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“You’re scaring Nishia!”Samara snarled, her voice rising.
“The only one who should be afraid of me right now is you, little girl.”She opened her mouth to blast him, but he must have been completely fed up with her because he bent and tossed her over his shoulder.Straightening, seeming completely unaffected by the wiggling, screaming woman beating on his back, he gave me a gentle smile.“You ready to go, sweetheart?”
Jack carefully untangled my fingers from his cut and lifted my hands to his mouth.“Remember what I said.”
Nodding, I took a shaky step away from him and walked with Elias out to the parking lot.“Did Delaney leave?”I asked when we reached his truck, only just realizing the absence of my best friend.
He laughed and adjusted his hold on Samara.“Yeah, Max got her out of here before he fucked her in front of everyone.Those two can’t keep it in their pants.”
“Not unlike you.”
Jaw clenched, Elias slapped a hand over Samara’s ass hard enough to make her yelp.“No more out of you until I get you home, brat.”
After a little bit of a delay in the parking lot while he tried to get Samara settled in the back seat of the truck, he finally pulled up in front of Sanctuary.I glanced from Elias to Samara, who was fuming behind me.There was an odd charge in the air of the truck cab, but I couldn’t name it.It was a weird combination of danger and something dangerously potent.
“Have a good rest of your night, sweetheart,” Elias said as he helped me out of the front seat and walked me to the door.“Text Jack and let him know you’re home so he doesn’t worry.Okay, honey?”
“I will.Thanks for the ride, Elias.”
“No problem.”He turned to go then paused before facing me.“Aunt Gracie said you’ve been adamant about getting a job.I know Jack won’t be happy about it, but if you’re up to it, we have a reception position open.I know answering the phone probably doesn’t sound like much fun, but it’s an all-day job at Barker & Reid.The pay is decent, and we can work around your college schedule if you decide we’re a good fit.”
“Really?”Excitement hit me, and I found myself starting to smile, but before it could fully manifest, I froze.“Are you sure?I mean, I don’t have any experience.”
He tilted his head, causing a few locks of dark hair to fall over his brow.“You don’t get phone calls?I find that hard to believe.”
“I do, but—”
“So you’re familiar with how a phone works,” he teased, and I felt my lips lift again.“I’ll tell my mom to expect you Monday at nine.Jack knows where the office is.And if he gives you shit, just tell him to suck it and text me.I can pick you up, but if by some chance I can’t, my brother will give you a ride.”
“But are you sure?”
His smile was so sweet that if I hadn’t already been head over heels for Jack, I might have felt something for Elias.With his magnetic blue eyes, that dark hair, and his wide-as-a-door shoulders, he was without a doubt a work of art.But Jack was my beautiful, sweet grizzly bear.“See you Monday, Nishia.”
“See you,” I called after him, a little dazed.
Before he reached the truck, I quickly turned and let myself in.All the way to my apartment, I replayed the entire evening through my head.I was exhausted, but so damn happy I couldn’t keep the smile off my lips.
My phone rang as I stepped into my little sitting area.Still in a happy fog, I answered without seeing who the caller was.“Hello?”
“Nishia.”
Every fiber of my being turned to ice at the sound of the voice in my ear, as if I were bracing myself for the blow that voice had always delivered every time I’d heard it throughout my life.“Dad.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
jack
After securing the alarm,I walked through the house to Nishia’s apartment.I spent more time in her place than my own, only going back to my rooms to shower and change.
Hannigans’ had been balls to the wall busy up until closing, making it impossible to take a second to check my phone, but when I’d been closing the register, I’d noticed Nishia hadn’t texted to let me know she was home.Not taking the time to shower before I went to her, I didn’t pause to knock on her door before I walked into the apartment.
Her lights were all on when I entered, making me frown.It was late, close to four in the morning, and she was usually in bed by now.When I worked at the bar, she was typically knocked out by the time I slid in behind her.I’d told her to wait up, and while I was expecting her to be awake, she should have been resting.Her casts might have been gone, but she tired easily.
Frowning, I found her sitting on the end of her bed—ourbed.Seeing how pale she was as she sat there with her phone hanging loosely in her hands, I rushed forward and crouched in front of her.“Baby?”
She jerked at the sound of my voice and blinked a few times before focusing on me.Inhaling deeply, she released the phone from her fingers, and it dropped to the carpet as her eyes shifted back and forth on my face.“Jack.”
“What’s wrong?Did something happen?”I brushed my hands over her shoulders and down her arms, looking and feeling for injuries.“Did you fall?”
