I locked eyes with him for a moment, as if making sure the fire would keep burning and not die out.
“Okay then,” I finally said.
I pulled away from the shoulder and resumed driving. The air in the car was tense after that. Skylar must have been anxious to begin with, but our little moment probably didn’t help. Did he know I thought he was lying?
I entered an old apartment complex filled with shoddy brown buildings and circled around to a parking spot. I found myself wanting to leave as soon as possible. Skylar didn’t get out of the car right away. I waited in silence for him to gather his nerve.
“All right,” he finally said, exhaling. “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes at the most.”
I gripped the steering wheel harder and tried not to grimace. Fifteen minutes was a lot of time for things to go wrong.
“Okay,” I said.
“Just stay here.”
My knuckles went white around the wheel. “Fine.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
When Skylar got out of the car, I didn’t miss the way his hands trembled while shutting the door. He was intensely nervous.
As he walked up to one of the buildings, I swore under my breath. There was no way in hell I was sitting here and doing nothing. Why bring me all this way just to sit in the car? Did he really just want a ride, or was he too stubborn to ask me for backup?
When he entered the front door, I got out of the car and followed him. I made sure to keep my distance so he wouldn’t notice me. I didn’t think it was a good sign that the apartment didn’t have any security measures in the front foyer--no resident-only key that prevented strangers from entering.
Skylar, what are you doing in a place like this?
He took the stairs up a few floors, his steps echoing in the stairwell, and I followed quietly. When he exited, I hid behind the door to make sure he wouldn’t see me and then trailed him. The halls smelled musty and the carpet was stained. Fresh cigarette smoke wafted in the air. I wrinkled my nose.
I hid behind a corner while Skylar paused at his final destination. He knocked at the door. Even from where I stood, I saw the slight tremble of his frame. He was scared. My heart ached.
What business did he have here, and why was he so intent on keeping it a secret from me? I could have helped him.
Skylar fidgeted as no one answered. He muttered something under his breath that sounded like, “C’mon, please…”
The door finally opened and Skylar went stock still. A man answered it. Alpha, if I had to guess. He loomed over Skylar and scratched his stubble.
“Hello?” the man said.
“Hi, Axel,” Skylar said softly. “Um. Do you remember me?”
Axel frowned. “Should I?”
I saw Skylar clench and unclench the fists at his side. “Last night?” he said stiffly.
Recognition dawned on Axel’s face. “Oh, right. Okay. Yeah.” He sniffed. “So, it’s kinda early. If you want to hang out again, you should come back later, like around eight or something. Maybe bring some alcohol, ‘cause I’m all out after last time.”
Something ugly stirred in my gut. It spread through my limbs like a sickness, nauseating me. The pieces of the puzzle I had in my mind were starting to click together in a bad way.
“No, thanks, I’m not interested in that,” Skylar said firmly. “I just forgot something here, and I’m here to pick it up.”
Axel frowned. “What is it?”
“My wallet.”
My eyes shot open. If the mental image I had was correct, Skylar had spent some…timewith this guy last night before I found him, and forgot his wallet here. I suddenly felt bad for pestering him. There was no need for him to be so ashamed, but I understood why he felt that way.
“I don’t have it,” Axel said plainly.
