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“I thought you were going to kick my ass.”
“You meantryto kick your ass? I’m not suicidal.”
“I didn’t plan on this. I didn’t choose to feel this way, but I can’t imagine letting her go.”
Not now that I’ve kissed her and seen how captivating she is when she’s trembling in a searing release.
“I don’t think I can talk about this right now,” Peter says. “I’m sorry, but I need time to process it.”
I almost demand an answer immediately to know how he feels, but that would only rush us closer to the inevitable conclusion. He’s going to hate me and tell me he can’t be my friend if I pursue her. Luke’s daughter. What a mess.
“That’s fair,” I grunt. “Let’s focus on our mission.”
I pull up outside the apartment building, Peter watching me while pretending not to. He keeps glancing at me as if he expects me to tell him it’s all a big joke, the unfunniest prank ever. We wait outside the building for somebody to leave and quickly dart inside. The man doesn’t question this. He’s jittery, head down, a junkie if I had to bet on it.
“What’s the plan if he’s home?” Peter asks.
“We put the fear of God in him. We let him know he might think he’s a scary man, but we’ve faced far worse than him. We threaten him to make him stop. He has no right to intimidate and scare my…”
My woman, I was about to say. I can’t stop.
“Mallory and Zoey.”
Peter winces at Zoey’s name. I wonder what thoughts are crashing through his mind. He’s never going to see me as the same man again.
I hammer on the door. A moment later, a woman opens it with a baby clutched to her chest. She looks young and instantly terrified as she glances at Peter and me.
“I’ve almost got the rent money,” she says.
Poor woman, so instantly scared, expecting the worst out of everyone.
“We’re not here for that. We’re here to talk with Axel Todd.”
Her shoulders slump as she gently strokes her baby on the back of the head. The sight of the tiny person brings to mindourfuture children, me and Zoey, and the love with which she’ll hold them.
“He moved out a couple of weeks ago.”
“Do you have a forwarding address?”
“No, I’m sorry. He left in a stink. Missed rent. I don’t know where he is.”
“Dammit,” I say back in the car.
“I’ll keep looking.”
I turn to Peter, knowing I should give him time, but I can’t.
“What about the other thing?”
He stares out the window, unwilling to meet my gaze. “Let’s just focus on this for now.”
I was right. Our friendship is over, and can I blame him?
If Luke was here… What if Luke knew the truth and knew I wanted Zoey for far more than a fling? Would it make a difference?
“You know, bro,” Peter says after a pause. “My shoulder is tweaked. I might have to skip the gym today.”
We both know it’s a lie, but neither comments on it. This should be a sign that I need to stop, a clear warning that I’ve gone too far, but something Zoey texted yesterday won’t stop ringing in my mind. She saidsilly thoughtsmade her snap at me. That’s why, once Peter has left, I text her.
