All My Broken Pieces (FindingLight #2)

Chapter 31

Arriana

I’m still stuck here.

I glare at the back of the house, picking at the blades of grass beside me as I fume at the fact that I still haven’t been able to go home.

“Hey, psycho!” Zandra calls out, drawing my attention. “What are you thinking so hard about, hmm?” She comes to a stop before me, placing her hands on her hips. “You’ve got this like crazy brain face happening right now.” She snickers, glancing over her shoulder for the support of her group. Only there’s no one there. Realizing she’s come to antagonize me on her own, a flash of fear crosses her features before she quickly schools her expression.

I lean back on my hands, running my gaze down her body and back up, taking a mental note of her physical strength in comparison to my own withered state.

I could still take her.

My lips tick up at the thought. “What, your posse leave you high and dry today?” I quip, raising an eyebrow. “Just you and me, huh?”

Zandra glances around the empty yard, her distress growing.

While I haven’t let out the more vicious parts of myself during my stay here in the spirit of playing nice, I’ve made it clear enough that I’m not one to fuck with. At least, not if you’re going to do so alone. Zandra isn’t the only one to have gotten a little bloodied and bruised by my hand.

“Don’t need ‘em.” She retorts, crossing her arms and trying to appear imposing.

“Hmm. That so.” I slowly push to my feet, brushing the dirt off my hands and ass. Taking a step forward, I attempt to slip past her and head back inside but she side-steps, effectively blocking my way. “Move.” I growl, glaring at her.

Zandra shakes her head, standing her ground as she declares, “No. It’s time you learned not to mess with me.”

I bark a laugh, shoving my hands into my back pockets and leaning back. “Oh?” I chuckle, arching an eyebrow. “And how do you plan to do that?”

Bitch still hasn’t learned.

I can feel the excitement growing at the promise of letting out some of the pent up need for violence, something I haven’t been able to do since my arrest. Not really.

Taking a step closer, she invades my space. “I’m going to show you the little bitch you really are, puta .”

Her and that fucking word.

I roll my eyes. “I’m going to tell you once. Back the fuck off.”

“Or what?” Zandra sneers, leaning in closer.

My teeth grind as the smell of musty laundry and a hint of unscented bath soap hits my nose.

I stare her down, my mind splitting between the horrific woman before me and one equally as terrible from my past. A moment of clarity hits me, and I feel the first pang of excitement I’ve felt since this whole ordeal started.

Without another word, I snap my hand out, gripping her hair at the back of her neck and pulling. She lets out a pained cry, clawing at my hand in a useless attempt to free herself.

Tightening my hold, I kick out my leg, knocking hers out from under her. She crumples to the ground, continuing her ear piercing cries as I pull harder against her scalp. “I warned you.” I hum, spinning out of the way when she tries to throw a punch at my midsection. Tsking, I slip behind her, adjusting my grip in her hair and placing my boot on the middle of her back.

With my full weight behind it, I push her chest to the ground, kneeling beside her head to whisper, “Should have listened.”

“Ple-please.” She whimpers, but the sound just further fuels my bloodlust.

Rolling her onto her back, I move to straddle her body. When my fist connects with her face, a relieved breath escapes my lungs.

Finally.

As my fists fly forward, I feel myself releasing all the pain and anger I’ve held inside for so long. I unleash all the rage I’ve felt over Zandra and Suzie and all the other bullies I’ve had to endure throughout my life. All the backhanded insults, all the hollow threats that carried more weight than they should, all the emotional agony inflicted by these women .

Punch after punch land on her broken and bloodied face, and before long her whimpered cries quiet. My chest heaves as I pummel her with my fists, letting out all the pain, anger, and heartbreak.

When I come to my senses, I look down in a horrified glee to find Zandra’s lifeless eyes staring up into the sky.

Fuck.

I can’t help the excitement I feel at finally letting go, but I also know I can’t stay here.

Looking at my split knuckles covered in her blood, I try to formulate a plan.

First things first, gotta hide the body.

Glancing over my shoulder, I confirm with a breath of relief that no one had come out to inspect the commotion. Leaping to my feet, I grab her limp arms and drag her into the corner of the yard, hunting around for something to cover her body.

It doesn’t have to be perfect, just enough to buy me some time.

My eyes land on a discarded plywood board across the lawn.

That’ll work.

Sprinting across the grass, I drag the large board over and angle it to cover Zandra’s body, bending to quickly wipe the blood on my hands onto her shirt before sliding the covering in place.

Okay, quick shower, change of clothes, then a phone call.

I can do this.

My heart thrums with the adrenaline from the kill.

I needed that.

Peeking my head inside, I make sure there’s no one around before darting toward the bathroom. A quick shower and clothing change later, I waltz toward Billie’s office. Finding her there, working on something behind her desk, I knock on the open door.

“Hey, Billie.” I smile at her when she glances up at me. “Can I make a call?”

Sighing, Billie inclines her head. “Yeah, but make it quick.” She waves toward the house phone hanging on the wall.

“Of course.” My grin widens as I grab the cordless phone and dial Andrew’s number.

The line rings twice before he answers, “Hello?”

“Drewbie!” I cry, startling Billie. I shoot her an apologetic look and gesture toward the hall. She nods her head, giving me the permission I was angling for to have a more private conversation.

“Arriana?” Andrew asks, his voice both confused and worried. “What’s wrong?”

Ouch .

Sure, I haven’t called him much since getting here, but to just assume something’s wrong, even if he’s right…

“Who says something has to be wrong for me to want to call you?” I retort, hunting for a private space for this conversation.

“Ree…”

“Okay, fine. I might have…” Glancing around, I make sure no one is in earshot before whispering, “Look, I need to get out of here. Now.”

“Arriana, what did you do?” Andrew groans.

I smirk, my eyes moving toward the backyard. “Took care of a problem.” I hum. “Now, you gonna come to my rescue?”

There’s a moment of silence before Andrew chuckles, “And you say you’re not a damsel in distress anymore. On my way, princess.” Before I can reply to his offensive remark, his tone becomes serious. “You’re going to have to tell me what happened.”

“I will.” I promise. “Just get me out of here first.”

Taking a deep breath, I slowly release it. “I need to come home.”

It’s been hours since our phone call and still no word. I’m starting to get agitated and restless, the need to get back to Fallon and away from this place nearly suffocating me.

I’m lucky no one has discovered Zandra’s body.

I return to Billie’s office, hanging the phone back up. “Thanks.” I mutter, turning on my heel to gather up what little things I brought with me.

“Arriana.” Billie calls, stopping me in my tracks.

“Yes?” I reply without turning around.

“If you see Zandra, can you send her my way? I need to talk to her.” Gulping, I nod. “Great, thank you, dear.”

Without another word, I slip out of her office and up the stairs, careful to avoid anyone else on my way.

“Where are you, Andrew?” I mutter, picking up a small handful of rocks and chucking them across the street from my perch on the sidewalk. I didn’t tell Zandra to go meet Billie, not that it would have done any good to tell her corpse.

I chuckle at the thought, letting out a pained groan. My muscles ache from my months of malnutrition and sleeping on a hard bed. I find my desire for a decent meal and a good night’s sleep almost rival my need for her . Almost.

The sound of a car coming to a stop pulls me from my thoughts. Whipping my head in the direction of the approaching vehicle, my eyes narrow as I recognize the car, but it’s not the one I was expecting. Hopping to my feet, I groan loudly as I stretch out my tired muscles.

Killian climbs out of his car and looks around, lifting the sunglasses covering his eyes to squint in my direction. “You coming or what?” He calls, obviously irritated for having to be my ride.

I can’t help the smirk that covers my face. Sashaying over, I blow him a kiss. “My very own knight in shining armor coming to rescue me.” My laughter grows as he scowls at me in response.

“Get in the fucking car.” He grumbles, climbing back behind the wheel.

Ready to be home, I clamber inside despite the desire to fuck with him more. We’re silent as he plugs in the address and throws the car in reverse. After several minutes of tense silence, I can't keep back my curiosity any longer. “So, not that I’m not grateful, grandpa.” My lips twitch at his frustrated noise. “But why isn’t Andrew picking me up?”

Killian doesn’t respond, his focus on the road. Rolling my eyes, I resist the urge to prod him more, deciding I’ll just ask Andrew when I see him. To my surprise, Killian releases a sigh and rubs the back of his neck. “Andrew is a little busy.” My eyes narrow at his words.

Too busy to come pick up his best friend?

Crossing my arms, I huff and glare out the window. “I see how it is, I go to prison one time and now I’m not good enough anymore.”

Killian scoffs. “Petulant child.” He grumbles, shaking his head.

Huffing again, I ignore his snide comment and let my mind wander.

Seriously, what could be so important Andrew wouldn’t come himself? It’s not like I’ve been away at day camp.

Unable to think of a single logical reason, I push off the annoyance and decide a distraction would be great right about now. Reaching over, I turn on the stereo.

The cab immediately fills with the last song on Killian’s playlist and I bark a laugh. He shoots me a glare in response, moving to turn off the music.

“Nu uh.” I singsong, snapping my hand out to guard the power button. “I never knew you were a Halflives fan.” He scowls at me, slapping his palm back onto the steering wheel. “Old man’s got good taste.” I hum, leaning back in the seat and closing my eyes, letting the song ease the remaining tension in my body.

“It’s Avamarie’s playlist.” Killian mutters, but I don’t miss the way his fingers tap along to the beat.

I smile to myself and don’t call him on it, focusing instead on our destination. Even though it’s only been months, it feels like an eternity since I’ve had my baby in my arms, and as the distance between us lessens, I can feel the emptiness inside of me lessening as well. Ready to be whole once again. To have my missing other half.