Page 63 of Disobedient Pawn

Pam’s eyes narrowed at Ren, but she didn’t say anything more and stomped off.

“That was really impressive…”

“Don’t think you’re off the hook. I don’t like people who can’t keep their shit together and be professional when called for, but she said exactly what all the little flags in my gut have been telling me. You’ve been playing me. I’m just another notch on your bedpost, and I have no interest in being your next score. Just wait a week. I’m sure there will be another new girl you can get with.” She pointed out of the booth. “I want to head back to the academy. I’ve had my fill for tonight.”

My heart raced with panic, my brain stuttering and not coming up with anything good to say. “But we haven’t gotten anything to eat,” I spit out and internally cringed. “I mean, let me explain over our meal.”

“Do you really trust her not to spit in our food or worse? No, I’m leaving even if you’re not.”

“Ren, at least let me explain my side of events,” I said as I scooted out and stood.

“Myles, you only need to answer two questions. The first is, were the two of you involved in a relationship, and second, did you throw her into a pool because she wouldn’t have sex with you in front of other people?”

“We were casual, and I’d been drinking. It seemed like fun at the time.” My gut twisted with the look Ren gave me. It spoke volumes about what she was thinking.

“I see. Then we don’t have any more to talk about. I appreciate all your help tonight, and I genuinely had a great time until this moment. But we come from two very different worlds, and I don’t want anything to do with this game you play. Please take me back to the academy.”

Ren zipped up her jacket, and that sound held finality. I would be lucky if she ever spoke to me again.

“Please, Snowflake…”

“Don’t make things worse, Myles. Maybe one day we can talk about it, but…” She looked away. “I’m not in a good head space for any relationship, and I definitely don’t want to try and navigate whatever this is.”

Spying Pam across the room, I wanted to do a whole lot more than just throw her in a pool, and all of it was dark.

“Fine. I’ll take ya home.”

“The academy is not my home. I don’t have one of those anymore.” With that, Ren marched away.

I couldn’t believe that this was happening again. All my good intentions were crushed in a matter of minutes. My head was doing the backstroke in the sea of insanity.

“Aw, such a shame you won’t be staying for dinner. I hope I didn’t ruin your appetites,” Pam sniped as I walked up to where she was standing near the door.

I stared down into her smug face. Smiling, I leaned a little closer, but she knew this smile. It promised pain, and her smile fell. “I shoulda cut out yer tongue before I tossed ya over the railing, and if ya keep it up, I’ll do more than that.”

“Are you threatening me, Myles?” She crossed her arms.

The darkness in me was seeping out like fucking Pandora’s box. I tried very hard to keep it where it belonged, but sometimes the temptation became too much. Blood had coated my face for the first time when I was six, stemming from a lesson that only a father like mine or Nash’s could come up with in their sick and twisted brains. That very first lesson was to kill the new kittens that were born in the shed. I cried and cried and took the smacks to the face, but he still snapped their necks in front of me. No matter how hard I’d tried not to let his evil seep in, some had. It slipped through the cracks filling the little gaps in my soul, and then tried to spread.

My lip curled up as I whispered. “If I need to answer that, yer far stupider than I thought. Push me again, Pam, and I’ll make sure ya know why people don’t mess with those from Wayward.” I lowered my voice a little more as her eyes went wide. “There are parts of me that would love to see ya bleed before that little home on Blueberry Lane goes up in flames. I wonder if yer family would make it out in time or if something would happen to them too.”

Pam gasped, a hand going to her mouth. “Like I said, keep it up, and the fun-loving guy ya wanted to humiliate will become the monster that hides under your bed and rips the soul from yer body. Is that clear enough for ya?”

She nodded quickly, and I backed away. “Good.”

Pushing open the heavy wooden door, I stomped outside only to skid to a stop as Ren yelled at Sheriff Morrison. Could this night get any stranger?

I moved slowly, totally focused on the conversation.

“I don’t care what my Father says. I shouldn’t have to have a curfew earlier than the other students. So, you can either arrest me or tell him that if he wants to talk to me, he can be man enough to do it to my face,” Ren snarled.

She glared up at Morrison. He was a scary man in his own right, but Ren seemed unaffected by him. Pride soared in my chest, but I didn’t trust Morrison. There was no way in hell I was leaving him alone with my Snowflake.

“I don’t make the rules. I just enforce them,” Morrison said.

“Unless you’re moonlighting as a pompous ass babysitter, wearing a badge doesn’t give you the authority to order me to do anything when I’m not breaking the law. Which I’m not.” She pulled out her phone, and the screen lit up. “Curfew is not for another two hours and twenty-three minutes.”

“Like I already explained, your father wants you to be inside the academy gates by no later than seven-thirty for your own safety.”