Chapter 28
I wake up with the worst case of dry mouth I’ve ever had. I rub my lips. God, when did I eat sand?
“Shit,” a male voice mutters. “You didn’t stay under long.”
Slowly, I turn my head. Weird. This is Ace’s room. But who is that man?
“I’m Six,” he says, reaching for my wrist checking my pulse or something.
I jerk it back. “Six is a number, not a name.”
He slowly grins. “I like you.”
“Where’s Ace?”
Six’s eyes narrow and he crosses his arms, standing at the edge of the bed like a guard.
When I try to sit up my head spins. “Whoa.”
“Easy, you’re still a little loopy.”
“But I didn’t drink the beer.”
A woman appears, leaning over the bed with a concerned expression. “I’m Katie, Skull’s wife.”
“Hi,” I rasp. “Can I have some water?”
She dashes off to the kitchen. When she returns with a glass, she passes it to me, and looks worriedly at Six. “What are we going to do?”
He glances at his watch.
“I’ll make a call.”
Pulling out his phone, he steps into the bathroom.
“Why are you two here and where is Ace?” I ask as my brain starts to come back online. Something isn’t adding up. Ace never has people in his apartment. And why have I been asleep?
“We told Ace we’d hang out while he had a meeting. He was worried because you were so… um, tired.”
I manage to sit up without spinning off the bed. “Do you have a nickname too?” I ask. “Because it probably shouldn’t be poker face.”
She grimaces and sits on the edge of the bed next to me. “I’m sorry.”
My brain latches onto that. “I’m sorry. Wait… Ace said that to me in the bar.”
I look at the glass of water in my hands. The cup falls out of my grip, hitting the floor. “Oh my god. He drugged me.”
Six appears in the doorway of the bathroom. His phone is in his hand and his expression is concerned. “Ace wants to talk to you.”
When I begin to stand, Katie screeches. “No! Your feet are bare. There’s glass everywhere.”
She’s right. I dropped the glass and made a huge mess, but I’m so mad, I could probably walk on broken glass and not feel it.
My hand is electric with anger when Six passes me the phone. “You cold-hearted bastard.”
“I’m sorry,” Ace replies instantly. “I’ll explain.”
“The lawyer told you not to be involved.”
“I needed to… deal with something.”
“It doesn’t involve a shovel does it?”
“I’ll be home soon.”
No!
My throat is clogged with angry tears. “I won’t be here.”
I end the call and shove the phone toward Six. “Katie, I need a ride.”
“Where?” she screeches.
“Anywhere but here.”
Before I realize what’s going on, Six slaps something metal on my wrist. He tugs me gently off balance and clamps the other end of a pair of handcuffs to the headboard.
Katie wheezes. “Oh my god, not again.”
“Again!” I yell, jerking on the cuff. “Is this a regular occurrence, chaining someone to Ace’s bed.”
Six doesn’t look happy. “Not me. I’ve never done that to anyone before.”
Katie’s face is pink with anger or embarrassment, or something.
“I’ll be back.” She storms out the door.
Six is sitting at the bar, browsing a cookbook while I try to disassemble the headboard when Katie comes roaring back into the room. Another woman is with her. She’s carrying a machine. A saw.
“Unlock the cuffs or we take care of it,” the second woman says to Six, who is staring with his jaw hinged open.
“I’m tempted just to make you ladies cut those for the show.”
He gets three very unlady-like growls in response.
Grumbling, Six stands, closes the cookbook, puts it back on the shelf, and takes his sweet time walking over to me.
He unlocks my cuff and warns, “I don’t advise leaving. Ace isn’t known for his good temperament.”
I’m fuming. My ears are hot and my temples are throbbing. “I used to be known for my good temperament. But not now,” I grit out.
The three of them watch as I shove my feet into my Mary Janes. I’m still wearing Ace’s FAFO T-shirt, which I now know means Fuck Around And Find Out.
Perfect. But oh my god, I’m not very good at walking.
I’ve never been bad at walking before now. But my legs are not right.
I wobble a little, but I make it to the end of the hall.
Crap. I can’t remember which way to the exit.