Then his eyes narrow slightly. “Where’s Natalie?”
There it is. The question I’ve been dreading.
I had a dozen answers lined up in my head. Deliveries. Club business. Visiting friends. None of them sound plausible.
Lying outright would blow up in my face.
“She went to Sacramento,” I say.
His expression shifts instantly. “Why? Has she gone back to those assholes? Why didn’t you stop her?” His face is red and I’m half expecting his fucking heart monitor to start beeping like crazy.
“Calm the fuck down, brother!” I scrub a hand over my face. “She wanted to check on the foster kids. Make sure they landed okay after everything went down.”
His shoulders ease a fraction. “That sounds like her.”
“It is.”
“What about the deliveries?” He sits back up again. “I’m stuck here. You’re visiting me and she’s outta town. Who’s running the damn business?”
“Jesus! Do you think I’m incapable of dealing with stuff in your absence? I hired a couple of people to help us out. They’re good. Now will you lie the fuck back down or am I gonna have to get the doctors to put you under again?”
My best friend is taking this exactly how I expected. I reach into the bag I brought and dump the candy and magazines on the table, hoping that might distract the fucker.
“How long’s she gonna be gone?” he asks as he tears open a candy bar.
“Not sure,” I admit. Thankful I can at least tell the truth here. “Couple of weeks, maybe.”
Rick frowns. “She didn’t say goodbye.”
“She did. You were still out of it when she left.”
That part’s true. It just leaves out everything else.
He nods slowly, then winces as he shifts again. “Fuck. I hate being stuck in this bed.”
“You’re not stuck,” I tell him. “You’re healing.”
“Same thing.”
I crack a small smile. “You always were impatient.”
“Still am,” he mutters. Then his eyes flick up again, sharper. “You been stayin’ busy?”
Here we go.
“Trying.”
“With what?” His mouth quirks. “Don’t tell me you been sittin’ around jerk—”
“Finish that sentence and I’m leaving,” I warn.
He grins despite himself. “Alright, alright.”
Then, casually, like he’s tossing a grenade just to see what happens, he adds, “You still hangin’ out with Jewel?”
My stomach drops.
“No.”
