just because you can’t get your way this one time.”
Harlen made another irritated sound and dragged a hand down his face. “Seriously. That’s crossing a dangerous moral line, Snyder.”
I walked over to the bed and reached out to mess up Vernon’s frosty white hair. “You guys are worrying too much. I’ve known Ollie a long time. There’s only a fifty-fifty chance she’ll let me seduce her anyway. I always treated her like a kid sister, which is probably the same relationship she’s searching for now. If she does choose to sleep with me, then she knows there will be consequences for her actions better than anyone. Why not let nature take its course and see if things work out in my favor?” I shrugged. “I honestly know her better than most of the women I currently sleep with. She doesn’t have any delusions about the kind of guy I really am.”
Vernon sighed and flipped his body around so he was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed. “But you’re going to try and sleep with her with an ulterior motive. That’s not nice, and it isn’t like you. I know you don’t want her here, but what you’re planning is a bad idea.” He pointed at me. “I can see the wheels turning in your head. You’re thinking about her reaction, and hurting her and embarrassing her enough that she leaves, but you aren’t thinking about how you’re going to feel when you become an actual villain.” He shook his head. “I know that’s a fine line you’ve gotten comfortable walking over the years, but I can’t stand by and watch you turn into an actual bad guy, Huck.”
“If you ghost her after fucking her, there is a good chance she’s going to run right to Mr. Peters and tell him what you did. Then we’ll all be out of a place to live, and you’ll have added yet another black spot to your soul for no damn reason. Your head might be telling you this is the only way to win this standoff, but I refuse to believe your heart is on board with this scheme.”
I moved away from the bed toward the mirror that was attached to the wall. The outfit was basic, but it looked good, and my tips tripled on any shift where I showed up wearing something that showed off my ink and was tight enough to make out the nipple rings under the fabric visible. I needed to dry my hair and brush my teeth, so I walked into the bathroom, hoping it would end the conversation.
I appreciated they were concerned for my moral wellbeing, but when I was backed into a corner, there was no end to how dangerous and defiant I could be. I thought they knew me better than that, but it seemed like even after all this time and the hardships we’d faced together, there were still secrets for us to uncover about one another. And neither of them knew just how sweet revenge sounded now that I let myself remember all the ways Ollie had let me down back when we were best friends.
I watched in the mirror as Vernon came into the cramped bathroom. He closed the lid to the toilet and sat down, his sharp eyes unblinking as I watched him in the mirror as I finger combed my hair. Huffing out an annoyed breath, I reached for the blow dryer and told him, “I know you kind of like her and think you can be friends with her, but you can’t trust her, kid. You have no idea what she’s really like. Everyone who comes in contact with her is compelled to take care of her, to worry about her, to protect her. She’ll eat you up and spit you out before you know what happened. Don’t get close to her. Don’t let her hurt you. Trust me when I tell you that she won’t feel bad about it when she inevitably does. If it comes down to you or her, she will pick herself each and every time.”
Vernon rubbed his hands along his thighs. “What’s the story with you and this girl? And what did you mean when you said she grew up with a madman? You and she grew up together, didn’t you? So, you would’ve been close to this man, too? We can’t help you if we don’t know what we’re dealing with, Huck.”