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“It’s more than that,” Topher breathes, grabbing his coffee as I take mine.
“Alrighty.” I head out the café.
Topher is beside me as I reach my car. “Morgan, will you please tell me what you know? Iknowthere’s more to the story.”
“The one thing I know is Ava is a desperate bitch, so keep trying. She’ll give in to you soon.” Maybe that’ll satisfy him and leave him with some hope and something to focus on since I obviously can’t tell him anything else about what happened. It’s not that I don’t trust him, he hated Lenny as much as I did, but I won’t risk Ryder’s fate in case Topher decides to grow a fucking conscience.
Dropping into the driver’s seat, I leave him standing there looking even more confused than normal. Topher isn’t exactly in the know but this seems to really be troubling him. Ava. Really? Of all the people he could get attached to, that would be the last one I’d select.
When I pull into my parking spot, I notice Cade’s truck in his. The idiot is leaning up against it, watching me. What the hell is it with these fools? Give them a little pussy, and they lose their damn minds. And this moron surely has because there’s a big smile on his face as he approaches me. “Why’d you leave in such a hurry this morning?”
I don’t even want to respond to that—I do want to deck him in his smirking mouth, though—so instead, I resort to informing him of something that will remove it with little effort. “Topher was just telling me about the messages and phone call he’s gotten from Lenny.”
Yep. That works. Because now he has fear on his face, almost to the point where it looks like he’s seen a ghost. “What did they say?”
“I don’t know. But I did tell Toph to have Lenny give me a call. Whoever it is is really pissing me off.”
“Morgan,” Cade steps to me, his hand gripping my arm as he hauls me into the first empty classroom. “This isn’t a joke. It isn’t a game. It’s Neil’s well-being as well as ours. Ryder included. Now, just stay out of it until we get it figured out.”
“I’m trying to stay out of it. Topher hunted me down to tell me all about it because he’s trying to deep dive into Ava’s ass. The dude will probably be happy when he hears his competition has been eliminated. Permanently.”
Cade closes his eyes, his head shaking. “Glad to know you’re handling all of this fine.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” I prop my hand on my hip as I take a sip of my latte and watch his unease grow.
His penetrating assessment of me pisses me off even more than his question. “So, why are you having nightmares then?”
“I’m not.”
“Stop lying to me, Morgan.”
I set my coffee on a desk nearby, then wrap my arms over Cade’s shoulders and move my lips to his. “Now, why would I ever stop lying to you? It’s what I do best.”
“What was it about?”
Fuck. He isn’t going to let this go. “Some creepy guy sleeping in the chair in my bedroom who just won’t leave me alone.”
His hand quickly reaches up, grasps my hair, and pulls my head slightly back so my eyes are on him. “You don’t have to be a bitch, Morgan. You can admit when you’re having trouble sleeping. Any normal person would after what you went through.”
A slight smile spreads across my lips as I try to keep it there as I say, “You really just want to believe that I need you. But I don’t. Even after ‘what I went through,’ you’re still as useless and insignificant as ever.”
He keeps a hard, frustrated expression on his face as he stares down to me. “Keep lying to yourself, too, because you slept like a fucking log on top of me. And you’re welcome to do it again tonight when you have another nightmare.”
“It wasn’t a nightmare,” I tell him, leaning forward until my lips brush against his. “It was a fairy tale because the bastard died in the end.” The only thing that scares me is that damn spine-chilling deserted hospital. And maybe Cade does have a point, I do sleep better with and on him. But that doesn’t mean he’s good for me. Drinking helps me sleep too. Doesn’t mean I need it or that it’s good for me. It’s a drug. A bad habit. Which is what he is.
The logic makes me feel a little bit better about the entire situation. But I still want to get away from his prying, judgy gape. Pulling out of his arms, I grab my coffee and head out of the classroom. “Don’t forget to let Ryder know the latest since I’m supposed to stay out of it.”
And I gladly will this time. Because until I know who it is, I don’t care to waste any energy on the situation. Unlike these gullible morons, I know when to tease and when to fight.
10
CADE
“Where’ve you been hiding out?” Dustin asks as I step into his empty classroom.
“Been busy.” It’s the truth, but I can’t tell my brother exactly what I’ve been busy doing.
“Too busy for your own family?” His patronizing look doesn’t make me think he’s missed me all that much. More like he’s in parental mode and just wants to pry. That never leads to anything good.
