Isla and Kai both look at me swiftly.
“You will not,” Isla says. “I’ll take care of it myself.”
I raise an eyebrow at that.
Kai chuckles. “You’ll get used to him being overbearing,” he mutters quietly, raising his eyes at me in a way that suggests I calm the fuck down. “And given you can barely stand, you won’t be going anywhere tomorrow.”
“So, you’ll come to the clubhouse, Jackal,” Catfish says. “I can tee up that meeting for you.”
“Appreciate it,” I say.
Wren glances at me, for a moment. “Honestly, I agree with Jackal. You look like you should just stay exactly where you are.”
I shake my head. “I got to get up at some point.”
“It doesn’t have to be tomorrow,” Kai says before turning back to Wren and Catfish. “Thanks for stopping by. Both of you.”
Catfish nods. “Isla, can I steal you for a minute?”
I glance up at her face, but she doesn’t reveal her true feelings. If anything, she adopts some of her old club-girl body language. She braces, pulling her shoulders back. Her chin tips up. Her expression a little disdainful. And now that I’ve seen who she really is, I wonder why no one ever noticed how fake it had become.
“Sure.”
They step into the hallway, and though I can hear the soft murmur of their voices, I can’t make out what is being said. Just that Catfish’s tone is gentle, Isla’s is strained.
Wren pretends to fiddle with the tablet, but their ears are tilted that way too.
“Not sure what’s going on here with the two of you and Isla, and it’s none of my business,” Wren says. “But it might make sense for her to stay with you while we figure this out.”
“Yeah,” I say. I’m not about to let her out of my sight.
Catfish and Isla come back, a moment later. Her eyes are a little glossy, but her hands are steady. Catfish looks like someone kicked him in the gut.
“You okay?” Kai asks her.
She nods. “We, uh…talked. He asked why I left the club.”
Catfish rubs at the back of his neck. “Turns out, I’m not as observant as I thought. And Isla’s good at hiding when she’s scared.”
Isla gives a sad smile. “I’m sorry I lied to you.”
He shakes his head. “Not your job to manage my ego. I hate the thought you were putting on a brave face for my benefit.”
Wren takes Catfish’s hand to reassure him. Then, they turn to Isla. “He was worried about you.”
Catfish and Isla look at each other, for a second. Then, something settles between the two of them.
I hate the fact I’m feeling jealous that she slept with Catfish already. Multiple times that I’m aware of. Plenty more that I’m not.
Feeling jealous is a new thing, but it’s wild how it’s not applied evenly. It’s odd that I can look at Kai and be okay with him touching Isla but feel ill at ease knowing Catfish has. Maybe it’s the additional layer of Isla’s experience, that no one noticed she was no longer consenting.
Maybe there’s a small part of me that wants to punch my friend’s face.
“We’re gonna head out,” Wren says. “We’re tied to your feeds. Anything moves out there, I’ll get an alert and call you guys. Keep your phones close.”
I think of Isla’s phone, still in the bathroom, and make a note to give it back to her.
“Tell Grudge we’re grateful for his support,” I say.
