my mind for days until I burned it off. I’d try to explore why that place left an ominous chill down my spine, but anytime I tried, I realized although it was menacing, it was also captivating. As if the more time I spent there, the more locks sealed to keep me trapped.
For now, I’ll warm that chill with a heavy shot of vodka. I was rustling through the cupboard in the kitchen looking for Ma’s good stash when black military-style boots came into view.
“You know you’re the only one who can get away with drinking her shit.”
I ignored Niko, pushing the cheap knockoffs to the side until my fingers found the clear skull bottle. The joint had long since burned out between my fingers when I finally bit down on the cork lid, spitting it onto the floor.
“That’s because she loves me.”
My eyes came to Niko’s. I’d always found his fascinating. A clean-washed gray but lined by corrupted dark ink. That matched with skin that tanned the longer he was exposed to UV was a fatal combination. I say that because I too had the same energy as the sun’s rays…
Niko took the features of his ancestors on his father’s side. Sharp cheekbones, lips so soft they would start wars between the girls in the cafeteria, and the perfect upturned nose. His features were masculine but edgy and borderline beautiful in the right angle. There were times when I’d find myself staring at him and wondering how. How someone could be so… exhaustingly perfect.
I blamed that for the why I slept with him because it was not his personality. Since he annoyed me every hour.
“Someone’s gotta.”
“Gee, thanks, Nik.” I punched him in the arm, my fingers clicking against the hard muscle.
The other thing? Niko was literally six foot seven. I was five-five. He was a whole foot and then some taller than me. Fucking bully.
“I ain’t got time to love you, baby.” He snatched the joint from my fingers. “I’m too busy keeping your ass out of trouble.”
I wrapped my lips around the bottle, keeping my eyes on his. He took a step closer to me, and just as his arm was about to wrap around my waist, Cece’s red-painted fingernails curled around his torso.
“Can you come sit on the couch and watch me dance?” Cece said, looking up at Niko, but his eyes were still on mine.
My brows rose, taking another hit of the potent taste of vodka. “Sounds like a party.”
I poured some more vodka into a stray Solo cup before putting it back where it belonged and hit the fridge to find something to mix with it. I found a half-drunk bottle of OJ. I poured my already almost filled cup of vodka with OJ to make me feel less alcoholic.
“Where are you going?” Cece asked, and they both followed me out of the kitchen when I bumped into Luca, who obviously came from the coke den. He pressed one nostril with his thumb, sniffing loudly and making no effort to hide exactly what he was doing moments before.