I laugh, nodding my head. “It was… happy.”
“What?”
“Not all the time, obviously. But enough to count. It was full of love, and they were happy.”
“That’s wild.” He laughs. “I mean, everyone said how they were, but I guess I’ve never believed people who live like that can be…” he trails off as if he doesn’t know how to finish the sentence.
“Obnoxiously in love?” I ask, making him laugh as he nods his head. “Oh, they were, for the 16 years I knew them, they were.”
“I’m glad that fucking bitch left.” Matthews mumbles as he walks back over to the table, amusing all of us again.
As the group continues to talk, I sit trying to figure out how I’m going to leave the table with no one noticing.
Walking up to the bar, I motion to the bartender for the tab.
“Leaving already?” Collins calls from behind me. I can hear the suspicion is his voice.
“Huh?” I pause. “Yeah, already stayed way longer than I meant to. Got to get up early.”
He eyes me for a second as my tab’s sat down in front of me, but I don’t feel like I can deal with it yet.
“Sure, you’re not gonna go meet up with a redhead?”
“What?” I look at him before looking over to my tab, signing it.
“Man, I get it. She’s hot as hell.” I know I’m doing a poor job of hiding my emotions. He gives me the same expression as earlier when I couldn’t suppress my jealousy over what he was saying.
Nodding his head as if to tell me he can read me like a book, he looks past me, ordering his drink. Finishing up, I’m leaving, walking past him as he whispers. “It’s cool. Tell me, don’t tell me. Either way, I won’t say a word. But hypothetically, if you were, you need to be real fucking careful.”
“Please, I’m not that stupid.” Obviously, that’s a lie. “Me of all people, I’d end up with a three-inch gash in my throat.”
“As long as you know the stakes.”
“I’m not…” I trail off, but we’re both aware how full of shit I am.
“I believe you.” He says it, but we both know he doesn’t mean it. “Go do whatever’s not fucking the president of the biker gang’s baby sister.”
Club. It’s so second nature to correct people when they say it I’ve had to train myself over the years to stop. Now, I do it only internally.
“Oh, wait, but that’s not even the kicker, is it?” he laughs, shaking his head. “Go do what’s not fucking the president of the biker gang and who also was your childhood bestie’s sister.”
If anyone else at that table said anything about knowing what’s going on, I would worry, but I know I can trust Collins. For some reason, he’s always had my back.
“Cover for me?” Crinkling my nose, not really admitting to anything.
“Of course.” Taking his drink from the bartender as I start to walk away. “Oh, Eli!” he calls out after me. “Should I be on the lookout for your body tomorrow?”
Flipping him off, making him laugh, and nods his head.
Walking towards my truck, I keep my on constant looking out as Collins’s words repeat through my head.
Like I told Drew before, if Z finds out, he will kill me. Not because he holds such bizarre ideals about his sister, but because it’s me. He won’t wait for any sort of explanation; there’s still so much he doesn’t know. To Z, I’m a cop first, and because we were best friends second, and the only reason being a cop is first is because, just like I told Ash before he died, Z sees my joining the force as the biggest betrayal.
* * *
Pulling up in the driveway, I don’t see her car, or any car for that matter. I don’t see her waiting for me on the porch either, and I internally panic.
Maybe this was a setup the entire time.
