Shattered by Natalie Baird Read Free Book Online Page B

to ask me where I was last night?”
    “You weren’t here?” Aimee drawled.
    “I...No,” I said, frowning, “The most
incredible thing hap—”
    “Aha!” she cried, snatching a mostly-empty
jar of peanut butter from the back of the fridge, “I found you,
fucker! You’re mine now.”
    And with that, she turned her back and
stalked off into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. I
looked blankly after her as some jam band’s latest tunes began to
play beyond the door. Aimee and I had never really understood each
other. Our sharing an apartment was sort of a marriage of
convenience. But for some reason, her indifference that day really
got to me. I realized, as I shuffled into my bedroom, that I didn’t
have anyone to confide in. There was no one to talk to, no one to
be worried about my attack, no one to gush about Anderson with. My
parents had their hands full at home, and they had never been able
to relate to my desire for something more exciting than a mortgage
and a baby.
    I cast my eyes around my dinky little
bedroom—it didn’t take very long. There was nothing holding me back
from following Anderson into his underground, secret world...but
that didn’t make it any less daunting. Was I really the kind of
girl who could fit in somewhere so raw, so violent? I gave myself a
good long once-over in my bedroom mirror and came to a pretty quick
conclusion: I had no idea what kind of girl I really was. Maybe
meeting Anderson had been some crazy act of fate. Maybe my life
until then had just been a sort of holding room, and now the show
could really begin.
    There was nothing to lose by following
Anderson, and an entire new realm of experience to be gained. I
made up my mind right then and there—I’d put everything on this
gamble. I turned toward my threadbare closet and picked through,
wondering what one wears to an underground fighting ring. My
fingers closed around a short, tight, little red number. That
will do nicely , I thought, laying the dress out on my tiny bed. Only about twelve hours to kill in the meantime ...
     

    Chapter
Four
     
    The afternoon passed in a haze of
anticipation and half-hearted second guesses. I felt like
Cinderella before the ball, like I was standing on a precipice,
getting ready to make a wild leap of faith. The sun began to set,
and the city descended into night once more. I readied myself for
my grand adventure, taking the utmost care in every little detail.
I slid into the red dress, admiring the way it hugged the curves of
my hips and breasts. I swept on some vibrant red lipstick and a
smoky eye to boot. My hair hung in loose waves on my shoulders, and
the pain from the night before had finally subsided. I had to
admit, I cleaned up nicely.
    I slipped out of my apartment past Aimee’s
closed door. The city was already coming to life for the evening.
New York’s nights are really just inverted days, with a whole other
set of citizens. Usually, I belonged to the daytime crowd, putting
in my hours at work and retreating home for sleep. But that night,
I joined the ranks of the nocturnals. I made my way through
Alphabet City and the East Village, peering into smoky bars and
clubs, not failing to notice the way eyes lingered on me as I
passed. As I caught glimpses of myself in darkened windows, I
couldn’t help but be pleased. I wasn’t one for dressing up,
usually. My daily uniform was decidedly unsexy. But this was a
departure. This was the first step toward a whole new life, a whole
new Kaela. And this new Kaela knew how to work a little red
dress.
    My heart began to race as I finally turned
onto the Bowery. With each step, I knew I was drawing closer to
Anderson, to his secret universe. Door after door passed by, until
finally my eyes fell onto a patch of red in the dim street lights.
My breath caught in my throat as a tiny glimmer of silver caught my
eye. Drawing up before the portal, I recognized the number eight,
just like Anderson said I would. This was it, the