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And suddenly it seemed too perfect.
How the Borellos knew exactly where I was. How they knew which night to hit.
If it was even them at all.
I don’t know how long I’d been staring at the table in dread before I looked at Teagan again, but she was covering her mouth as her head continued to shake, this time slowly.
“Where was he Wednesday night?”
“Home,” she responded from behind her hand. “All night, and I have no reason to lie for that bastard. Finn’s parents had dinner with us. He and Bailey both left the room a couple times for work calls, but—”
“That’s normal,” I finished for her, nodding in agreement. “It’s probably just a stretch. What isn’t is that it would’ve been a perfect opportunity for them, and that has to be why he was so mad yesterday.”
“You’re right,” she said after a minute, then dropped her hands to the table. “Now tell me what happened. I’ve been going—”
“You ladies ready to order?”
I glanced up at the feminine voice that came from beside us, and knew I wasn’t able to hide my surprise in seeing her standing there instead of Ethan. He’d been our waiter every week for the last two years.
My stomach twisted when I remembered Wednesday night, when I remembered how different he was after he’d been drinking and how Dare had been there.
And this was Dare’s mom’s café.
I hated thinking the way he’d acted when he drank might be the reason he wasn’t here this morning. Then again, he might actually be dangerous if he’d come across a normal girl.
But that wasn’t something I would know.
I’d been raised to be a pawn by a man who manipulated people, bending them to his will.
I wasn’t exactly normal.
As soon as we’d finished ordering, Teagan said, “Right. That happened too. She came up and asked for a drink order when I first got here. Said Ethan doesn’t work here anymore.”
My eyes fluttered shut and I exhaled slowly. “Yeah, uh, I’m pretty sure I know why. Last week—” My words caught in my throat as that familiar, heady electricity slid over my skin.
It felt like the sweetest Hello after the most heart-wrenching Goodbye.
I opened my eyes to Teagan’s frustrated glare that was slowly turning more confused, and I knew without turning around that he was coming closer.
I could feel it in the way that electric current went from a soft hum to a steady buzz.
As much as I wanted to see him, as much as I wanted to experience everything he could give me again and again, I wanted to hate him for giving me a taste of bliss before ripping it away so brutally.
“Firefly.”
A shuddering breath tore from me at the ache in his tone, at h
aving him so close, but I didn’t look away from Teagan. Her shock from hearing him speak wasn’t lost as she looked from him to me.
“Elle, please,” he begged when I didn’t respond and reached for my hand where it rested on the table. “Let me talk to you.”
Teagan’s eyes widened at the contact, a sneer curling on her lips.
When her eyes met mine, they said more than words could.
She felt betrayed. She was furious.
“I can explain,” I mouthed to her, but she simply shook her head.
