Page 298 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

She answers, croaky and tired. ‘Jay? What’s up?’

In bed asleep. Not with him.

He ends the call.

Another girl’s name. Julieta.

She answers after three rings with the same sleepy air of having just woken up. ‘You good? What’s goin’ on, sweetie?’

Jules only has a handful of friends who are girls, but there’s no way he’d go out without one. Lachlan knows him. He loves his girls.

He dials Megan and waits.

The answering audio explodes.

‘Oh my GOD, where the fuck are you?’ she yells. ‘I’ve been calling and calling! What the fuck? Are you OK? Where are you?’

Bingo.

Lachlan clears his throat, drops his voice into softer, whinier tones, partially covers the microphone with his hand and does his best to sound like Jules. ‘Babe, I’m… can’t find… please help.’

He leaves spaces between the words intentionally.

‘Motherfucker, don’t go weak on me now! You get your ass back here!’

‘Please, I’m so… wasted… lost my… where are you?’

‘I’m where you left me an hour ago, Jules!’

‘Can’t find… please.’

‘You sound fucking possessed. Did you go with that guy? Fuck me, you’re the worst friend on earth, I swear to God. Jules! Are you still in Rapture?’

Rapture is a nightclub.

A really big one.

‘I can’t,’ he whines, walking fast. ‘I’m lost.’

‘You’ve got my fucking credit card, you prick! My mom’ll go ballistic! Get your rich, spoiled ass back here! Don’t put this shit on me!’

She sounds so desperate that Lachlan actually feels bad.

He decides to switch it up.

‘This guy… he won’t let me go… help,’ he whimpers, just like Jules, and then ends the call before she can speak.

Lachlan whips out his own phone and dials her number again.

‘Hello?’ she answers fractiously.

‘This is Julian’s bodyguard,’ he tells her without wasting a second. ‘He’s in mortal danger right now. I know he was with you.’

‘Oh fuck.’

‘Give me the cardholder name so I can track where he’s using the card.’

‘How did you know—?’