With Cade.
“Any of this sinking in yet? No? Not at all?” He paused to stare at me for a while. A long while. “You’re lucky I find that hardheaded mindset of yours endearing, instead of annoying.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“And that I know that sharp-tongued mouth of yours has other talents besides frowning at me for being right or reaming me out for telling the truth.”
My eyes narrowed further.
“And that I recently learned your?—”
“I’d quit naming body parts if you ever want to enjoy access to any of them again,” I suggested icily.
Cade grinned, entirely unapologetic.
I promptly changed the subject. “How did you guys even know we were there? We didn’t call anyone. The twins just showed up unannounced and ordered us out…”
“Gravewatch has the whole place wired.”
“What?Wired?”
He nodded. “Not exactly a legal wiretap, you understand?”
“Uh… not really, no.”
“Graham has his way of doing business, I have mine. His way doesn’t always follow the letter of the law, which puts us at odds sometimes but, more often, is mutually beneficial. In this case, I didn’t ask why he had one of his men put eyes inside The Banshee, and he didn’t tell. Better that way for all parties involved.” He exhaled sharply. “I’m just relieved his surveillance guy was paying attention tonight when Georgia sauntered in. Even more relieved he rang the alarm when he clocked you, Gwen, and Florence roll up ten minutes later.”
I had to admit, I was pretty relieved about that as well. If the twins hadn’t arrived when they did, there was no telling how the night would’ve turned out.
Cade took the beer out of my hand, set it aside, and proceeded to cage me in, arms bracketing the counter, the heated wall of his chest trapping me on the stool. My heart began to pound faster as he bent forward to bring our faces together.
“I’ll say one more thing, then we can drop this. You do not run full-tilt into danger again without calling me or one of the Gravewatch boys first. You do not put yourself at risk. You do not put your friends at risk. Hard as it is for you to wrap your beautiful brain around, you aren’t alone anymore. Stop living your life like you are.”
My throat was lodged with emotion. There was a telltale prickling at the backs of my eyes. I was horrified to discover I was about to start crying, right there in Cade’s kitchen.
My phone began to buzz on the counter with an incoming call.
Saved by the bell!
Cade pulled back slightly so I could answer. I was so relieved to have an interruption to this conversation, I didn’t even glance at the screen before I accepted the call and lifted the phone to my ear. I was expecting to hear Gwen’s voice.
Or Gigi’s.
Or Flo’s.
Even Sally’s wouldn’t have been a surprise.
Instead, I heard someone else.
“About time you answered, dollface,” Adrian snarled, his melodious voice turned ugly. “We need to talk.”
Chapter Nineteen
The only muffin top I care about is the kind they sell at Dunkin’ Donuts.
- Imogen Warner, feeling body positive
All the blood rushed out of my head.