“Gotta go. Love you,” she said as she was halfway out of the door.
I followed her out onto the porch, where the Uber waited. She paused and turned back.
“Lena?”
“Yeah?” I responded, wondering what the serious expression on her face was about.
“Be careful of the wolves out here.” She leveled me with a pointed glare.
Gabriel Townsend’s tattooed back immediately came to mind, and I inhaled. The winking wolf’s eyes that matched his real-life eye color. I’d dreamt about those eyes.
“Th-Thanks,” I said. “I’ll be sure to do that.”
Rayven got into the car, and within a few short minutes, she was gone. Yet, her words echoed in my mind.
I went back inside, but the air felt thick and heavy, even with the air conditioner on. It wasn’t the outside heat that caused the feeling. When I dropped my eyes to gaze at the bundles of paper on the floor, Nate’s phone call penetrated my memory, and the feeling of being trapped clawed its way around my neck.
I needed to get out of the house for a little while. I’d have to find something to do.
Dressed in a pair of ripped jeans, an off-the-shoulder dappled dot black and white top, and a pair of gold strappy sandals, I headed out of the door, unsure of my destination.
Chapter 7
Lena
Twenty-five minutes after climbing into my rental, I pulled into the parking lot of LS Investigation. Micah Townsend’s private investigative firm. Jodi worked with him.
The day before, Jodi and I had spoken, and she said I had an open invitation to visit the firm if I needed anything. I didn’t need anything specific, but given that Rayven left, it was likely my need to connect with someone that made me come to show up unannounced.
I figured I could ask Jodi if she wanted to go out to get something to eat. It was after five-thirty, and she had to be leaving the office soon.
A bell sounded as soon as I opened the door to the offices. My gaze swept around the lobby, complete with black leather chairs, a television mounted on the corner wall, and lots of greenery around a beautiful water fountain.
At the center of it all sat a large, half-circle wooden desk with a glass counter. I could barely see over the top until I moved farther into the lobby. That was when a smiling Jodi popped her head up from behind the desk.
“Lena,” she greeted. “How are you? Is there something wrong with the house?” Her nose scrunched up on a worried look.
“No.” I waved her question off. “Nothing wrong at all. Rayven left, and I thought I’d stop by to see if you wanted to go out for dinner or something?”
It sounded so lame after I said it out loud. Jodi was a newly married woman, barely back from her honeymoon for a week. She likely couldn’t wait to get home and spend some alone time with her husband.
“If you’re busy, we can plan another time,” I quickly added.
She didn’t answer right away, as she stared down at her desk, writing something down on a Post-It note.
“Sick of all of that writing already, huh?”
“What?” I hated the surprise that must’ve been evident in my voice.
Jodi directed a pointed look at me. “Music. Writing your next album. That’s what you came down here to Texas for, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, sure,” I answered, glancing around the lobby.
“How’s it going?”
“Great,” I said and hoped she overlooked the high-pitch of my voice. “It’s going really well. You know. The words won’t stop coming. Thought I’d get out for some fresh air to give my brain a little break.”
I clamped my lips shut to keep from blabbering on. The more you talked, the more obvious the lie became.
