“Everything is fine, I swear,” I assure Zeke, offering my best smile that feels as forced as it probably looks. “Just a weird headspace at the moment. I’ll be fine.”
He eyes me for a long moment before finally nodding with a soft sigh. “Okay, I won’t push it. But if you ever need someone to talk to, you know you can talk to me, right?”
My smile turns genuine, my appreciation for him growing every day I spend with him. “I know. Thanks, Zeke. Are you heading out now?”
“Mhm,” he answers, gesturing with his head to the clock on the wall. “You should probably do the same. You’ve been working crazy hours this week, so go home and take care of yourself. Eat something that isn’t triangle-shaped or made of corn. Fill your stomach with a proper meal, rejuvenate over the weekend, and come back funky fresh and ready to rock and roll, okay?”
“Sir, yes, sir,” I respond, saluting him dutifully.
Zeke cracks a smile and points menacingly at me. “Home. Now. Before I call that hottie from before to come get you.”
I frown. “Which one?”
“Exactly. There are enough of them these days that I have choices. Now pack your things and get gone already,” he volleys, and I’m laughing when he leaves, the first genuine and lighthearted sound I’ve made since I realized just how much of a handful I am.
Deciding to actually listen to my trusty assistant, I clip the chips closed and shut my laptop, gathering my purse and camera bag. I leave Static feeling a little lighter than before, locking all of the doors and setting the security alarm before climbing into my Jeep and driving home.
During the drive home, I don’t even think about the possibility of running into my neighbors, simply aiming to lock myself away at home, eat something that doesn’t come out of a bag, and have a long bubble bath before sinking my head into the pillows and sleeping off a crappy week.
So it’s no surprise, really, that I freeze in shock the moment I catch sight of Baxter and Rayne standing at the reception desk in the lobby, both looking a little worried and in a deep conversation with Callie.
Suddenly feeling hella awkward, those lingering thoughts still plaguing my mind, I’m not really sure if tonight is the night to face the music and talk to them again. I mean, they didn’t do anything wrong, and it’s my own issues that are screwing with my head. At this point, it almost feels like I’m punishing us all by shutting them out, and I do miss them something fierce.
Just as I start to convince myself to pull up my big-girl panties and shake myself out of the funk I’ve dumped myself in, I hear the sliding doors behind me open before a herd of footsteps hurries toward me. The sound draws Baxter and Rayne’s attention, and they look like they sigh a breath of reliefwhen they turn to face me. Well, that’s right before both sets of pretty eyes widen with alarm.
Oh, hell.
It’s Callie’s warm smile that indicates who’s hauling ass after me, her hand raised to wave at the shitheads I can hear rushing toward me like expensively dressed zombies, their heels clacking against the floor as the soundtrack to the horror movie my life is about to become.
I don’t make it four steps before Ashton and Zelda have hooked their arms through mine, dragging me backward until my own heels drag along the clean, shiny floor of the lobby. I watch with sorrow as my planned night ahead slips away from me, washed away by the kidnapping I knew was coming. I just never anticipated a kidnapping so soon. I should have. I didn’t, and now I’m helpless to do anything but let them drag me out of the apartment building without any of us uttering a single word.
As I’m being dragged to my demise, Baxter and Rayne finally start making their way over, a little slow given that they’re actively watching someone being abducted right before their very eyes. They keep their eyes on me, watching closely, and I’m pretty sure Baxter’s lips twitch when he notices that I’m not actually putting up a fight. Fighting these lovable assholes is trivial. I won’t win, and that’s spoken from years’ worth of experience.
“Is this something we should be worried about? Call the police, maybe?” Bax calls, crossing his tatted arms over his chest as he raises an eyebrow at my limp form being dragged to the depths of hell.
“Yes,” I deadpan, sighing as my best friends all speak at the same time, talking over one another.
“This is a consensual kidnapping,” Zelda drawls, her sexy Scottish accent trickling out of her with a humorous lilt that almost makes me smile. Almost.
“She’s a willing victim. No police needed,” Ashton chimes, agreeing with Zee.
“She’s being punished for giving us the silent treatment,” Henley answers, her crisp English accent holding a hint of betrayal she has no right feeling. If anyone has been betrayed, it’s absolutely me. They were the catalyst of this entire shitshow. The silent treatment was highly deserved, especially when the threats didn’t work.
Rayne’s pale-blue eyes collide with mine, and I already know the words that are about to come out of his mouth before they slip free. “She’s giving you the silent treatment, too?”
“Too?” Zelda asks. “What did you do? Not more lube, I hope.”
Oh my God, kill me.
“We actually don’t know,” Baxter answers, keeping his eyes on me with a twitching lip and humor-filled eyes that are sprinkled ever so slightly with irritation. “Maybe you can find out for us.”
Okay, so I deserve that, but I’ll be damned if I don’t narrow my eyes on the gorgeous bearded bastard, making him fully grin at me. It’s a sight to behold, and I realize just how much I’ve missed it now that it’s aimed right at me, causing my heart to skip several beats and those butterflies I haven’t felt in days to come swarming back with a vengeance.
“Trust us, we’ll get to the bottom of everything. Have no fear. Look after this for her,” AJ assures, removing my camera from my shoulder and delicately placing it on the floor before hiking me up a little more just before we reach the front doors. To me, she says, “Feet up, asshole. We’re taking you on an alcohol-centered adventure.”
Resisting is futile against these three women, and so I don’t bother at all. I simply lift my feet and drop my weight entirely, letting AJ and Zelda carry me out of the building,Henley assuming the lead since I still can’t see her. Though they may be little in stature, they make up for it with their underlying strength. And that goes for all three of my best friends. Their appearances are incredibly disarming, enough to lower your guard until you least expect to be hauled over a shoulder, carried bridal-style from a boutique store, or dragged unceremoniously out of your own apartment lobby.
Dignity is an actual myth around AJ, Henley, and Zelda. It can’t exist. Because if it did, I’d have none left at this point, my experiences with these ladies being plentiful enough to drain every drop. It’s the only reason I’m so calm with being manhandled, offering the two men staring after me instead of helping a pathetic little wave that Baxter actually reciprocates. They disappear the moment we’re out of the building, and I’m carted off like I’m nothing more than a purse to be carried.
