Roots

Clover

Clover

When I see my hands, I feel the cold metal between my fingers and the power surging through my body. When I close my eyes, I see the scissors embedded in his hand and the blood pooling on the table.

His screams echoing with mine kick me back to reality. No matter what I do, I can't shake those thoughts and feelings, I can never scrub away the guilt.

Sleeping is a luxury along with seeing anything but his hand.

I want to apologise and beg him to forgive me, but it'll be for nothing. This will be for nothing if he doesn't believe we're working on the same side.

I pull the blanket over my head and snuggle into the warmth. Something about wrapping myself in a blanket and hiding from the world is soothing.

How does The Boss commit crimes and sleep—does he sleep? I suppose that's what the women are for.

I push the blanket away and press the home button on my phone. The screen lights up and I smile.

"Thank goodness, it's finally home time." I sigh.

I hope I'm tired enough to pass out when I get home. There's no way I can spend another night staring at my hands wishing to forget.

Pushing the blanket away, I crawl out and stretch my hands above my head. I stifle a yawn and strip the sheets. I bundle the material together and toss it into the washing basket beside the desk.

I collect my belongings from the bench and climb the ladder. The cool morning breeze swirls through my tangled hair as I crawl onto the grass. The warm sun shines on the bed and I sigh.

Austin wanders around the corner and his expression darkens. I cross my arms and inhale a deep breath. Now that I've stabbed a man, Austin's brooding attitude shouldn't scare me—but I'm still scared.

There's isn't any bruising and his limp is almost gone.

Austin disappears down the rabbit hole, and I sneak around the corner of the house.

The front door slams into the outside wall and the man I stabbed storms out. My shoe skids across the pavement which captures his attention. He clutches his hand to his chest and races down the driveway.

On the bright side, stabbing him wasn't a complete waste. On the other side, I'm dead.

"Tikera." The Boss frowns.

"Yes?" I shrink against the wall.

"We need to talk."

"Now?" I bite my lip.

"Yes." He nods.

I could run but that won't solve the issue.

"Alright."

He enters the houses and we move to the study. It's odd standing in a room I've only glimpsed at from outside. The wooden desk and the metal filing cabinets take a majority of the space.

The Boss leans against the desk and crosses his arms. Humour dances through his blue eyes, but his tense body causes my stomach to knot.

"What do you want to talk about?" I tug on a smile.

"You know what's wrong." He chuckles.

"Well, about that." I grimace.

"He's accusing you of stabbing him in the hand with a pair of scissors."

My eyes dart to the ground as I nibble on my lower lip. Obviously I didn't scare him into silence which means stabbing his hand is irrelevant now.

"I don't need to ask if it's true then."

"It was an accident?" My voice crackles.

"Dropping scissors onto the floor is an accident, stabbing them through a man's hand isn't."

"I'm sorry?"

"Tikera." He sighs.

I drag my gaze to meet his. The Boss tilts his head and raises an eyebrow.

"What were you trying to achieve?"

"In the beginning, I wanted answers. When I stabbed him, I wanted respect."

"I told you to leave the situation alone."

"I hoped by discovering the thief, you wouldn't think I'm stealing."

"You stand here because I trust you."

"And you never thought about saying that before?" I glare.

Pebbles shakes his head as he steps closer to me.

"Why would I think you're stealing from me?"

"Because Austin said I was." I twist my fingers together and sigh.

"That doesn't mean I believe what he says."

"Okay." I nod.

"Please refrain from stabbing anyone else."

I gaze at his parted lips, then his eyes.

"I promise to behave."

"We'll see." He chuckles.

"Have some faith, I did stab a man in the hand for you."

He shakes his head. "Go home and sleep, you look exhausted."

"I can't sleep because I keep seeing his bloody hand." My stomach clenches as the onset of nausea rolls through me. "Is he okay?"

"He had a minor operation and will need physical therapy, but otherwise, he'll survive."

"That's good." I nod.

Pebbles raises his hand, then slides it into his pocket. His body tenses as his gaze flickers over me. He roughly exhales before moving to the desk.

"You need to decide if your life is worth more than your opponent's—it's a game of God."

"Doesn't playing God wear on you?"

"Events will lead you to a turning point, you must decide if you have the stomach for this lifestyle."

"A turning point? Why are you always so mysterious? And I passed that turning point the moment I stepped onto this property."

"You are free to leave whenever you want, Tikera."

"I'm not leaving. I stabbed a man in the hand for you. What more do you want?"

Pebbles folds his arms over his chest.

"You're playing a dangerous game that you're not ready for."

I shake my head. "You don't know a thing about me."

"I know everything." His voice sends shivers trickling down my spine.

"I'll see you during my next shift unless you think that's too dangerous for me?"

"Goodbye, Tikera."

I storm out of the house and brace myself against the rough exterior. My heart races and my hands tremor. Why does he always do this to me?

I inhale a deep breath and walk to the car. As I slip behind the wheel, The Boss stares through the window. One day I'll crack his facade, because no matter what he does, I'll come back like overgrown clover.

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