“It’s getting to all of us,” I admitted quietly, trying not to think of the images currently living on my phone as I returned to the braid with trembling fingers.
My gaze drifted to the mirror across the room, allowing me to take stock of how I looked. Expensive, dark, understated.
Except for the belligerent flash on my left wrist.
A heavy, gleaming platinum watch Silas had bought me at the six-month mark just because he wanted to. I gave him shit for it at first, because I was completely caught off guard. I didn’t know he was going to celebrate us being together for half a year, as we never thought about those things when we were younger. However, Silas acted as if the milestone meant something deeply important.
It felt juvenile, sure, but his pure excitement when that date rolled around, and he got to give me this massive hunk of metal and gears, it made me give a fuck, too. So much so that I immediately turned around and bought him a thick platinum chain that complemented it. Partly because I wanted us to match, and I know Silas can’t stand the restricting feel of watches. But also because the idea of him wearing a heavy chain, while on top of me, was kind of fucking sexy.
So you know when it’s time to come home,he had said when he gave it to me.
My fingers accidentally swiped the cool metal of the watch, and it grounded me in the present.
“There, done.” I tied off the end of Lena’s intricate braid with a small black hair tie. “You look professional. Like you could run a board meeting or assassinate a foreign dignitary.”
Lena spun around on the floor, touching the braid gingerly with her fingertips. “Thanks, Cal. Seriously, it’s…nice, having someone do this kind of thing for me. I always dreamt of it…”
She didn’t finish the sentence, but she didn’t have to. She’d told me she lost her parents at the age of eight, but didn’t really remember anything about them, other than they died in a car accident, and they were both addicts. There were no memories of a dad doing her hair, or a mom fussing over her appearance before school.
Somewhere along the line, through our friendship and the miles on the road, she decided I was the closest thing to a father figure she would get. Which made me feel old as fuck, given I was only ten years older than her, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. And neither would Silas. Despite his initial hesitation, he had eagerly adopted the exact same protective role right alongside me.
I checked my phone again. It had been an hour since the last “nudge” from Silas.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Speak of the devil.
I expected another nude. I expected a dirty joke about room service. Instead, I got a wall of text bubbles that oozed pure, unadulterated panic.
I am going to jail.
Bail money is in the safe. The code is your birthday.
If a blonde woman knocks on your door do NOT answer it.
I swear to God CALLUM.
LOCK THE DOOR.
I hate this island. I hate the heat. I hatecoffee.
I stared at the screen, thoroughly baffled.
“Well?” Lena asked as she watched my face contort in confusion.
“He says he’s going to jail,” I reported flatly, “That he hates coffee, which is a lie, and he keeps using my government name. Which means he’s about to do something phenomenally stupid involving property damage.”
Breathe. What happened? Did Evan eat the last protein bar?
Three dots appeared instantly.
SHE SAID SHE WAS COMING TO TAKE CARE OF YOU.
I AM COMING UP THERE.
SCREW CREATIVE. I AM BREAKING THE DOOR DOWN.
“Okay,” I said, frowning deep lines into my forehead. “He’s officially lost his mind. He’s talking about someone ‘taking care of me’ and threatening to break kayfabe.”
A new text popped up. This time from Evan Wilder.
