Hideaway (Devil's Night 2)

“You two were about to come to blows last night?” I pointed out, changing the subject. “What happened?”

Why was he suddenly attending a party at Kai’s house, acting like everything was fine?

Michael swallowed his beer, bringing his glass down. “Nothing. We fight, and we move on. We’re not girls.”

Idiot.

“What the hell is she wearing?” Kai asked, looking out toward the foyer.

I followed his gaze, seeing Rika enter and hand her coat to the attendant. She wore sleep shorts with avocados all over them and a matching shirt that read I Avo Crush On You.

Michael started laughing under his breath, shaking his head. “I can’t believe she still has those pajamas. My mom gave them to her when she was like fifteen, and I felt so bad for her. But she wore ’em anyway. That’s what she must’ve gone back home for today, I guess.”

He walked over to her, and she tried to hide her embarrassed smile as he scooped her up in his arms and laughed with her.

“So, we could wear just regular pajamas?” I eyed Alex who avoided my glare.

“Like I said, you can do whatever you want.”

Yeah.

I needed to get the hang of that.

Second door after the stairs.

The candles were burning down, so Kai asked me to grab a handful more from the closet in the hallway. I knew some of the doors led off to the basement or were used as coat closets, so I found the one instructed and turned the knob.

It went deep. Shelves lined the back as well as the sides, and I stepped in, my finger hooked into the loop of the candle holder as I reached up to yank the chain for the bulb.

The chain clicked, but the light didn’t go on. I looked around me, still able to see fairly well with the candle I’d carried in.

Okay. Candles, candles, candles…. Where are you?

Bending over, I set my holder down and scanned shelves, moving things out of the way, and kind of wondering why I was searching for candles when there were flashlights and batteries right here in front of me. But rich people liked having parties by candlelight, so…

I looked over, finally spotting the candles on the other side.

But suddenly, the door slammed shut, and the room darkened more, leaving only the light from my small candle. I shot up, twisting around.

“So, I hear you kicked Rika’s ass,” Michael said, blocking the door and moving toward me. He was tall and imposing, and there was no way around him.

My heart pounded harder, but I shook it off.

It was just Michael.

“I didn’t walk away unscathed,” I said, turning back around and grabbing some tapers out of the box.

“And I heard you made a comment about ‘taking it in both ends’.”

I laughed under my breath, facing him again. “And you’re here to fight for her honor?”

“Rika can fight her own battles.”

Clearly.

And clearly she has no choice but to do just that, because it would never occur to Michael to be jealous or possessive or angry. He would never be troubled with grand gestures, would he?

I shook my head. “God, do you have any pride?”