23. Zombie
TWENTY-THREE
ZOMBIE
It had been nine long months of wishing I were with Lennie.
Nine months of silence. Nine months of hoping I’d hear from her.
Lurking in the shadows every night to see what she was doing.
I hadn’t sent another text. I had been bold and thought we could work through it, but clearly, I had been wrong.
Not that I blamed her. That girl made me lose my head like I never had before.
She spent each night alone at her home. Sometimes the goth woman would come over along with her friends from the Hive.
But no men. That last part was a relief.
I knew I would do more than just break her window if she had Bohdi over again.
Or any other man, for that matter. It was selfish, and I knew it was irrational, but she was mine, even if she didn’t know it.
In addition to pining over Lennie, I had also spent the last nine months working with Sarah and getting intimate knowledge of her operation, which she wanted desperately for me to be part of.
One thing I couldn’t figure out after all this time was her endgame; she kept that information close to her chest. However, I knew she was planning something big based on the influx of activity the organization had been running.
When she wasn’t looking, I snuck snacks and water to the women and children who were captured. I also convinced Sarah to let me complete medical examinations on them to ensure that they were physically okay. It wasn’t much, but at least it helped me stomach what I was doing.
I was no closer to getting free of the shackles that bound me to Sarah and Ricci’s operation. And while Sarah had kept up her end of the bargain, and put Cassie and Ryann in a safe house, I knew they weren’t truly safe as long as Sarah had them in her control.
Over the last few months, more bodies had been found throughout the city.
All young women and children. Some had been tortured, some raped, and many appeared malnourished and neglected.
Most of the bodies I didn’t recognize, so I had come to the conclusion that there had to be another base for the trafficking.
Toby had become more reclusive, and I worried that I would lose him as my assistant.
But I didn’t have the energy to focus on him.
If he wanted to do this job, he needed to find a way to cope with it.
Harsh, I knew, but it was the truth. Though that was coming from someone who still saw their dead best friend every day.
So maybe I wasn’t an authority on coping skills.
My team was none the wiser; however, I knew they’d noticed my exhaustion and my distance. I was only going to Oasis tonight to prove I was still around. I needed to appear normal to keep them from prying.
I got into my car to head to opening night of the club Machine and Kade had bought several months ago.
Everyone had been invited for the event, as this would be another legitimate business for Kade.
My tortuous thoughts were running through my head as I got ready to go.
I knew Lennie would be there tonight and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go after our last encounter.
Typically I rode in the car without playing music. I preferred listening to podcasts or just thinking instead of listening to the lyrics of lovesick artists.
I turned on my playlist without looking at what was playing. “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan started to play and I immediately hit the “next” button. I did not need to think of the dogs and cats in the animal shelters right now.
“Aw man, why did you change it?” Arrow grumbled in the passenger seat.
I jumped at the illusion of my best friend. I was still seeing him so often it was hard to tell reality from fiction anymore.
Next “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton started to play while Arrow sang along. After the first chorus I changed it, hating the way it made me think of Lennie.
The third song came on and this time I groaned out loud. It was Arrow’s favorite Moana song, “You’re welcome.”
Arrow danced in his seat, singing every word. “Doesn’t The Rock remind you of Buddha? I swear this is like his theme song,” Arrow said in the middle of the song.
I ignored his question but internally agreed with him that the Rock did in fact remind me of Buddha.
When the next song turned on, and Avril Lavigne started playing, I looked at my phone to realize that it was Arrow’s playlist. Subconsciously I knew that I was listening to it to be closer to him. But the conscious part was still annoyed by his song selections.
Even with the normal traffic of the city, it didn’t take me long to get to Oasis. I parked my car on a side street before walking to the club. The city streets were bustling with people, but there was only one person that I wanted to see.
I walked into the club, where at least fifty people were already there drinking and laughing.
As I looked around, I noticed a sea of people wearing black and red, the colors for the evening.
Machine and Kade had done a great job of making the club look moody yet elegant.
Black silk cascaded in the main entry, making me feel like I was entering a gala.
I shook myself out of my thoughts and scanned the room, looking for the one person I wanted to see.
Machine looked on edge, and Kade and Evelyn had just shown up, Kade fussing over Evelyn even more than usual due to the pregnancy.
Buddha wasn’t far behind with Chief, both looking dapper in their black suits.
After what felt like forever, I finally found the woman I was after.
My breath left my lungs as I took her in. She wore a short black cocktail dress that hugged her curves. Her hair was slightly curled, and she wore my favorite black-rimmed glasses. She was talking to Bohdi and Jax, though neither was trying to touch her.
Somehow, this woman had taken my world off its axis, and now I was spiraling in uncharted space, unable to stop.
I needed this girl. I craved her. Her beautiful soft features and those damn pink tips in her hair almost drove me mad.
But I couldn’t have her. I couldn’t have anyone, so why would I think I could have someone who was perfect in every aspect of the world?
I would taint the light she exuded; she would be like an angel falling into hell. No, I couldn't have her. But I would be damn sure no one else could either.
As if hearing my thoughts, Lennie turned toward me.
Our connection was instant. Those beautiful blue eyes sparkled in the dim lighting, and her breath seemed to hitch when she saw me.
It was as though there was a magnetic pull drawing me toward her, because before I realized what I was doing, we were walking to each other.