“It’s metal, rubber, paint and, most importantly, insured. If someone wants a joyride, I don’t care.”
“Wow, Trouble, say it a little louder.”
I could definitely feel eyes on us, although when I looked around the street was deserted. Jack frowned around the streets as well. “You win,” I said tiredly. “I’ll park it next time.”
He got out, walking around the front of the car to my side. “Rough day, huh?”
I just nodded.
Jack glanced at his Rolex. It was cute that he wore a watch, and even cuter that he used it instead of checking his phone. He was old-fashioned in some ways, and I liked that about him. “Listen,” he said, leaning into the window on his folded arms. “I’ve got work tonight, otherwise I’d stay with you myself to make sure you’re okay.”
His fingers were dangling close to me and, for a moment, I could have sworn I felt them stroke up my arm.
After a beat, I joked weakly, “Don’t you ever get time off?” I was only kidding around because I was uneasy and anxious and Ididn’twant to be left alone, but I didn’t think Nate was going to be much good for me, either. It wasn’t like I could tell him Annie was missing. My dad wanted me to keep quiet about it, and Jack seemed to agree with him. “How many bars are you hitting tonight?” I tried. “I could come with you, keep you company on the—”
He spoke over me, ignoring my suggestion, even though it had been half-serious. “I want you somewhere safe tonight, and tomorrow we’ll look at the security video, go over whatever my contacts have dug up, figure this thing out. But if you need me tonight, you call me. Understand?”
“I understand. But I don’t have your—”
“Phone.” He held out his hand. I gave him my unlocked phone and watched him type in his details. He hesitated over the name, but then he looked at me. With a sigh, he typed “JJ” in as his name. “Just so there arenoexcuses for not calling me if you live up to your own nickname, Trouble.”
I grinned, feeling better somehow. “Oh, I’ll be calling you if I lose a fucking eyelash. Believe me.”
“And I’ll be there if you do.” He reached up to my face as though that pesky eyelash was already sitting there on my cheek, and brushed his thumb over my skin. “I mean it. You need me, you call me.”
He started to move back, but I leaned forward and impulsively grabbed his hat, then jammed it on my own head. “I’ll be careful, JJ. You be careful, too.” I drove off before he could respond, laughing as I did.
* * *
Nate had sounded legitimately pleased to hear from me when I called him from home, where I’d gone to pack a bag, and asked if I could crash at his place for the night. Brent Elwood’s house in the Valley was big enough to guarantee that normally we weren’t disturbed by any sexcapades going on—Brent had a thing for filming features in his private studios, which adjoined the house, and his greatest hit, a kind of reality show-slash-ongoing live porn show, was streamed 24/7 from a purpose-built bungalow across the grounds. But when I arrived, I was secretly relieved when Nate told me Brent was away for the night. The main house was empty except for me and Nate, so we spread out in the entertainment room and tried to find something that wasn’t porn to watch on the mega-screen TV.
I’d told Jack that I’d never been in one of Brent’s films, and that was true—but it wasn’t for lack of Brent trying to persuade me. And when he wasn’t trying to get me to fuck on film for him, he was forever inviting me to his and Nate’s “private orgies.” I didn’t mind being asked, although the thought of sexual contact with Brent Elwood gave me internal hives, but hekeptasking, even though I’d made it clear I wasn’t into group sex.
Nate acted like it was just Brent being Brent. Personally, I thought it was Brent being a giant skeeze.
When I got there, Nate was more interested in bitching about another friend of ours. We sat opposite each other on couches in the TV room where I half-listened while I thought about Jack, and where he was that night, and what time he might call me the next day.
Wait.
Why was I thinking about Jack? Annie’s place had beenbroken into, and she wasmissing.
But it kept me calm to remember that I had someone like Jack on my side. He was smart and he was protective and his eyes were endlessly fascinating, the subtle way they changed shade depending on where we were, what the lighting was like, what he was thinking…
Did he think about kissing me?
Did he think about me on my knees for him?
Did he think about—
“Dude,” Nate said, breaking off his monologue, “why the fuck do you keep sniffing that hat?”
I bolted up from my slumped position, and put Jack’s hat down on the couch next to me. “Huh?”
“You keep putting that thing over your face and huffing at it like you’re chasing a high.”
“No, I don’t.” I gave him the finger. “I’m just bored as hell listening to your bitching. And I’m hungry. Let’s get pizza.”
After the pizza arrived, and Nate had finally worn out the topic of our friend, it finally occurred to him to ask how I was doing.
