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“You’re not.”
She pulled away and rubbed her temple. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know if I can sleep.”
Considering the bruises from exhaustion under her eyes, I had a feeling she’d pass out in the car before we even got back into the city. Adrenaline was a tricky thing. You were wired one minute and crashing the next.
“Did you talk to Justine?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I couldn’t tell her much, of course. She said she called 911 when she saw smoke coming from my kitchen window. I usually leave it cracked open for some air when I’m cooking.”
“You cook?”
She gave me a half smile. “Shut up.”
I kissed her forehead. “Well, I’m glad she was paying attention. It sounds like it could have been far worse.”
“If I forget to say thanks…”
“There’s no need.” I urged her across the street toward where I parked.
“You’re a really good friend.”
My chest ached in ways I tried to ignore. I pulled out my keys to unlock the car as we got closer. “Always.”
I opened the door for her and she slipped inside, flashing me a weak smile. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”
“You’ll never have to find out.” I closed the door and blew out a breath as I went around the back of the car.
I needed a minute before I got in. I wasn’t quite sure when I’d gone from friendly feelings to more when it came to this woman, but I knew I was seriously fucked.
As I predicted, she passed out before we even hit the bridge. It left me with far too much time on my hands. I had just as many questions as Lila and Noah probably had.
I knew she’d sneak in and play during the quiet sometimes. But slipping into a rehearsal room at odd hours was different than middle of the night visits to a closed club.
I’d just figured her desire to get as much time on the piano as possible was a quirk of being the new girl in the band. She always wanted to make sure she knew the songs and practiced more than anyone I knew. But I didn’t know she was still lurking around our venues before gigs—especially now when things were so twisted.
Between the new directives from the Ripper camp and all the drama that seemed to follow us around, it seemed crazy that she’d take such a chance.
Not that I knew what she was thinking half the time. Getting a straight answer out of her about things in her past was like getting Jamie out of a guitar shop when we were on the road.
I glanced over at Teagan as traffic came to a standstill. Her feathery lashes fluttered against her cheeks as her lids twitched. Then she moaned and curled toward me in her seat.
“Teag?”
“No.” She mumbled a few more nonsensical words and suddenly snapped her eyes open. She stared at me, her pupils still blown wide with sleep.
Quickly, I checked the traffic situation. We weren’t moving, so I shifted toward her. “Hey. You’re okay.”
She frowned and pushed her hands into her hair. All her curls tumbled free as her intricate girl twist unraveled. “Sorry. I must have been dreaming.”
“Tell me about it.”
She shook her head. “I can’t remember.”
“Right.”
She sat up straighter. “How long was I out?”
“Thirty minutes maybe.”
