I nod.
“I’ll do it for him, but I need what he wrote, and I need you to get him out of here before the alcohol hits for real and he decides to do something stupid, like bait our father into a fight in front of everyone.”
Shit.This is not the night for Owen to get piss drunk.
“Okay,” I concede because I don’t know what else to do. “Where do I take him?”
“Home.”
“I don’t know where he lives.”
Parker sighs. “No one does except for me. I’ll program directions into his car.”
Another odd piece of information that creates more questions than answers.
“Thanks. I’ll get Owen.”
Parker puts a hand on my shoulder before I can slip away. “He likes you. I dare say he probably loves you. And anyone with eyes can see you feel the same way. Just don’t hurt him. I don’t think he’d survive it.”
Tears fill my eyes, but I don’t let them fall. He’s right. I do feel the same, but how I feel about him won’t save either of us when the truth is finally revealed. We’re both going to fall, and we’re both going to lose each other.
“And thank you, Miss Riley,” Parker continues. “There’s no one else I trust to make sure he gets home safely.”
With that, he disappears through the doors to the atrium, and my heart cracks in my chest.
I take a heaving breath before composing myself and dialing Noah. “I need you. Second floor outside the dinosaur exhibit. Fifteen minutes. Bring two other guys.”
“You find the people you were looking for?”
“One of them, and I made a stupid bargain with him. Now I’m going to pay the consequences.”
“I hope it was worth it.”
“It wasn’t.”
Noah sighs on the other end of the phone. “Whatever you need, Nova.”
“Thanks, Noah. I mean it.”
“We’ll make sure he gets out of there in one piece.”
“He’s already not in one piece.”
Noah chuckles. “I can see that.”
Now it’s my turn to sigh. “Fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll be there.”
I hang up the phone and race to Owen. Already afraid of what I’ll find.
Chapter 24
He’s leaning against the bar. Not surprisingly, he’s surrounded by five women, a drink in hand. Stopping outside the little circle of women, I place my hands on my hips. I can’t help but glare.
When he finally spots me, his mouth falls open dramatically, and he carefully places his glass on the bar before muttering, “Uh oh.”
All five women turn toward me, but I ignore their stares.
