“I know, sweetie,” Grandma said.“No matter how much I was looking forward to watching it in the morning. I’vegot lots of others saved.”
The club uploaded every showto YouTube. It was good for us—some of us had gotten modeling jobs and publicappearances and things out of it. Gabe and I had been booked for a twenty-firstbirthday once and had the time of our lives.
I loved doing this, and Ihatedthat it’ddrawn the attention of someone who wanted to ruin my life. For what? What had Idone?
I wasn’t an angel and Iknew it, but I tried not to everhurtanyone. Did I deserve this?
“I think it’s time youconsidered my offer,” Grandma continued. “Please, honey. It’d make me feelbetter.”
My stomach flipped at thethought, but I couldn’t keep relying on my friends. Grandma was right. Iknew what I had to do.
“Yeah,” I said. “Yeah, okay.I think… yeah.”
“Good. I’ll call in themorning. Do you have somewhere safe to go tonight?”
“Sure,” I lied.
Gabe was staying the nightwith Troy whether he liked it or not. I wasn’t putting him in harm’sway. He’d taken a risk staying my roommate through all this shit, but this…this was different. We’d moved past creepy and disturbing into what felt like adirect threat to me.
I’ll be seeing you.
I didn’t want Gabe inthe middle of it if something happened.
It was time they moved intogether, anyway, and it wouldn’t hurt to give him a little shove in thatdirection. I knew hewantedto and that he was only staying for my sake,because there was no way I could make rent on a two-bed apartment by myself.
“Good,” Grandma repeated. “Iwant you to call me once you’re home and text me before bed, okay? And thenagain when you wake up. I’m not taking any chances with you. If I don’t hearfrom you by nine a.m. tomorrow, you’ll get a wakeup call from the police.”
She wasn’t kidding, and Iknew it.
“I’ll call when I get homeand text you both times,” I promised. “Thanks, Grandma.”
“You don’t need to thank mefor protecting you, honey. That’s what grandmas are for.”
I jumped at a knock on thedoor.
“I gotta go,” I said,spotting Ivy’s left boob still sitting on the dressing table. “Love you.”
“Love you too, sweetie. Homesafe.”
Home safe.
I wished it was.
TWO
LOGAN
With my second cup of coffeefor the morning in hand and the sun beating down on my neck, San Francisco wasmaking a good first impression on me. The coffee wasn’t burnt, the barista hadbeen cute—and known the answer to every question I asked—and the sun had enoughbite to be warming without being too hot, the breeze coming in off the waterkeeping the weather perfect.
Sacramento was great, but Icould see myself making the drive over here for fun instead of work.
I usually met clients intheir homes, but this one had requested a meeting at a bar.
A gay bar.
Gray had warned me this clientwas different from what I was used to, and I’d walked out the doorwaving the file and assuring him that I could handle it.
I sure as hell hoped I wasn’t wrong. Goingback with my tail between my legs would’ve been embarrassing.
