Chapter 7
SEVEN
Horniness isn't one of the stages of grief
LILA
Told you I was good with my hands.
Before you get on my case about what I just did, you should know I refuse to be painted as the bad guy in this situation. So what if I used my body to distract Reed, steal his keys, and leave him temporarily stranded? It was for the greater good.
Turnabout is fair play. After all, he was doing precisely the same thing to me earlier. Using his sexy voice, flashing not one but two dimples, touching my hair with those stupidly attractive hands, and knocking the strap of my PJ top off my shoulder. All to get what he wanted out of me.
Sadly, he wasn’t trying to get my body or heart. He was after information because he’d love nothing better than to solve some crime he only suspects is happening, destroying me in the process.
Tapping his exceptionally thick and hard package might have been below the belt.
Mental snort laugh.
Okay, it definitely was below the belt—in more ways than one.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t distracted enough for me to reach into his pocket unnoticed.
I honestly thought he’d kiss me and then I’d be golden.
But the dumb dumb—not affiliated with the amazing lollypop with a similar-sounding name—wouldn’t do it unless I begged.
And that is never happening again. The over-the-clothes gropey-grope gave me the much-needed extra oomph.
And as stated earlier, it was all for the greater good.
By the time he finds his keys, I’ll already be there, and this nightmare will be that much closer to being a thing of the past.
I really chucked them far into the bushes as I flew past the clubhouse. Probably the adrenaline rush since I’m about as talented at sports as I am at dieting—in other words, not at all.
My navigation system guides me to the pinned location Silas sent me after we spoke on the phone.
“Turn right at the third street ahead. Oh boy. We get to count to three.”
As we pass each street, the GPS voice counts along.
“One.”
“Two.”
“Oh goodie. Here is number three, and it’s time to turn right. Good job turning and counting. The destination is one hundred cookies ahead. I mean one hundred feet. Silly me.”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, I can’t suppress my chuckle. That’s a new description from my GPS. And I approve.
Speaking of cookies, I can’t believe Reed called me that stupid nickname from my childhood. Plus, he attempted to make it sexy. Perhaps he would’ve succeeded if I hadn’t been sweating bullets at the time.
And if he were someone other than himself.
Reed’s the gift that keeps on giving. Well, he would be if the gift were a pile of crap and the giving happened on a priceless rug.
I sweep my gaze around as I slow down the car, noting the minimal lighting in the parking lot. Because Silas didn’t tell me where exactly to park, I head to one of the only functioning lighting fixtures I can find. My heart jackhammers around in my chest.
“You have reached your destination. I’m so proud of you. Now we eat cookies to celebrate. Yum, yum, yum.”
Yes, my GPS is voiced by the Cookie Monster. I don’t care that I’m thirty-one years old. It’s perfectly fine to do things that spark joy, regardless of age. If you don’t like it, go live in a trash can with Oscar.
Shifting the car into park, I grab my phone to see if Silas sent any further instructions. I freaking hope he didn’t leave while I was ditching the dodo—not affiliated with the adorable animal internet videos.
No messages from Silas, but plenty from Reed. With some colorful language included at no additional charge.
Oh, and look at that. Four missed calls from him as well. Glad my phone goes to do not disturb when I’m driving, only allowing calls from my VIP contacts to ring through. And Reed will never be one of those.
Silas didn’t call or text either, which I already knew since he is still on my VIP contact list. But I had to check to be certain.
Although there are a few cars in the parking lot, they all seem to be empty. When nothing happens after a minute or two, I fire a text to Silas to let him know I’m here and waiting. Then I flip back to Reed’s text thread to peruse it.
Dirty Dimples:
Turn the car around, Lila. Get back here!
This is fucking bullshit. I can’t believe you did that. You’re gonna feel like shit about it later. But if you come back now, I’ll forgive you. And I’ll still help you.
Swear to fuck, Lila. You won’t be able to sit for a month after I find you.
Pick up the fucking phone! This is asinine.
I know you weren’t lying about Silas hurting you. It’s obvious you’re terrified of him. So why the hell are you going to meet him in the middle of the night alone? Are you trying to get yourself killed? What is happening with you? Why won’t you let me help you?
Fuck our past, Lila. We can’t change what happened. I want to help you now. Right fucking now.
Before you ditched me, you asked why I wanted to go with you. Truth is, it’s both of those things you mentioned. I want to protect you and stop you from getting in trouble with the law. If I bust some bad guys while I’m at it, even better.
It’s clear you’re wrapped up in something dangerous. And Kenzie’s disappearance is either a whole other mess or the same one. I want to help you, Lila.
Why won’t you let me? What good can come from pushing away someone who only wants to help you?
And you know you went too far with the dick grab. Even after that, I still want to help you.
And maybe I want to help you even more because of it. I forgot how damn good your hands feel on me.
Please let me help you, Lila. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.
Wow. Reed rapidly traveled through the stages of grief during the time it took me to drive across Tampa. Denial, blinding rage, bargaining, and sadness. Then he added in some horniness. Never made it around to acceptance, though. That’s too bad for him.
Oh well. He’s not my problem anymore.
Still nothing from Silas.
Argh. He’s probably ticked that I took so long to get here. He’d have been furious if I arrived with a federal agent in tow.
Although I might not be great at losing weight, I’m sensational at pissing off men I despise.
Taking pity on the one not holding my best friend hostage, I type out my reply.
Me:
Reed, if you had left when I asked, you’d be in a better mental place right now.
I wouldn’t have been forced to give you the slip.
Eventually, you’ll learn that you aren’t entitled to everything you want.
Let’s consider tonight a free lesson in disappointment.
I’ll have Kenzie call you when I see her next. Goodbye.
Right after I hit send, my phone rings, making my entire body tense.
“Hello, Silas? I’m here like you said.” My words rush out in a voice that’s high-pitched and fraught with anxiety. “Where is she? Where is Kenzie?” I scan the lot frantically, my vision coming up empty.
“Did you come alone like I said?”
“Yes.”
“I see your car. She’ll come to you in a minute. Just wait for her there.”
My chin wobbles. “Thank you.”
With my head on a swivel, I scan the parking lot frantically for any sign of her. My hands go numb from my titanium grip on the steering wheel.
It might be five seconds or five minutes. What is time when you’re waiting to find out if you’re about to be murdered or if you’ve managed to save your friend’s life?
Finally, she emerges from the far end of the parking lot, near the street. A beacon of light in the dark, she staggers toward my car. Her steps falter as if she’s weak or injured.
I throw the car in gear and race to her side, ignoring all the painted lines in the mostly empty lot and driving to her in a straight line. Reaching her in a flash, I leap from the car and hoof toward her.
Unable to take another step, she collapses to the concrete, one arm reaching toward me. “Lila,” she whimpers.
I fall to my knees, my arms surrounding her.
She’s alive. I didn’t lose her too.
This time, I didn’t fail. She didn’t die because of me. History did not repeat.
For a long, long time, we cry together.
Tears of relief. Tears of pain. Tears of anguish. Tears of joy. All the tears.
A while later, we’re safely in the car, and I’ve finished recapping the night’s misadventures and why it took so long for me to get to her.
“My brother?” Kenzie rasps, voice cracked. “Ew. Why would you talk to him? You know you can’t trust him.”
“Oh, I’m well aware.” I unscrew the cap and pass her a water bottle. “It’s not like he gave me much of a choice. You know how persistent he is. But I gave him the slip. You should text him, though. We don’t need to give him any more reason to snoop around.”
After chugging several long swigs, she lowers the bottle and hits me with her puppy dog eyes. “This is so fucked up, Lila. I still can’t believe everything that’s happened. How did we end up in a freaking nightmare?”
Reaching over, I brush her ratty hair away from her face. “I’m so sorry for bringing Silas into our lives. Can you ever forgive me?”
“It wasn’t your fault,” she contends.
I wipe away my renewing tears so she doesn’t focus on me. “I’m just glad you’re safe. Nothing else matters now.”
Her chin wobbles. “It was awful. I’ve never been so scared. I honestly thought they were going to kill me.”
My eyes sting as I fight back another wave of guilty tears. “You’re safe now. It’s all gonna be fine, Kenz. I got you back. They’ll never hurt you again.”
We trade pained stares, both of us failing to stave off the emotions. She looks utterly traumatized. From the bags under her eyes to her disheveled clothing and knotted hair. Not to mention the near-constant tears since I picked her up ten minutes ago. We’re going to flood the car.
All this time, I was blinded by how agonizing this has been for me. And yet, she was the one living through unimaginable horrors.
Exhaling away some of my anguish, I shift into reverse, preparing to pull out of the gas station. “You sure you don’t want to go to a hospital?”