The Devil (BOOK I + II)

4 | "The Product Of A Messed Up Family"

Chapter Four
   "The Product Of A Messed Up Family"

"she never cared for the
crown. she preferred a sword."
— r.h. sin

┏━━━━━━━┓

Sydelle was home, alive and well when I called her from the cab.

And while we stayed on the phone until I got back to my studio apartment, my thoughts kept on drifting back to the damn Shadow. Was he really there, or was he messing enough with my mind to make me see things that weren't really there?

Either way, I was preparing on letting off steam. And not in the water.

It was the next day—Saturday, to be more specific. The last day of July would be tomorrow, bringing me closer and closer to my twenty-first birthday, which was on August twentieth.

Growing up, I loved celebrating my birthday. It was a day meant for me and...

My fingers curled on the counter in front of me as I hung my head low. I closed my eyes and exhaled shakily while demanding my heart to stop beating faster than necessary.

The noise around me was muffled, until suddenly, a piercing sound of a phone ringing caused me to jump in my spot before composing myself.

I remembered my surroundings. I was in the florist shop and behind the counter.

Remembering that my phone was ringing, my gaze dropped to the shelf underneath the counter. It laid face down, and I quickly reached for it before checking the caller ID—there was none.

Still, I answered the phone. I barely had to wait a second before I heard a familiar, dragged out, "Hey."

"Nice surprise," I drawled teasingly and shifted in my spot. "Should I be worried? You don't call this much in a month."

Rolie chuckled softly in my ear. "You're using a burner, right?" I confirmed, although I knew he was. He had been careful for this long, I doubted he'd slip up now.

I was right. "Don't offend me, Lee," he said playfully. "This is me we're talking about."

He paused, and I suddenly got the feeling that something was wrong. So, I took a step back, enough so I was leaning against the long, dark grey cabinet counter. I made sure not to press my back against the wall, since ribbons and plastic rolls were hanging and organized on the wall.

"What's wrong?" I mumbled while peering to my left, out the windows. The streets were filled, unsurprisingly. It was only two in the afternoon.

In my ear, he cleared his throat. "Why would you think something is wrong? Can't a guy call his friend?"

"Not when said friend is in hiding," I tried to joke, but found myself sighing longingly. "How's everything?"

Another moment of silence. Then... "Tense."

My eyes closed when hearing that, and I tightened my grip on the phone.

I decided to change the topic. "Have you watched How To Get Away With Murder, yet?"

"Why do you keep reminding me—"

"Because the show is amazing. And you have to stan Annalise Keating." I glared at the cooler across from me. "Come on, don't they have it on Netflix there?"

"No, it's not."

"Still not an excuse," I grinned and cocked my head to the side. "You can stream it. I believe in you. And you'll love Connor and Oliver's relationship."