but it didn’t reach his eyes. And he was right, damn him. I wanted to hear it from his own lips.
“Donna, I know you’re a strong, intelligent, independent woman.” I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling at the compliment. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do. But you know just as well as I do how dangerous Davey’s is. After what happened last night, that should be painfully obvious. It’s just not worth the risk anymore. Please stop going there.”
He made good points, but it still felt as if he was telling me what to do, and I hated that beyond measure.
“No.” I sat up and crossed my arms. “I’ve been going there for over a year. Last night was a first, and I won’t let it happen again.”
“For the love of . . . just. Let’s try something else. Whenever you get the urge for some danger, just come to me. We’ll go speeding on highways, or I can take you to an abandoned warehouse and we can break shit if you need to let off steam.”
I was shaking my head. He didn’t get it.
“Is it the random hookups? If it’s sex you’re after, I’m more than willing—”
“Don’t.” I pointed a warning finger in his face and got to my feet. “This conversation is over. You’ve said your piece. Now leave.”
Motherfucker thought he was god’s gift to women and his dick would solve all my problems. The arrogance. Although . . . if he fucked with his dick as well as he had with his fingers . . . No! I cut that train of thought right off.
He stood too, putting his Ray-Bans on. “If you continue to go to Davey’s, I will find out, and I’ll have to tell someone.”
“Tell who? Who would even believe you?”
“Your friends? Your family?” He shrugged. “I’ll just keep talking until someone takes it seriously. If you die and I did nothing when I knew you were going there . . . I can’t have that on my conscience, Donna.”
“Oh, so this is about you and your conscience? Fuck you!”
He started up the path back to the front of the house as I stared daggers at his back.
“I’ll be watching you,” he called over his shoulder.
I stuck both middle fingers up at him and gritted my teeth.
Once he was out of view, I took the other path up to the house and let myself in through a back door. Hoping Harlow and Mom were still glued to the front window, watching Hendrix leave, I rushed up the back stairs and into my room. I’d just lock myself in there and refuse to speak to them until they dropped it.
Mom was nowhere in sight, but Harlow and Amaya were perched cross-legged on my bed, looking at me with expectant expressions. As if it were fucking story time at the library and they were a couple of five-year-olds.
I heaved a defeated sigh and shut the door, leaning back against it. “Hey, Amaya. What are you doing here?”
“Harls texted me that you had an interesting visitor. I came right over.” She grinned.
“And you didn’t think to invite Mena?” I gave my sister an exaggerated look of disappointment.
She shrugged. “I did. She had to work. But demands a full blow-by-blow when she gets off.”
“Blow-by-blow?” Amaya repeated, barely containing laughter.
Mirth bubbled up inside me too, and my shoulders began to shake. “When she gets off?”
All three of us burst into laughter. For the first time that morning, I felt a little better. They were being nosy and annoying, but at the end of the day, I knew they cared. They wanted the best for me, just as I wanted the best for them.
“OK, that’s enough with the stalling.” Amaya wiped the tears from under her eyes and fixed me with a look. “Spill.”
I dragged my feet across the room and flopped onto the bed, face-first. “I don’t wanna,” I mumbled into the soft comforter.
Harlow kicked my hip. “Start talking or I’ll tell Mom and Dad what really happened that time I had to get stitches at the back of my head.”
I turned my head to glare at her. “You wouldn’t.”
“D, come on.” Amaya started running her fingers through my damp hair. It felt like heaven.
“It’s not that big a deal, really. He’s just being annoying.” What the hell was I supposed to tell them? It all revolved around my trips to Davey’s, and I couldn’t tell them that. They’d make me stop