Coffee and Cream

His Addiction

EMRYS

For some reason, Darcelle was ignoring me. At first, I thought it was because Mal had kicked the bucket. Maybe she was mourning the poor bastard. But then I caught her laughing and messing around with Nathan this morning. They were near the woods, just as I was heading to see my dealer. She didn't look like someone who was grieving. She looked carefree, like nothing in the world had changed.

She was ignoring me.

That thought pissed me off. She was stressing me out, and I didn't like it. The moment I saw her with Nathan, I considered walking up to her, dragging her attention back where it belonged—on me. But then I decided against it. It wasn't worth it, not with Nathan hanging around. Instead, I just drove past them. I'm sure she recognized my car, though. She stared at it, just long enough to make me think she knew I was watching. And she didn't do a damn thing about it.

I kept driving.

When I reached Hector, my dealer, he greeted me with a grin like we were old buddies. I wasn't in the mood for small talk. "The usual," I told him, keeping my voice short and cold. Molly, LSD, cocaine, heroin, weed. The essentials.

He chuckled, handing over the goods. "Back already? Thought you stocked up last week."

I shrugged. "Got someone to share it with now." The words came out darker than I intended, like there was more behind them than just drugs. Darcelle had been sampling my stash, and I knew it was only a matter of time before she came crawling back for more. That's the thing with this shit—it hooks you, makes you feel invincible, makes you crave more. I was counting on it.

"Good for you," Hector said with a laugh, like it was some sort of joke.

I didn't laugh. I just counted out the cash and handed it to him, shoving the drugs into my car before driving off.

When I got home, I didn't waste time. The first thing I did was inject myself with heroin, feeling the familiar warmth flood through my veins. The world dulled a little, my mind slipping into that comfortable haze, where nothing really mattered anymore. I went down to the bottom of my cliff, to the spot I'd found where I could put my feet in the water. The rocks down there were slippery as hell, so you had to be careful. Not that I ever brought anyone down here. It wasn't exactly the kind of spot you shared with friends.

I sat on a flat rock, the cold ocean water lapping at my feet, and pulled out my sativa vape. The sharp taste of the weed mingled with the salty air, the sound of the ocean drowning out everything else. This was my sanctuary, the only place where the chaos in my head could calm down, even if just for a moment.

I skipped a few rocks across the surface, my mind wandering back to Darcelle. She was going to come back. She always did. A girl like her? Once she's tasted the ground and coke, she wouldn't stay away for long. She'd come looking for me, for the fix. And when she did, I'd remind her who's in control. I didn't need to keep chasing her. She'd come on her own.

But if she didn't?

If she somehow got her fix from someone else? Found another plug?

That wouldn't fly.

If someone else was feeding her, I'd have to take care of it. Make it go away. I wasn't the kind of guy who let things slide. If something—or someone—made me uncomfortable, I made sure it disappeared. I didn't care how. I didn't care who got hurt in the process. I had a few exceptions, sure, but most people? They weren't that lucky. Mal had learned that the hard way.

I felt a chill creep up my spine as the ocean breeze turned colder. It was time to head back. I climbed the slippery rocks carefully, one hand gripping the jagged edges to keep myself steady. Once I reached the top, I made my way to the staircase leading up to one of the terraces, back into my house.