“I was thinking we’d—” Rule’s sentence ended when his cell phone beeped.
I knew what that sound meant. A normal vibration required him to read and possibly respond. A beep meant he would be out the door within minutes.
He answered, then strolled into the other room for privacy.
I finished loading our dishes into the dishwasher as I exhaled my disappointment. I’d been looking forward to spending a little time with him. Although I craved his body, I genuinely enjoyed talking to Rule. I hadn’t learned too many deep, dark secrets about him during the month and a half that we’d been married, but I was getting to know him in other ways. He wasn’t as tightlipped as I expected him to be, although I figured what he revealed barely scratched the surface. Still, I longed for companionship.
Being here alone all the time, while freeing at first, was no longer a blessing. I was starting to miss interacting with the world the way I used to. I’d used this as a hiding place for long enough, and I knew my restlessness meant it was time to look for something to keep my attention. And I didn’t consider coming up with new ways to avoid my mother as a good way to spend my time. She was relentless, especially now that she was counting down until the fundraiser I hadn’t yet committed to.
I shut off the water as Rule was walking back into the kitchen.
“You have to leave, huh?”
“Yes.”
I grabbed a towel and dried my hands. “Do you know when you’ll be back?”
His eyebrows lifted slowly. “No.”
I tried to hide my disappointment, but I clearly failed.
“What’s wrong?”
I plastered on a fake smile. “Nothing. I’m just … bored. That’s all.” I waved him off. “Go do your thing. I’ll—”
“Come with me.”
“Wh—huh?”
“Come with me, Laikyn.” He nodded toward the living room. “Go change. I need to leave in five minutes.”
I couldn’t contain my excitement. I ran over to him, bouncing as I pressed a kiss to his bearded cheek before running toward my room. It took me less than five minutes to pull on jeans and a T-shirt—I took my cues from what he was wearing—and slipped on my favorite Vans before brushing my hair out and pulling it up into a ponytail.
When I returned, I found Rule waiting by the door to the garage. A minute later, we were pulling down the driveway.
“Can you tell me what the job is?”
“A car was towed.”
My excitement fizzled out instantly. “Seriously? And what? You’re going to get it out of the impound?”
“Not exactly.”
A little fizz returned. “Whose car is it?”
“Rich Mulvayne.”
“No shit?” I laughed. “The lead singer of Diamond Heist?”
“One and the same,” he said as he drove.
“What happened? Was he driving drunk? Did he get into an accident?”
“Therewasan accident, but he wasn’t in it,” he said.
“You’re being cryptic, Rule. Just tell me.”
“Hisfriendwas driving. Ran a red light and got T-boned.”
