Renegade (Heven and Hell #4)(27)
Author: Cambria Hebert

“It’s fine, Heven. This isn’t your fault.”

“But I’m the one that told her you were in love with someone else.”

He pinched his nose with his thumb and finger.

“I didn’t tell her who it was. I guess she could see it.”

“I’m going to go,” Gemma said, her voice hoarse.

Cole looked like he wanted to ask her to stay, but he didn’t say anything.

“I’ll be in touch to see what Riley learns when he goes back to hell,” Gemma told me.

I nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she replied, and then she was gone.

Cole looked like he wanted to punch something. “Damn,” he said to no one and then he turned to me. “I better go talk to Kimber.”

He went into the kitchen and out the back door into the yard as Sam stepped into the room.

“Where’s Riley?” I asked warily.

“Stuffing everything he can find into that bag of his.”

“He’s out, Sam,” I said. “Beelzebub is out.”

“We don’t know that for sure.” He hedged. I gave him a look and he sighed, holding out his arms. I stepped into them.

At least he didn’t try to tell me it would be okay. We would have both known he was lying. I closed my eyes and pressed myself closer to him, wondering what Beelzebub was going to do to my family next.

Chapter Ten

Riley

I hefted my newly stocked backpack over my shoulder and glanced into the living room. Sam and Heven were in there, being all touchy touchy, so I figured that was my cue to leave. Before heading out the back door, I grabbed a soda from the fridge and popped the top.

Halfway down the porch steps, I paused when I heard the crazy one screech.

“You better tell me right now you are not in love with that… that… fallen angel.” She wailed. “I mean, seriously, Cole. I’ve never seen her in anything but jeans and boots.”

“Calm down, Kimber,” Cole replied and I grinned, taking a seat near the big bush at the bottom of the steps. I wasn’t in a hurry and eavesdropping was fun.

Especially when you eavesdropped on crazy. And Kimber was c-r-a-z-y.

“Do you have any idea what I’ve been through tonight?” crazy said. “She invited me to stay here and then she toasted my car! It’s completely undrivable!”

“Well, what did you do to her?” Cole asked.

“Always taking up for Heven,” she said, and I snickered, glancing around the bush to see her throw her hands up in the air. The red curls on her head bounced around with her movements.

“I’m not always taking up for Heven,” Cole said wearily. I kind of felt bad for the guy. I mean, he was essentially caught between three women. Clearly the guy didn’t have a clue to the rules every guy knew about the ladies.

Rule number one: never let them know you got other ladies.

Rule number two: if the ladies find out about each other, make them each believe they’re the most important.

Rule number three: distract them by telling them they’re beautiful. Even if it isn’t true.

“I know having your car ruined must’ve been hard. How about I help you find a new one after school tomorrow?”

“You will?” she said, forgetting about Heven.

“Sure. You can get one as stylish as you are.”

“My bug was stylish,” she growled.

I peaked around the bush again, hoping she’d dangle him in the air by his toes. He stepped closer to her. “Well, sure. But personally, I always thought you shouldn’t drive a red car because it paled in comparison with your hair.”

I rolled my eyes. Maybe he wasn’t too bad at dealing with the ladies after all.

Kimber smiled. “I do have good hair.”

He nodded and I bit back a laugh. That dude was so whipped. Something in my backpack shifted and I hoped whatever it was didn’t crush the box of Ho Hos I grabbed for Ana.

“About Gemma,” Kimber said, bringing up the real topic of the night.

Cole sighed. “Don’t worry about Gemma. We aren’t together.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “But you want to be?”

“It doesn’t matter what I want,” Cole said. “She doesn’t want me.” I could hear the frustration in his voice and I winced. If I could tell he wasn’t too happy about Gemma’s decision, then crazy Kimber would pick up on it in seconds.

But she surprised me by not calling him out. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against him. I thought about getting up then, busting up the moment. I didn’t want to watch them make out.

“Just proves she doesn’t deserve you,” Kimber said and then leaned up on tiptoe—I never noticed how short she actually was—and pressed her lips to his.

Something hot coiled in my stomach as I watched her kiss him and I didn’t really know what it meant other than the fact it was time for me to leave and I stood up. Cole wasn’t exactly returning her kiss, but he didn’t pull away either. A few long moments passed when he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back.

“We’re just friends now, Kimber. We aren’t getting back together.”

Kimber didn’t respond. She just walked away from him, back toward the house, and I watched as he wiped her kiss from his mouth.

“We’ll see about that,” she murmured as she went past me up the steps.

Cole pulled his truck keys out of his pocket and looked at me. “You need a ride?”

It beat walking. My Jeep ran out of gas down in hell and I had yet to refill the tank. “Mind if we stop at the gas station so I can get some gas for my Jeep?

“No problem,” he said and climbed in the truck.

When we pulled onto the main road, I looked at him and grinned. “So you and Kimber, huh?” I have no idea why I asked. It’s not like I cared.

He made a sound. “No. Definitely not. I’m in love with Gemma.”

“Be still my heart,” I mocked, putting a hand over my chest.

“You’re so lame, dude.”

“You’re the one that was kissing the one who isn’t Gemma.”

“You’ve met Kimber. If I would’ve pushed her away she would’ve turned the house upside down. Literally.”

“Good luck with that,” I said, smirking.

“I feel bad for whoever ends up with her for the rest of his life. That dude’s gonna need all the help he can get.”