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Chapter Twenty-Seven

Carly

Letting out a sigh, I fan the photos of the apartment Mercedes bought out on the counter and scroll through photos on the internet, trying to decide what style I’m going to go with. Mercedes only told me she wanted something that would work for a bunch of different people since she’s planning on renting it out, so I’m stuck on where to go with this. Although, I suppose I should go kind of high end since the unit is in a nice building downtown.

“What are you up to, Princess?” Chance asks, coming up behind me on the barstool and wrapping his arms around me. I sigh again and point to the computer.

“Trying to come up with a design for Mercedes’ rental apartment.” It’s the same thing I’ve been working on all day with no luck. My mind has been too preoccupied with our meeting with Rosie this morning and everything she told us. “Why do you think Ivy doesn’t sleep in Julian’s room?”

Chance shakes his head. “I’ve got no clue, babe. It’s definitely weird.”

“This whole thing is weird,” I whisper. It’s a feeling I’ve been unable to shake since Streak showed us all the information he had collected and I know that we’re missing something. It’s unnerving.

“Hey, what do you say we get out of the apartment and do something fun?”

I purse my lips, looking down at the work I’m supposed to be doing. “I don’t know. I really need to get cracking on this.”

“Darlin’, you’ve been staring at this all damn day,” he says, turning me away from my work to face him as he rubs my arms. “You need to relax a little bit and then you’ll be able to focus.”

Sighing, I glance back at the photos. I know he’s right. There’s no way that I’ll be able to get anything done when my mind is consumed with thoughts of Ivy and how she’s doing. It could be weeks before she’s able to slip away and I’ll always be worried about her, but I need to find a way to live my life, too.

“All right, what did you have in mind?”

He grins. “Leave that up to me. You just go get dressed.”

“Am I going to get peed on again?” I ask, quirking a brow and he laughs.

“I can’t make any promises.”

An idea hits me. “Actually, there is somewhere I’d like to take you.”

“Okay. I’ll let you decide this time.”

With a dramatic scoff and a roll of my eyes, I slip off the stool and leave him standing in the living room as I go to the closet. Once inside, I sift through the racks before pulling on a pair of jean shorts and white baby doll eyelet tank top. Back in the bedroom, I grab one of the necklaces on my jewelry rack – a jade green pendant on a gold chain – and slip it over my head. As I slip my flip-flops on, Chance walks in and grins.

“Ready to go?”

“Yep. Is that what you’re going to wear?” I ask, pointing to his jeans as I strut over to him and throw my arms over his shoulders. His grin grows and he nods his head.

“Yes. What’s wrong with it? You taking me somewhere super fancy? You should probably tell me where we’re going so I know what the appropriate attire is.”

With a huff, I pull away from him and he laughs, hooking his arm around my waist and pulling me back into him. It figures that the one time I try to surprise him, he can’t handle the secrecy.

“Damn, I love riling you up, baby.”

I cross my arms over my chest and look away from him. “Keep it up and see how often you get laid, Turner.”

“Oh, yeah?” He pulls me closer, molding my body to his as his lips hover over mine and I suck in a breath. God damn him. “You think you can last longer than me?”

“I know I can.” Especially if he’s going to throw down a challenge.

He laughs. “We’ll just have to see about that. Time to go.”

He releases me only to grab my hand and lead me out into the living room. I snatch my phone off the counter as we pass the island, slipping it in my pocket before grabbing my purse off the entry table.

“Are we going to a movie?” he asks as he locks the door and I scoff.

“Come on. Give me more credit than that.”