Stalking the Dancer || 18+

Part Four - Billy

"Cut the shit, Bill." Rome grits out as he yanks another shard of glass from my back. I wince as the tweezers go in for more. 

"The fuck you mean?" I spit. I'm not angry at him, but I am pissed off. Maybe at Lee for fucking me up, but I can sort that out later. "You must like her a lot since you're risking your fucking freedom over this mess." It's true, I do like her a lot. And goddamnit did she like me back for twenty heavenly minutes last night. 

He sighs from behind me before adding, "You can't keep doing this fucking bullshit, I thought you understood that." He bit out. I can feel the blood rushing through my veins, vibrating as it flows, "I did!" I shout.

"I do." I correct myself, but it doesn't sound convincing, even to me. "You've got fuckin' eyes, you've seen her! She's perfect." I say with conviction. "You know damn well that doesn't make her yours to take. You stole from her!" He's right, I can't deny it. I stole her sex toy, sure, but more importantly her privacy. Her security. Inherent human rights that I stripped away. I know how it feels to have that dismantled. I feel bad about it, but I also can't deny the addicting feeling of holding her fate, of being the only person who can relieve her of what she's going through. She can rely on me to keep her safe because I'm the worst thing that could happen to her. That's what the guys think, anyway.

"You also broke into Lee's bedroom, do you get how messed up that is?" He's scolding me like a disappointed parent but out of all of my friends, Rome understands me the most. He's known me longer than the other guys, he's the one who brought me into the group after I got released from prison. Introduced me to his best friends and they took me in like I'd always been around.

"I know, I know. Lee is pissed. I got that when I flew through a pane of glass." I say with a wince as he continues to take his anger out on the glass in my skin. "'Flew' is a bit of an exaggeration." He says flatly. 

I know that I owe them an explanation, but I refuse to give them one before I can talk to her. 

I think we can all agree that she's the most important person in this situation. She deserves honesty, that's the least I can give her at this point. I know what I'm asking of her, I know what I'm taking. Yet I can't force myself to stop chasing after her, I think it'd take heavy sedation or a bullet between the eyes to slow me down at this point.

"I don't know what it is, man. All I know is I need to keep her safe and the only way to do that is keeping her close." I know it's a lie before it rolls off my tongue. I'm the very thing that's endangering her. A dark cloud enveloping her life.

"Guess it'd be a waste of breath if I asked ya to give her a few days space, huh?"

"Maybe if you ask nicely." 

A few seconds of silence pass, "... please?"

"Fuck no," I say as I stand from the dining chair I've been sitting on backward. I catch a glimpse of his blue hair as I brush past him and throw open the bathroom door. 

"Lee, don't." Ray commands from somewhere in the living room. I can't see Lee yet but apparently, he saw me. "I just wanna explain myself to her," I stop at the end of the hall, looking around the apartment to see them all scattered around. My little Doll sits hunched on the couch beside Ray, her wide, green eyes watching me. "No, you need to back off." Antoine cuts in.

I look toward him but movement catches my eye and draws me back to her. She slowly straightened her back and looked up at Ray. He leans down and lends her his ear. I can't make out what she's saying but the look on his face turns angry before hardening into his typical serious demeanor. "You sure, Dorothy?" He asks her loud enough for the rest of us to hear. She nods her head firmly and turns her intoxicating little gaze back on me.