“Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she says quickly. “It’s someone I work with, begging me to come in and fill in a shift tonight.”
“Oh, okay.” I don’t believe her, and that bad feeling I get in my gut starts to grow tense.
“So, this party at your neighbor’s house,” she says, changing the subject. “You said the kid was trying to get pictures of you, right?”
“Yeah. Little perv.” I internally cringe as the words come off my tongue. Jared is a pain in the ass, but he doesn’t deserve any shit for a crime he didn’t commit.
“I think you should dress all sexy, show off those tits you’re always hiding, and then have your boyfriends show up and scare the piss out of the kid.”
I laugh. “That might be one way to deal with him.”
“So, your boyfriends,” she goes on, voice changing pitch. “Do they live with you?”
“When they’re not traveling for work, yeah.”
“Do they travel a lot?”
“Depends on their assignment,” I say, and thank the fucking stars, the commercials start. We turn our attention to the screen, and the tension leaves me once the movie starts. Gemma makes hilariously inappropriate comments about Aidan Shepherd throughout the movie, making me laugh even more.
“I had a nice time tonight,” Gemma says after the movie is over and we’re walking together into the parking lot. “Do you want to get drinks or anything?”
“Sounds fun, but I’m beat tonight. Can I take a rain check?”
She elbows me and giggles. “You want to get home to those hot boyfriends, don’t you?”
“I’d be lying if I said no.”
“Seriously, it is not fair.”
I laugh and pull my keys from my purse, looking around the parking lot. Surveying my surroundings and assuming everyone is up to no good is a habit, and one that more people should adopt.
“Where are you parked?” I ask Gemma, wanting to make sure she gets to her car safely.
“Right there.” She motions to a silver Honda with a bumper sticker that says “Wiccan and proud” in between two pentagrams. “See you Monday.”
I watch her get in her car, then slide into the driver’s seat of my Charger and get my phone out of my purse, tapping the screen to check for calls.
There are seven, and they’re all from Jacques. My heart races as I call him back. The phone rings. And rings. And rings.
Finally, he answers.
“Ace?” he asks, always questioning if it’s really me calling.
“Yes, is everything okay?”
“It is now.”
“But it wasn’t?” I rush out.
“There was someone at the house.”
21
Iput my car in park and kill the engine, getting out and racing up the steps. Hasan is standing on the porch with the concealment amulet around his neck and the spear the ghoul stabbed Jacques with in one hand. I do a double take, seeing him without wings for the first time. He’s tall and muscular, with a strong, masculine face and battle scars showcasing his time spent in battle.
Even without the wings, he’s intimidating.
“Is everyone okay?” I ask, taking the steps two at a time. Hasan hooks his arm around me, lifting me up the last step. He moves in front of me, ready to guard and protect me if need be.
