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6
CADE
Usually, I’m hiding from her. But she’s definitely the one who’s avoiding me today. Or at the very least she’s ignoring me and pretending I don’t exist. Sadly, that thrills me. Because it means I’m actually breaking through that hard shell to whatever is beneath.
When I spot her sitting at the table in the café, I head over, opting to skip lunch. My stomach and head are still in knots from all the chaos, and I want to get to the seat beside her before the table fills up. She’s sitting there alone, her face down, phone in hand. It appears she’s mindlessly scrolling something, and when I take a seat next to her, I see it’s an article. For what, I’m not sure.
“Research?”
Her finger stops and hovers over the screen as she raises a malicious eye to me. “Nosy? Invasive? Out of your fucking lane? Pick one.”
“All of the above,” I retort as her focus drops back to the device in her hand.
“Have you talked to Ryder today?” she asks without making eye contact. When I say no, she continues, “Well, you should. Even thoughhe’s handling it.” She bobs her head, mocking what I’m guessing was his words to her.
But I’m curious on what it is. “What is he handling?”
She drops her phone on the table, her full attention finally on me. “Topher is getting messages from Lenny’s phone number.”
Those words left her mouth way too steadily. And I try to match her level of unbothered, but I can’t. “From whom?”
“Fuck if I know.” Her shoulders shrug as she takes a long stare around the café. “It could be anyone, but I have a few guesses.” When her eyes meet mine, she informs me, “But Ryder said for me to butt out and let him take care of it. So, that’s what I’m doing.”
That is truly shocking. “Since when do you listen to anyone?”
Her head tilts slightly to the side as she stares off into space. “I really don’t give a fuck. It’s not Lenny. And whoever it is will show themselves soon enough.”
And I have no doubt she’ll be ready for them. But unlike her, I want to know who I’m dealing with beforehand. “Who do you think it is?”
“Possibly Ava, but I really don’t believe so. Dad is my next guess. It’s not like many peopleknow.” She exaggerates the last word, and I’m thankful she’s finally not freely slinging around words likeLennyandmurderin the same sentence. But she has a point. Not many people know Lenny isn’t around and his phone is up for grabs to send messages from. “What did the texts say?”
“Some ominous warnings to be careful and watch out. Typical psycho club stuff.” Her elbows rest on the table as she props her chin on her hand. “Do you think it’s my dad?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yeah. Me either.”
She looks almost serene, so I tempt my fate. “Will you let me tag along until we figure this out?”
Her chin remains in her hand as she slowly turns her face to me. “No. Go protect geek dude. He needs you more.”
“Yeah. We’ve established that you don’t need me.” I lean forward, my finger tracing up the side of her bruised cheek. “But we’ve also established that the only one I want to save you from is yourself.”
“Wedidn’t establish anything.”
“You don’t remember me telling you that last night?” I ask and watch as she gets aggravated.
“No. I was tired, and you were boring me. Like you are now.”
“You didn’t sound bored in the bathtub, but I guess I can up my game tonight.”
She stands and grabs her phone off the table. “The only game you’re playing tonight is Stay the Fuck Away from Me and Get Your Own Nut.” She starts to walk away but stops and turns to look at me, her finger pointing my way.
“That second part is no different from last night,” I yell after her, a few curious eyes watching. The good news is none of this is out of character for her. The bad news is I pushed my luck and lost.
Neil is the first one to arrive after Morgan’s departure. “Did you talk to Ryder?”
“No, but Morgan told me.”
