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I take a deep breath, thinking of any other idea that doesn’t include Cruz. “Isn’t there any other party we can go to?”
“Babe, it’s perfect. We just get a little alcohol into Royce, he starts talking, and voila…he tells you what he knows.”
“I don’t know…”
“Come on,” she whines, followed by rustling and then, “in a minute!”
The line goes quiet, then a couple of seconds later she comes back on. “So, are we in?”
It would be good to start digging into my father’s case, and seeing as I wasn’t about to spend the summer hiding from Cruz, it looked like there was only one answer.
“I’m in,” I say with a sigh.
“Great! I’ll swing by your place at eight. We can do a little pre-partying then walk down the beach to the Deveraux place. Cool?”
Hearing the customers in the background growing restless, I agree and tell her I’ll see her then.
“By the way,” I add, just as I’m about to hang up. “He’s not my Cruz.”
She laughs. “Well, if what you told me about your run in with him yesterday means anything, I’d say he’s no onebutyours.”
Before I can respond, she says bye with a kiss and hangs up.
***
Jenica arrives at eight on the dot, and when I answer the front door, I find her standing with a bag in her arms.
“For you.” She pulls out a six pack of Zima. “It’s zuper!”
I laugh, and grab it from her, while ushering her inside. “Getin, you dork.”
She strolls through the door and sets the bag down on the table in the foyer. “So, are you ready for tonight?”
“I think so. Although, I probably need to up my game if that’s what you’re wearing.”
She’s got on a pair of cutoff black jean shorts and a cropped white top, with a flannel tied around her waist, and her beloved oxblood Doc’s. While her long dark hair is pulled into a ponytail, showing off her light blue eyes, and she’s got a choker around her neck.
“Don’t you dare.” She shakes her head and eyes my outfit with approval. “You look hot as hell, Elle.”
I set the Zima down on the table and run my hand up the back of my head. Wanting to keep my hair off my neck, I pulled it into a high ponytail, then twisted it into a bun.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be rape bait.”
“Please,” she says with a roll of her eyes. “You look amazing. Besides, I have your back, remember? No one is going to touch you.”
I’m glad Momma isn’t here. Something tells me she wouldn’t let me out of the house if she saw what I was wearing tonight.
I’ve got on a red and black plaid mini skirt, with three decorative black buckles, and a vintage AC/DC shirt that has been cut off at my mid-drift. The skirt’s hem skims the bottom of my ass, and when paired with my black Docs, leather cuffs on each wrist, and layers of necklaces, I have to admit, I look good.
“Girl, I told you, we’ll be safe as kittens. I’ve got my mace and rape whistle, and I highly doubt Cruz will let anyone mess with you.”
Once upon a time that may have been true, but any ownership I let him have over me, ended when he left me crying in the rain.
“You’re forgetting one thing.”
“That is?” she asks, arching a brow.
“The fact he’ll probably toss me out on my ass the moment he sees me.”
