“She’ll be good,” I promised. “She wouldn’t say a word.”
“What about the friend?” Courtland wondered. “She’s going to be pissed that he just ghosted her.”
“We’ll figure it out as we get to it,” Creed muttered. “If she’s a true friend, she’ll do what her friend wants. And I doubt, after seeing them together in town over the last few weeks, that she’s going to not do what’s best for Mable.”
“Agreed,” Court murmured. “What do we need to do?”
“Nothing,” Apollo said. “We’re going to get Romeo out of dodge for a bit. He’s going to enjoy some family time in the Rockies, allowing me to disentangle him from this web.”
Again, he sounded excited.
I truly thought he liked being tested like this.
I also decided he felt like he had a worthy opponent seeing as Whitney had done all this while not getting figured out or caught by him.
“I’m only giving you ten days, Apollo,” I said. “I won’t leave her without an explanation, either.”
“Actually, you will,” Gentry muttered. “She’s pretty open about what’s going to happen if you don’t leave.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you want your girl to not have her life blown up, you’ll just give her the semblance that you’re out of here,” Apollo said. “What do you think it would do to her if it’s found out she’s been shacking up with a known fugitive? Because that’s what she’s going to portray it as. Whitney’s going to act like Mable knew all, and then it’ll make her lose everything. Just give us the time.”
I gritted my teeth.
“At least you’ll get to come back.” Odin stood up. “Stop being a pussy and get out of here. If she actually likes you like she claims, then she’ll forgive you.”
With that parting comment, he left the room, and I assumed the building.
Apollo nodded his agreement. “It’ll be okay, man. Just spend some time with your sister. Don’t answer any phone calls or texts. We’ll figure this out, and I’ll call my wife if I have any updates.”
“Okay.”
That was all I could do. Because I wanted to come back. I wanted this to be fixed, because I was quickly realizing, leaving Mable wasn’t going to happen.
At least long-term.
If anything else, I’d pack her up and take her with me on the run.
Selfish, yes.
But something I was going to do nonetheless if this all went sideways.
Twenty-Four
Admit it, you and your BFF are not two peas in a pod. You’re ice cubes in a glass. Trying to play it cool, but about due for a meltdown.
—Romeo to Mable
Mable
I was well and truly angry.
Pissed.
Incensed.
And it all had to do with a man who had left without a single backward glance.
