Dani hadn't meant to show up so suddenly. She'd told herself all morning that Mikey probably just needed space, that the other night had been strange, sure, but not unusual for him to retreat afterward. Still, something about the way he'd looked when he left haunted her.
Withdrawn. Small. Almost like he'd been erased from the inside.
She turned onto his street before she even realized she'd actually left her house. Her hands had a mind of their own lately, ever since Pete reappeared. Ever since Patrick started watching her with that edge behind his eyes.
She parked and sat still for a moment, heart thudding as she stared at Mikey's house.
The porch light was still on, despite the mid-morning sun. A curtain in the front window fluttered slightly, like someone had just been watching her pull up.
Dani stepped out of the car slowly.
The door wasn't wide open, but it wasn't closed either.
That was the first red flag.
She knocked anyway, softly. "Mikey? It's me."
No answer.
Her chest tightened.
She pushed the door open, stepping inside.
"Mikey?"
The living room was tidy but lived-in, a book left open on the couch, a mug with dried tea in the bottom. Nothing alarming. Not until she noticed the shoes by the door.
Two pairs.
One of them she didn't recognize.
She moved carefully toward the kitchen, heart hammering harder now, her instincts pulling at her like invisible threads. She was a cop for God's sake, why was she so nervous?
Her hand instinctively went to her hip, reaching for an off duty weapon but...
It wasn't there.
Of course it wasn't. She knew better than to bring a gun around Mikey.
Then she heard a voice. Not Mikey's.
Low. Familiar. Unmistakable.
"I told you, baby. I never really left."
Dani's stomach dropped. Her legs moved before her brain caught up.
She turned the corner and froze.
Pete sat at Mikey's kitchen table like it was the most natural thing in the world. Calm. Possessive. Like a storm waiting to happen.
And Mikey stood near the sink, pale and quiet, his eyes distant, his shoulders hunched like he was trying to disappear.
Pete's gaze flicked to Dani, and his mouth curled into a slow, knowing smile.
"Well," he said, drawing the word out like a knife. "If it isn't Dani. Always showing up at the worst time."
Mikey finally looked at her, and it broke something in her chest.
Because his eyes didn't say help me.
They said don't.
Dani didn't move at first. Couldn't.
Every instinct screamed at her to get Mikey out. To throw something. To scream. But Pete was watching her, watching them, with a predator's patience, and Mikey... Mikey wasn't looking at her anymore. His head had dropped slightly, chin tucked in, posture obedient in a way she hadn't seen since...
No. She had seen it. In the mirror. Too many times.
She swallowed, forcing the panic down her throat. "I didn't know you had company," she said carefully, her voice thin but level. She kept her gaze on Mikey.
YOU ARE READING
That's What You Get
FanfictionMikey thought love was supposed to hurt. That if he just held on tightly enough, things would go back to how they used to be. But the longer he stayed, the harder it became to tell where devotion ended and survival began. Now, the silence between br...
