My Beautiful Poison (Wicked Poison #1) - T.L. Smith Page 0,16

but just with the small things.

“Don’t play dumb.” She gives me her teenager eye roll. I laugh and shake my head, passing her the mixer. A knock is heard on the front door and Paige is first to bounce off to open it. I grab the cupcake tray and place it on the counter for her.

She’s quiet. I can’t hear any voices.

The hairs on the back of my neck raise when I make my way to the front door.

Paige is standing there smiling at Josh.

Josh, the scum of the fucking earth.

“Paige, get back to cooking.” She turns back to me, her smile fading, but she does as I say. When she’s gone, I stalk over to him and step outside, shutting the door behind me.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I ask. He opens his mouth then his lips turn up.

It's fake, just like him. His silver grills sit on his bottom teeth, and he licks them.

“Is that any way to greet an old friend?” the bastard has the audacity to ask.

“Fuck off,” I seethe, leaning in. “And if you ever come back, I will fucking kill you.”

“Now, now, now, August boy.” He’s always called me that. He’s only ten years older than me, but he acts like I’m some stupid fucking teenager.

Wrong.

I worked for Josh on the streets, selling, breaking into places for him. He paid me well, until the last job that sent me away for good.

It was a job that was meant to be easy.

But when I turned up and saw two of his other men there, I got cold feet. They called me a pussy and put a gun to my head, telling me I had no damn choice.

Robbery.

In the end, it was a set-up.

They broke into the store, marched me to the cold room, and locked me in there, destroying the place and taking everything they could.

I was found in the cold room with a gun on the floor next to me.

The bastards had called the cops on me.

Those bastards set me up.

Josh denies it all to this day.

In court, they told the judge that it was me who had a gun to their head and made them do it.

They got parole.

I got prison.

Turns out, they stole a lot of money, and the shop was owned by a government official.

Just my fucking luck.

“I’m not your boy, Josh,” I spit back at him. “Now fucking leave.”

“That your little sis in there?” He nods. “She’s a cute little thing,” he says with that evil fucking smirk of his.

“I am not kidding, Josh.” I step up closer. “Don’t come around here again or anywhere near her.”

“Your mom asked me to come around,” he says, that awful smirk never leaving his damn fuck ugly face. “Told me to tell you she wants you to come visit.”

Drugs and alcohol fucked her up early on when I was a kid. It’s how I met Josh to begin with. I worked for him to pay back her debt, then he offered me more money than I could refuse. It’s hard when you’re a teenager and have nothing and someone offers you something for jobs you know are wrong but you need food.

And I needed food.

I turn and reach inside, grabbing the bat I keep by the door. I swing back around to see he is no longer on the porch. Now he’s standing near his car, his hand up in the air.

“I’ll be seeing you, August boy.”

Chapter 9

Rylee

Anderson ignores me all week. Oh, he calls and texts, but not once does he make an effort to come and see me. So when Friday comes around, I know I have to go see him because clearly, he isn’t coming to me.

Pulling up to where I know he is—at a party, as usual—I walk in with people staring at me. I’m dressed in my work clothes because I couldn’t be bothered to stop at home to change. I need to do this now, or I’m afraid it’ll never happen.

One of Anderson’s friends spots me first. His eyes go wide with the realization that I’m here because I never come to these things. Getting drunk every weekend does not interest me. Sometimes you have to grow up, and clearly, Anderson doesn’t know how to.

“Hi, Blade,” I say to him while checking around for Anderson. Then I spot the fucker walking out with a girl by his side. His eyes flick to me, then flare, before he strides my way. His hand goes to my