All Good Things

Chapter Six

The sound of fast footsteps on wooden stairs attracted Ray's attention, abruptly ripping her out of her gloomy rumination. To her left, the digital clock on her nightstand informed her that it was just after two in the morning- way too late for Vinny to be roaming around and too late for either of her siblings to show up in a rush unless there was some kind of an emergency.

Unwanted, a memory of the eerie text she received a few hours earlier scrambled its way to the forefront of her mind, triggering her fight-or-flight instincts. Although, the more logical part of her knew that breaking into the shared apartment- in the middle of the volatile gang's cubby and in the late hours of the night- without even attempting at stealth or secrecy, was not exactly the sociopath's style.

Besides, if experience had taught her anything, and if the sender was truly who she suspected, the text was just the beginning of a much longer game. Joe Goldberg preferred to herd his victims into carefully crafted traps.

Even with that acknowledgment running through her mind, Ray Mond snatched up her karambit- a gift from her angel brother, Jaylen- from where it was stashed beneath her pillows. Curling her body further back against the cushioned headboard of the bed, she waited for the intruder to make their way into her room, armed and ready to strike if necessary.

The loud footsteps seemed to make a beeline for her bedroom, and she held her breath in trepidation, her grip on the karambit tightening reflexively. Without any additional warning, the door swung open, and in walked an angry white-haired, British man, accusatory words pouring from his mouth before he'd even fully crossed the threshold into the dimly lit room.

"Why wouldn't you call me?" Ray winced at his harsh tone- sounding unpleasantly similar to the tone he'd used with her in the horrid Mirror Park talk- and also at the resounding volume with which he spoke the words. In the otherwise placid apartment, his thundering voice felt practically deafening.

Fearful that her mentor would wake Vinny up- if he hadn't already- and mald the older man, she quietly slid off the bed and pocketed the karambit along with her phone. As Ray laced up a pair of boots over her leggings, Randy began to speak again, but she cut him off with a quiet shush, nodding her head at the far wall- the only wall separating her room from Vinny's. Then, seeming to understand that she wasn't ignoring him just for the sake of doing so, some of the anger in his expression faded.

Not thinking, Ray Mond crossed the room and grabbed his hand, leading him back down the stairs and outside of the small apartment. It wasn't until she had closed the front door behind them and started to drag him toward the shorter rooftop across the open courtyard that she felt Randy tug back, gently pulling her to a stop. She half-turned, glancing back at the white-haired man. His dark eyes stared back into hers, one brow raised, and then they descended and landed on the spot where their hands were joined. By the time his gaze returned to hers, her face was warm and tinged scarlet. Moving as if his touch had suddenly burnt her, Ray dropped his hand and spun on her heel, wordlessly scaling the ladder. Too embarrassed to even check if he was following her, she kept going once she reached the roof.

She located her favorite spot on the faded red rooftop that looked out over the gas station and toward the Street Team block, sitting down there with her arms loosely wrapped around her knees. A minute later, she felt Randy sink down beside her. For a brief stretch of time, both of them stared up at the night sky, spattered with clusters of stars just barely detectable through the city smog.

Randy didn't allow the silence to hang between them for very long, though. "So why-?"

Letting out a small sigh, Ray let her gaze fall to the area below them, watching as a couple of people still milled about, probably carrying out their respective domains of illegal business. "I thought about calling you," she eventually offered. "I was actually in the process of dialing your number when I realized that it was Gunner, so I stopped, thinking I could control the situation."