“Is he here?” Shari asked, scanning the guys.
“No.” I shook my head. “I mean, I’m not interested in anyone.”
“We’re making her uncomfortable,” Emily said. “We shouldn’t pry. Jess will tell us when she’s ready.”
“Ohmigod.” Carly’s eyes lit up. “It’s Spade, isn’t it.”
How in the world could she possibly know that?“No! I mean, why would you even think…” My cheeks were on fire.
Her smile widened. “When he brought you home from the police station you guys spent a lot of time together. Link said you left long before he and Emily did, but they ate dinner with us, and you didn’t come down until after it was put away.”
When did she become such a super sleuth? “We stopped at the apartment for clothes,” I reminded her.
“For clothes? Or toremoveclothes?” Jayson asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
“Good one.” Shari high-fived him again. “You are on a roll tonight.”
“Tonight?” he scoffed. “I am brilliant all the time. Girl, you better recognize.”
“Forclothes,” I chimed in.
“But you are interested in Spade, right?” Carly asked, searching my face for clues. Whatever I gave away made her squeal. “Yes! I am so excited about this, Jess. Spade is great and he’d be perfect for you. I would love it if you and Spade got together.Loveit! He’s like my brother, you’re like my sister… wait. That sounds weird and incestuous, but you get what I’m saying.” Carly looked around the table. “We must make this happen.”
“No!” My voice had taken on a panicked edge. “He’s not interested. We were supposed to meet up after dinner and he didn’t even show. He hasn’t been here all week.”
“His great uncle had to have his appendix removed,” Emily blurted out. “I don’t know if that’s public knowledge, but he called Link from the hospital waiting room. He was worried his uncle wouldn’t even make it, and apparently, they’re close. Spade’s a good guy, and he wouldn’t ditch you like that.”
“He’s in Portland,” Julia added. “I only know because some kids were picking on his little sister, and he called Havoc to intervene.”
We all turned to find Havoc. He was seated on one of the recliners, sipping a beer and listening to the guys as Trent flew a plastic dragon up his jean clad leg.
“Aww. Havoc’s such a big growly teddy bear,” Jayson said. “I fuckin’ love that man. Julia if you hadn’t scooped him up—”
“But I did.” Julia stretched her arms out in front of her and leaned back like a queen. “And my man handled those rotten little crotch goblins. They won’t be harassing that sweet little girl again. Believe that.”
“Do I need to know the details?” Emily asked. “Will anyone be filing charges?”
I was beginning to understand why the club needed a dedicated defense attorney.
Julia flashed Emily a sweet smile. “He’s not in jail. We should probably consider this progress.”
They continued to chat as my mind drifted to Spade. He’d taken off because his uncle needed him. I could understand that. It still didn’t explain why he hadn’t returned my message, but maybe he was busy? Hospitals typically had crappy cell service, so what if he hadn’t gotten my text? Was I being foolishly optimistic?
You were a one-night stand, Jess. Why would he text you back?
“Want me to have Wasp call Spade and find out if he’s into you?” Carly winced. “Wow. That sounded really high school. I just want you to be happy, Jess. I’ll stop being obnoxious about it, I promise.”
Before I could respond, my cell phone rang with an unknown number. My traitorous mind went straight to Spade. Had he somehow picked up on us talking about him and was calling from the hospital or something equally sweet and romantic? No. This was getting out of hand. Determined not to let myself hope like that, I stepped away from the group and answered.
“Hello Jessica, this is Matt with Lysdale Properties. I’m calling to let you know your apartment is ready. You can stop by my office tomorrow between the hours of ten a.m. and five p.m. to pick up the new key.”
My good mood evaporated, leaving behind a heavy residue. Darkness lingered at the edges of my vision and dread crept up my spine. The idea of going back to my apartment broke something free inside me that tasted a lot like fear. I squeezed my eyes shut and saw Nate busting through the door all over again. The gun pressed into my side. Then his body was lying on my bedroom floor, his eyes vacant.
“Jessica? Are you there?” Matt asked.
My breathing was erratic, my hands sweaty and shaky. I was having a panic attack. I hadn’t experienced one of those since high school. Taking a deep, steadying breath, I answered, “Yes. Sorry. Thank you. I’ll be there tomorrow.”
I disconnected the call before the rest of the attack could overtake me.
