In My Skin

CH 15 || Red Alert

The exit waited in front of me. Next to it, a small cabinet was set into the wall. On impulse, I snuck inside, hiding between a vacuum and some brooms.

I switched my phone to silence and waited, my heart hammering against my rib cage.

Only a few seconds later, heavy footsteps thudded on the floor. I held my breath.

"Did you see her?" Chris said.

"No," a deep voice answered. "Sorry, man."

"It was a long shot anyways..."

One of them groaned as if in pain.

"You good there?" the other guy asked.

"No," a third voice, unfamiliar and raspy, spoke. "I'm not. Fucking hell. He nearly broke my arm."

"Did you really try to jump Killian? That's stupid. Don't you know his best friend?" Chris asked.

My heart nearly stopped. Killian? They couldn't be talking about the same Killian I knew, right?

"Well, that fucker jumped me two weeks ago, alright? Was I just supposed to take that?"

"You should have apologized," the other guy said.

"How was I supposed to know he knows her, huh? Fuck."

"That's karma man," the deep voice remarked.

"I mean, she was so desperate for attention," the smoker rasped out. "Not my fault she got major daddy issues or whatever. But fuck, I didn't know he and Cody are that close."

"It's not just that. You pulled some fucked up shit on her man," Chris added not sounding like he cared.

The smoker's voice dropped. "You think you're any better?"

"I may not be the best, but I don't think I'm as bad as you," Chris said.

The other guy laughed. "Looks like you're setting the bar pretty low there, man," he said.

"You're just saying that 'cause your girl is hot." A grunt sounded followed by a yelp. "Fuck! That hurts."

"Don't talk about her like that. And she's not my girl..."

I didn't know what was more surprising, these guys talking about Killian while I was sitting in a storage room, or that Chris had defended me. Somewhat.

"Are you sure he and Cody are close though?" the smoker asked again.

"They had some falling out before Killian left for Europe. They've been pretty tight since he's back though," Chris said.

"Fuck."

"If Cody had been there things would have gone very differently tonight, man. You should have seen it, Chris. That prick nearly took us out even though it was four on one."

"Hey, whose side are you on, huh?"

"The hell? You think I'm on your side after this? I just thought he jumped you randomly. I already did more than I signed up for. I'm not gonna risk pissing that guy or Cody off any more than I already have. Dude, just apologize."

"You think I can after tonight?"

"Fuck. Chris, you think the guy is gonna tell on us?"

"I don't know..." my ex mumbled.

"You better lie low from now on. I'm not gonna stand up for you if he's gonna talk. Wait. Do you think he's gonna call the cops?" the deep voice asked, sounding a little panicked.