Page 61 of Quarter Miles (Runaway 3)

There was no sign of Kat in the lobby so I walked to the deck. She wasn’t standing against the railing or sitting in one of the seats. A few people were out this morning on the beach, but none with her petite frame and dark hair.

I turned and strode through the lobby, heading for the front desk to page Aria. It was too early for shops to be open downtown and my guess was Kat was with Aria again.

“Good morning, sir,” the man behind the counter greeted as I approached. “What can I help you with?”

“I’m—” A flash of a familiar smile caught the corner of my eye and I changed direction, walking away from the man and across the lobby for the hotel’s café.

There she was. My beautiful, infuriating best friend and lover was seated at a small table across from the motherfucker who’d offered her a job yesterday.

My bootsteps echoed on the marble floor as I stormed into the café, bypassing the hostess, who had the good sense to give me a wide berth.

Katherine was laughing, covering her mouth with a napkin as she chewed. There was a half-eaten croissant on a plate beside a mug of black coffee.

Mark Gallaway was relaxed in his chair, his legs crossed. “I can’t believe you’ve never seen that movie.”

Katherine shook her head, dropping her napkin and opening her mouth to respond when she caught me from the corner of her eye. Her smile fell. “H-hey.”

I didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Let’s go.”

A flush crept up her cheeks as her eyes darted between Mark and me. “I’ll meet you in the room soon.”

“Let’s. Go,” I repeated, doing my best to hold my temper in check. It was rare that I got this mad, but goddamn this woman, she was pushing me to every edge on the emotional cliff this week. “Now.”

Kat arched an eyebrow. “I’m busy now.”

Mark stared at me with a smug grin on his face, not bothering to hide it as he sipped his own coffee.

I stood tall and crossed my arms over my chest. “We can talk in private or we can talk right here. Doesn’t matter to me. But we are talking.”

Katherine held my gaze, her eyes narrowing. She knew me well and she knew I sure as fuck wasn’t bluffing. “Five minutes.”

“I’ll wait.”

“Fine,” she huffed, dismissing me with a glare as she put on a smile for Mark. It wasn’t her real smile. It was the polite and placating one she used for guests. “I’m so sorry, Mark. Will you excuse me?”

“No problem.” He smiled at her. “You have my card.”

“Yes.” She reached for her purse hanging from the back of her chair and retrieved her wallet.

Mark waved it off. “On me. Please. I’ve enjoyed talking with you this morning. I hope to hear from you again soon.”

Oh, fuck this guy. I dug for my own wallet in my jeans pocket, taking a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill from the fold and slapping it on the table. Then I jerked my chin toward the door.

Kat gave Mark an awkward smile as she stood, but the second her gaze landed on me, it was full of fire and venom.

She took my elbow and shoved me away from the table. I’d worn a T-shirt today rather than my normal button-up and her fingernails dug into my skin. “You’re a child.”

“No, I’m fucking pissed.” I ripped my arm free of her grip, then clasped her hand and marched us toward the elevator.

“It couldn’t wait five minutes?”

“No.”

The elevator was empty as she stepped inside, yanking her hand free from mine to punch the button for our floor. Then she crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. “That was embarrassing, Cash.”

“So was waking up alone after last night.”

Hadn’t that been special? Hadn’t I treated her like the treasure she was? Hadn’t I promised we’d talk tomorrow?