know anything about him! You don’t know anything about the world that he’s mixed up in. He’s dangerous, Mia! Can’t you see that? Do you think the Mad Jackals are just a group of motorbike enthusiasts who like to wear leather as they help little old ladies cross the street? Wake up, Mia!” Eli is shouting in her face and his hold on her arms has tightened again. He’s using his height, towering over her, intimidating her.
“Eli, you’re hurting me.” Her words come out quietly but there’s a flash of recognition on Eli’s face and his grip on her relaxes a little, but he doesn’t back away.
“He’s going to hurt you, Mia. And they won’t think twice about going through you to get to him.” Eli shakes her hard, making her feel like a rag doll.
“They? They who, Eli? What are you talking about?” She frowns up at him, trying to understand what he’s telling her, trying to make sense of everything in her head.
Eli’s expression changes. For a second there’s fear that darts across his face and then the blinds go down, just like they do with Ray whenever she asks him for a straight answer on his past, on almost anything in fact. “Ask your new boyfriend. I’m sure he’ll be able to answer all your questions.” Eli’s mouth twists in disgust as he releases her and takes one step away from her and then another. He looks at her for the longest time, as if he’s trying to imprint the image of her standing there on his mind. Finally he sighs deeply and sounds far older than he should. “You should go.”
Mia bites her lip, reaching out towards him. “Eli, please, I don’t want to leave things like this.”
Eli looks at her kindly and her stomach drops into her feet. After all she’s done to him, she doesn’t have any right to demand things end the way she wants them to.
“If you need me, I’ll be here.” Eli smiles at her sadly, his eyes soft. “Ray will hurt you, and I’ll be there to pick up the pieces, just like I was before.” He seems so sure of himself, so certain of what he is saying that his words take Mia aback.
“Eli.” She doesn’t know what it is that she wants to say, just that she doesn’t want to see the hurt in his eyes and know she’s the one who put it there. But there’s nothing she can do to take it away, nothing she can do to make it right. This was her fault, simple as that.
“I’ll see you soon, Mia.” He doesn’t wait for her to answer, turning around and heading out of the kitchen, not stopping until she hears the bathroom door close quietly behind him. No slams, no recriminations, no screaming at her that she’s a whore or a slut or any of the other choice words she’d called herself in her own head. He was calm and that was almost more unnerving than if he’d screamed the house down.
Mia feels wetness on her cheeks and she wonders how long she’s been crying for. She entertains the idea of knocking on the door and telling him how sorry she is again, how she’d never meant to hurt him. But all she would be doing is sounding like a broken record, trying to make herself feel better.
So she does what he’s asked of her, she gets out of his house. But first, she grabs a bag and shoves as many of her clothes and things as she can from his bedroom. She doesn’t have any intention of coming back here anytime soon. She doesn’t think she could take seeing the pain in his eyes, not if she could help it. Coward , she accuses. She shrugs at herself in the mirror, no arguments there.
As she heads towards the front door, she keeps going over Eli’s words, his certainty that Ray was going to hurt her, that ‘they,’ whoever they might be, were going to hurt her. Eli wouldn’t give her any more of an explanation. It almost looked like he was scared to say any more. But scared of what? She had come here looking for closure, prepared to be angry with Eli for lying to her about Ray’s death and, at the same
“Eli, you’re hurting me.” Her words come out quietly but there’s a flash of recognition on Eli’s face and his grip on her relaxes a little, but he doesn’t back away.
“He’s going to hurt you, Mia. And they won’t think twice about going through you to get to him.” Eli shakes her hard, making her feel like a rag doll.
“They? They who, Eli? What are you talking about?” She frowns up at him, trying to understand what he’s telling her, trying to make sense of everything in her head.
Eli’s expression changes. For a second there’s fear that darts across his face and then the blinds go down, just like they do with Ray whenever she asks him for a straight answer on his past, on almost anything in fact. “Ask your new boyfriend. I’m sure he’ll be able to answer all your questions.” Eli’s mouth twists in disgust as he releases her and takes one step away from her and then another. He looks at her for the longest time, as if he’s trying to imprint the image of her standing there on his mind. Finally he sighs deeply and sounds far older than he should. “You should go.”
Mia bites her lip, reaching out towards him. “Eli, please, I don’t want to leave things like this.”
Eli looks at her kindly and her stomach drops into her feet. After all she’s done to him, she doesn’t have any right to demand things end the way she wants them to.
“If you need me, I’ll be here.” Eli smiles at her sadly, his eyes soft. “Ray will hurt you, and I’ll be there to pick up the pieces, just like I was before.” He seems so sure of himself, so certain of what he is saying that his words take Mia aback.
“Eli.” She doesn’t know what it is that she wants to say, just that she doesn’t want to see the hurt in his eyes and know she’s the one who put it there. But there’s nothing she can do to take it away, nothing she can do to make it right. This was her fault, simple as that.
“I’ll see you soon, Mia.” He doesn’t wait for her to answer, turning around and heading out of the kitchen, not stopping until she hears the bathroom door close quietly behind him. No slams, no recriminations, no screaming at her that she’s a whore or a slut or any of the other choice words she’d called herself in her own head. He was calm and that was almost more unnerving than if he’d screamed the house down.
Mia feels wetness on her cheeks and she wonders how long she’s been crying for. She entertains the idea of knocking on the door and telling him how sorry she is again, how she’d never meant to hurt him. But all she would be doing is sounding like a broken record, trying to make herself feel better.
So she does what he’s asked of her, she gets out of his house. But first, she grabs a bag and shoves as many of her clothes and things as she can from his bedroom. She doesn’t have any intention of coming back here anytime soon. She doesn’t think she could take seeing the pain in his eyes, not if she could help it. Coward , she accuses. She shrugs at herself in the mirror, no arguments there.
As she heads towards the front door, she keeps going over Eli’s words, his certainty that Ray was going to hurt her, that ‘they,’ whoever they might be, were going to hurt her. Eli wouldn’t give her any more of an explanation. It almost looked like he was scared to say any more. But scared of what? She had come here looking for closure, prepared to be angry with Eli for lying to her about Ray’s death and, at the same
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