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"You were supposed to watch her." I groaned.
"I did," he said, pausing to sip his coffee. "I watched her until she passed out drunk on the living room floor." Annoyed, I glared at him as I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm going to shower." He set his cup on the granite countertop before disappearing down the hall.
I decided to let Sadie and Bri sleep off their drunken haze, and they did for most of the day.
I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about my sister and Sadie becoming friends. Bri hated everyone, so I never considered it a possibility, but I should have known. Sadie was a likable person even if she tried not to be.
"Where were you last night?" KJ stepped out on the patio. I waited to respond until the door was closed.
"I had to make sure the Fire Marshall knew what his report should say," I said, shoving my hands in the pocket of my jeans as I stared out across the yard. "Luckily, he thought that was how the fire started too."
"Why didn't you just ask her to move in with you?" KJ groaned. "She could have been hurt."
"Look." I twisted to face him, "the fire wasn't my idea, and I damn sure didn't tell Taylor to put her life at risk, but I had to make the house unlivable, or she wouldn't have come here to live. She's too stubborn."
Blowing out a heavy sigh, he nodded. "She is stubborn."
"I have to tell her about her dad and the new attorney I hired," I said. "But I'm not sure how she will take it."
"You know how she's going to take it," KJ muttered. "She thinks he did it, and she thinks she watched him do it." He shook his head. "I don't think you'll be able to convince her otherwise." He shrugged. "I hate to say it, but maybe you should stay out of it."
"Her dad thinks that her mother is a threat to her," I warned. "He thinks that she will come after Sadie eventually." His eyes widened as the reality of why I was doing this sank in.
"We have an away game next weekend," KJ said. "You have a plan for her?"
I shook my head. "No, but I'll figure it out. She should be safe here anyways. Her mother doesn't know where she is, and I blocked her mother's number on her cell phone, so she can't contact her either."
"I have a surprise for her tonight," I said. "We will be in the city for a few hours."
"You coming to the party at the team house tonight?"
"Yeah, we'll be there later."
"I'm going to head home," KJ said. "Unless you need something else."
"Can you swing by and take Bri to the party?" I really didn't want her at the party without me, but I also knew leaving her here to go stir crazy by herself was a bad idea. When Bri was bored, she got into trouble.
"Can't you take her?" KJ groaned, and I almost laughed. She must have laid it on thick last night.
"I won't be back in town until late," I reminded him. "And I don't want her to sit by herself all day. That's how she ends up in trouble."
Blowing out a heavy breath, he nodded. "Yes," he muttered. "I'll take her to the party, but you better be quick. She's harder to babysit than your stubborn ass girlfriend." I laughed, knowing he was right.
thirty-three
SADIE
"Where are we?"I leaned forward trying to see if I recognized where we were when Jayden pulled his truck to a stop in front of a dark building with tinted windows and a neon sign flashing open. My irritation grew as I crossed my arms over my chest. Jayden had been M.I.A and still hadn't explained why. I didn't want to leave his house. I wanted him to tell me what was going on, but like always, he won, and here we are.
"It's a tattoo parlor." Her lips curved up into a sexy smile. "I have a friend who is an amazing artist, and I asked her if she'd design you a tattoo." A slow smile spread across my face. "I told her what you were thinking about, and she has a few designs for you to look at."
"I—" The words lodged in my throat. I don't know what to say.
"If you still want to," he said.
"Yes," I said. "Yes, I do."
We both slid out of the truck, meeting at the entrance.
