Shit.I open my app that tracks her phone and calm when I see she’s staying with her cousins.
For a moment, I consider driving home. I could be back in time for breakfast. On second thought, I’d probably wake her up, piss off Mia and Rose, and for what? She’s right. Sometimes I might be a mite overbearing. Fuck. I need to be able to trust her so I can take a few jobs like this one.
So, I tell her I love her, and I hope she didn’t damage her pretty butt when she fell.
She’s fine. Right?
On the fence, I pace for a while then settle down to a restless sleep, filled with my least favorite nightmares.
In the morning, my alarm goes off, and I call her as I stare at the ceiling.
“Suds?” She moans and the bed creaks.
“Yeah. Sorry. Did I wake you?” Smiling, I picture her in the bedroom, hair all mussed, body all soft and sexy.
“Uh, no. I had to get up anyhow, to answer the phone.” Her voice sounds funny, like maybe she had a tooth pulled.
“What happened? Why’re you talking weird?” I get a real bad feeling.
“Prowise, you won’t get ’ad.”
“Saammm.” Bracing for the worst, I sit and take a few deep breaths.
“I had a little altercation.”
“Sugar? Maybe you should start at the beginning. I thought we agreed, no sleuthing.”
“I swear to God, I wasn’t. I researched, had lunch, and on the way home, I was followed.”
“Don’t tell me, your Glock was in your purse?”
“I don’t quite remember.” Her tone says the opposite but I don’t press because right now, that’s not important.
“At least you weren’t hurt.” At the silence that follows, my stomach flip-flops and my fists clench. “How bad?”
“I didn’t need the emergency room. I called Joey. I can take care of myself. Please don’t come home. I’m fine. Really I am.”
Her story sounds thin and everything inside me is raring to drive home but Mykola has meetings in a few short hours. I won’t be able to find a substitute to replace me and even if I could, Slate has only so much patience for this kind of shit. I can’t say as I blame him. He has a reputation to uphold.
“Dammit Sam. Can you promise me you’ll stay at your cousins? Don’t even think of answering the door.” For once, I’m thankful she’s got family on the wrong side of the law.
“Wait. How do you know where I am? Are you tracking me?” Her voice goes up an octave.
Taking a deep breath, I use the tone I usually reserve for old ladies and little kids. “Tell me you didn’t do the same.”
Busted.
“Sort of. Maybe. It’s possible.”
“I love you, Sam, and need to be able to find you in case anything bad happens. I assume that’s why you tracked me, too.” I hold my breath, hoping she’ll admit to what I already know is true.
“Nu-uh. That’s not why. I wanted to make sure you weren’t sleeping around.”
“Seriously?” I glance around my room for my keys.
She giggles. “I was kidding. What? You ’elieved me?”
“For a second. Not funny.” I need to inhale, exhale, and calm the fuck down.
