Page 99 of Wallflower

Kyle huffs. “How’d the handoff go?” Smart of him to change the subject.

“Fuck,” I growl, realizing I’ve made our situation worse.

“What?”

“Well, I threw in some guns to see how Maximus felt about them because I was expecting to have a new shipment of weapons coming. But now that’s not going to happen and we are more depleted than I’d like.”

“Goddamnit, Ripley. When’s the next one coming in from Louis?”

“I don’t know, he’s been delayed.”

“This reeks of Maximus.”

“I know.”

“If he knows we are dealing in guns, he will come after me.”

“Well… Maximus already knows that because I told him.”

“Do you think before you fucking speak?”

“Yes, actually.”

“Beg to fucking differ.”

“I needed a way to get off the island that wasn’t suspicious. You know this.”

“Mhmm.”

“Well, I told him you were set to meet up with a weapons dealer and I’d intercept you at some point and kill you. A murder off the island is much better than one on it, and it gives us more room for possible error. I just didn’t thinkthiswould be what went wrong.”

He stews in his annoyance and fear momentarily, tapping his fingers against the door frame. “Are you killing me when Shantel gets here?” he asks.

“Ideally.”

“Good, I want my fucking face back.” None of this is easy on Kyle. He’s been a tightly wound ball of fear and stress since I approached him with the plan a year ago. I tried to make it clear to him, the severity of a slip-up on a plan this crazy. He said he was ‘all in’, not willing to let anyone else bear the burden of my face. I should’ve been offended, but in reality, I was relieved. No one knows me like him. The way I talk, my mannerisms, myschedule. Kyle’s the only one out of my entire team who could pass as me, and I had to put aside my emotions to allow him to do this. Seems as though he’s letting his emotions get the better of him now.

“Thank you, for all of this,” I say, breaking the tense atmosphere.

“Whatever,” he grumbles.

The rest of the drive is silent, Kyle freezing me out as he stews quietly watching the countryside whip by. Thoughts of Rose roll in like an early morning mist, leaving traces of her everywhere like dew on the grass. She blankets my mind as I wonder if when I have her, she’ll still feel the need to poison someone. Could it be me? Just enough of something to make me dizzy and have her nursing me back to health? Can’t say I’m opposed to the idea, especially if she dresses for the part. I can feed her needs, since she’s so damn willing to indulge in mine.

We hit the city limits, then pull into the parking lot. Kyle’s got his hand on the door handle before I’ve even stopped the car. “Wait,” I request, forcing myself to be nice, not demanding. Even if I am his boss, he’s my best friend, and I’ll want his support when the rug is yanked out from under him.

Kyle pauses, though refuses to turn my way.

“I’m sorry for carelessly putting you in danger.”

“I’m already in danger, Rip. You’re just putting me in more of it.”

“I know. I-We’re just so close to the finish line, I can feel it.”

“You’ve still got to keep your head on straight. Is the pussy blinding you?”

“Absolutely not.”

Kyle finally turns my way. “I’m not an idiot, man. You’ve been more absent than usual since you stepped foot into that place.”