Unknown Number: You used to date Phillip Mercer, didn’t you?
Unknown Number: I need to talk to you about something.
The weird messages piqued my curiosity enough that I waited for Kieran to get home to show him what was happening. Of course, he wanted to talk about what he’d caught us doing that day, which I’d almost forgotten about until he walked in the door.
“Knock knock,” he called as he opened the front door and let himself in. “Just making sure you’re not fucking the mailman or something in the living room.”
I rolled my eyes, but the implication that I might be sleeping with someone other than Asher tightened my chest. “I’m alone, so you’re safe.”
He toed his shoes off and kicked them aside. Back to me, he continued talking. “I don’t know, maybe you’re jerking off in here.”
I threw a couch pillow at him and hit his back.
Laughing, he picked up the pillow, turned to face me, and tossed the pillow back in my direction. “So…”
“So?”
“You and Asher are still seeing each other?”
Heat crept up my neck and throat. “We’re just having fun.”
“I could tell,” he said with a laugh. “It looked like you were having alotof fun in the trailer today. Is it getting serious?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Be real.” My phone vibrated again. Another text.
Unknown Number: Please, I just want to talk. I can meet you anywhere you’d like. Seriously.
I turned my phone to show Kieran. “I’ve been getting texts from this unknown number all evening.”
He peered at my phone, scrolling as he read the messages. “Weird. Do you know who it is?”
“Not a clue. Should I meet them?”
“Absolutely not. Not alone, at least. Take me along. For protection.”
I laughed. “You really want to go?”
“Hell yeah. Safety in numbers. Plus, I want to know what they want.”
“Fine.” I texted the number back and asked them to meet me at HQ, one of the gay bars in Port Grandlin.
Unknown Number: Deal.
A little while later, once Kieran and I were seated at the bar, each with a bottle of beer, someone came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to see a guy about my age, long, blond hair pulled back in a thick braid, his brow furrowed.
“You’re Micah?”
I nodded and tilted my head to my left. “This is my friend, Kieran.”
The guy looked a little uncomfortable, shifting his weight and drawing his lips tight together. “Okay. I’m Matt. Can we…” He gestured toward a booth. “Sit?”
“Yeah. Sure thing.” I followed him to the booth and slid in, Kieran tucking in next to me. “What’s this about?”
Matt’s gaze darted around before he settled back on me. “You can’t tell him I talked to you.”
“Okay, what’s going on?” Frustrated, I huffed out a breath. “What is this?”
“I just wanted to warn you.”
