Page 70 of Property of Player

“He did that to you?”

“He showed up at my mother’s house while she was in the hospital. He was pissed I left him. Anyway, last night he saw a text from Player on my phone, and he went crazy. He burned me with the curling iron.”

“Oh my God. Are you okay? Where is he now? My brother will kill him.”

I touch her hand. “You can’t tell Player. Randall left town on a job. He’s a trucker. He left to haul a load to San Franscico.”

“What about when he returns?”

I turn and look at the clubhouse. “I think Player has another gun in his room here. I was going to see if I could find it, but I have to get past the prospects.” I glance at her. “What are you doing here?”

“You want the truth? I was going to try to sneak into Drae’s room.”

“Why?”

She lifts a shoulder. “I don’t know. Steal a shirt. Sleep in it until he comes back.” She looks over at me. “I miss him. Does that sound crazy?”

“No.” I smile. “Not so crazy. Come on,” I shoulder the door.

“Are you serious? What about the prospects?”

I shrug. “I’ll just tell them I left my birth control pills in Player’s bathroom. Or maybe my diaphragm. You mention stuff like that, and guys don’t want anything to do with it. It’s like asking them to buy you tampons; they take off in the opposite direction.”

She giggles. “Okay. Let’s try it.”

We head inside and find one prospect asleep on the couch. He bolts upright, shielding his eyes against the bright sunlight coming in through the door.

“Shit, Cici. What are you doing here?”

“My friend, Taylor, left her diaphragm in Player’s room. We’re going to get it. Wanna come?”

“Uh…” He looks dumbfounded. “No, that’s okay. Just hurry up. I’m not supposed to let people in here.”

I grin at Cici, and we head down the hall.

As we pass a room, it’s obvious by the sounds inside that someone is having sex. Cici and I stare at each other, and I put my finger to my mouth. “Shh.”

We hurry to Player’s room and slip inside. I’m surprised it’s unlocked but glad it is. We did leave in a hurry that morning.

When I shut the door, Cici looks at me.

“Who do you think that was?” she asks.

“It was probably one of the other prospects,” I say, and an image of Molly standing with them hits me. I don’t make another comment, instead moving to Player’s dresser to look in the top drawer. “Bingo.”

I pull out another 9mm and check that the safety is on. There’s a stack of cartridges and slip a couple into my bag.

“Should we be doing this?” Cici asks. “My brother would kill me if he knew I was snooping around his room.”

“We can leave. Do you still want that shirt of Drae’s?” I ask with a lift of my brow.

“Yes.”

“You know which room is his?”

She nods, and we both slip out into the hall. I follow her to another room. She looks around, and I wonder since she knew where it was, if she’s been in here before. I think about asking her, but we hear a noise in the hall. Then I realize it’s not the hall; it’s coming from the bathroom on the other side of the wall.

I press my finger to my lips and lean against the paneling. The walls are thin, and I can hear everything. It sounds like someone has their phone on speaker.