AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let’s set up over there,” I murmur to her, jutting my chin to show her where I mean.
Layla nods and keeps pace with me, but shivers as the cool breeze blows through. Damn, I kept meaning to give her my jacket. I’ll be fixing that soon.
As soon as we arrive in our new little corner of the world for the foreseeable future, I dump my pile of things on the couch area and pull off my jacket.
“Here, Layla. It’s a touch cold for your dress up here,” I tell her as I shrug off my coat. The truth is that we could possibly freeze up here tonight even though it’s August, since it's forty degrees, but that’s what the blankets and I’m here for.
Layla smiles as she takes my jacket, pulling it on. She’s learned that it’s fruitless to argue with me once I start to pull off clothes. Smirking at the thought, I push the ottoman closer, shaking out the blanket and fixing the pillow.
“Alright, come snuggle.” I smile, laying on the couch and opening my arms. Layla clambers up after pulling off her boots,burrowing into my arms, as I cover us with the blanket. I have her notebook and pen next to us, ready for whenever she wants it. “Want to keep talking?”
“I think I want to write,” she sighs. “I’m a little angry at myself for my reaction. I don’t want Draven digging into what happened with Atlas and Mav. He seems like the kind of person who likes to pick at a sore continuously.”
“Maybe,” I agree. “I think he was more curious than anything. I also think you may have piqued his interest, Baby.”
“I don’t think I’ve met anyone like Draven,” she admits, peeking up at me from her long lashes. “He doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. Is it me or did they seem weird after O’Malley’s?”
“You mean after you helped to single-handedly cover up a murder?” I tease her. I am still hoping that it doesn't come back to bite us in the ass, but she didn’t have any good options.
“Umm, yes. Should I apologize about that?” she asks.
Kissing her cold nose, I shake my head. “Don't you dare. I think it’s fucking sexy. You do kind of terrify me with how well you roll with the punches, though.”
Rewarding me with a huge smile, she reaches out for the notebook and pen, turning so she can lay in the crook of my arm. I’ll gladly be her bed any day.
My eyes begin to get heavy an hour later, and I fall asleep listening to Layla hum to herself.
Seven
DRAVEN
After the sound of Mav and Atlas’ fucking died down, I laid in bed waiting for Layla and Tyler to come back. Well, first I took off the damn cock cage and fucked my hand to get the blue-eyed temptress out of my head.
I’m not a damn mother hen. I don’t care about anyone outside of Lyrica, Mav, and Atlas. Even then, Lyrica is getting special care in a hospital, and Mav and Atlas can fend for themselves for the most part.
So why do I desperately want to beat the shit out of whatever put that tortured look in her eyes?
It’s three in the morning when I finally throw off my blankets, cursing under my breath. Pulling on a pair of jeans and hoodie, I shove my feet into a pair of boots.Where the hell did they go?
They honestly could have ended up at another hotel, but when I open the door to my room, I find their shit is still piled inthe living room. Atlas takes a long, slow sip of water from a glass, and I sigh.
“I’m going out for a bit, I’m going to see where our missing baby chick went,” I tell him.
“She’s not our anything, Draven. Layla is a girl who is part of my past and should stay there. Nothing has changed, Mav and I still don’t want her.” Atlas shrugs.
He’s shirtless in a pair of low slung gray sweatpants, with his feet bare. Atlas looks a bit like a caveman in the middle of the night.
“Do you think her uncle will care if she goes missing? What do you think our careers as musicians will look like then?” I scoff. “I haven’t asked yet because I try not to poke at my best friends’ ghosts, but we need to have a conversation about what you did to that girl. She looked like she saw a ghost when she heard you fucking.”
Atlas winces, raking his fingers through his hair. “I would offer to come find her with you, but I’m honestly the last person she’ll want to see right now. It’s almost… shit it’s after three in the morning. Where the fuck would she go? Where’s the boyfriend?”
He sounds disgusted as he mentions Tyler, and my lips twitch. Now he realizes why I’m a tad concerned. Fucking great.
“All great questions. I have fuck all for answers,” I grunt as I pocket my room key and shuffle out the door.
There’s no one out here, so I walk around the corner and into the lobby. The receptionist looks half asleep, and I only know she’s here all night because she made eyes at me earlier when she told me.
I’m not in this godforsaken country to fuck around. I just want to be able to play music again. I think our only chance at that is this baby chick we seem to have lost.
