“I shouldn’t have?—"
She stepped closer, her voice dropping to something dangerous. "You show up here in your wigs and your fake accents, playing dress-up because you can afford to. You buy me an extravagant gift I can't accept, you kiss me and then pull away, and now you're lecturing me about how I earn my living? Who do you think you are?"
I winced. She was right. I had no ground to stand on, but the words had already escaped, and now they hung between us like a storm cloud.
Hal and Tom suddenly appeared at the entrance, their faces tight with urgency. "Weather's rolling in fast," Hal said, pointing at the darkening sky. "We need to get moving."
I glanced at Anna, a mix of guilt and something deeper twisting in my chest. I wanted to apologize, to explain that I hadn't meant it the way it sounded. That seeing those guys put their hands on her made something primal surge up in me, something I didn't fully understand.
But the storm outside gave me an out, and like a coward, I took it.
"I should go," I muttered, already halfway out the door.
"Maybe you should," she replied, her voice cold enough to make the rain outside seem warm.
I stepped into the brewing storm, Hal and Tom flanking me. But the icy silence I left behind was far worse than the weather.
23
ANNA
How dare he?I was fuming, wiping down tables in the now-empty bar, still stewing over my interaction with Luke. The nerve of him. Acting all protective, then throwing that ridiculous comment at me. Accusing me of flirting for tips. Seriously? My brain was stuck in a loop, replaying every infuriating second.
I scrubbed harder at an immaculate table, muttering under my breath.Mr. Movie Star thinks he knows everything about real life? Please.He probably had people hand-feeding him organic grapes while he casually dismissed real problems. I didn’t even realize I was violently rearranging the salt and pepper shakers into angry little armies until Marie Antoinette interrupted my rage spiral.
“Hey, girl.” She waved a hand in front of my face. “It’s pouring out there. It’s the kind of rain that turns streets into rivers. Mrs. Brodie called, and she wants us to close and head out.”
I blinked, momentarily disoriented. “What?”
She threw her hands up in exaggerated disbelief. “You seriously haven’t noticed the rain? It’s like someone turned on a firehose in the sky.” She pointed dramatically to the window, where rain poured down relentlessly.
I squinted at the downpour.Huh. When did that happen?
“I’ll give you a ride.”
She held an umbrella over both of us as we braved the rain. Luckily, she had a truck with tires high enough to handle stormwater. After a quick trip through the Garden District to drop me off, the rest of her drive would be on higher ground. She navigated her truck slowly through the streets, which were starting to fill with water.
When we reached the mansion, I was surprised to see that the gate was already open. The reason, I soon realized, was that Luke was sitting in his Lamborghini, ready to leave.
“Is that the guy who’s staying in Topher’s mansion? What is that fool trying to do?” Marie Antoinette exclaimed. Thankfully, there was no way she could tell it was Luke. She turned to me. “I have to get home before this rain gets any worse, but you have to stop him.”
24
LUKE
The rain hammeredagainst the windshield, loud and relentless, like the universe was trying to pound some sense into me. My grip on the steering wheel tightened, my knuckles stark white. I knew this was stupid. I knew driving in this storm was dangerous. I wasn’t even sure the Lamborghini could make it a block without the engine flooding. But none of that mattered.
Anna wasn’t home.
And she wasn’t answering her phone.
I’d texted her twice. Short, direct.Are you okay? Where are you?
Nothing.
Every minute that ticked by churned through my mind, dragging with it thoughts I couldn’t shake. What if she were stranded somewhere? What if the streets had flooded too fast, and she was stuck? What if she were hurt?
“Luke, it’s not safe.” Tom’s voice was sharp as he stood just outside the car, umbrella useless against the deluge.
