He smiles. “Wishful thinking, little lamb.”
“Speaking of the lion, where is he?”
“Gone,” Yulian says. “I put him in a car myself not too long ago.”
I nod as I angle my body towards the door. I’m done with this conversation, with these people. I want to go to bed and sleep forever.
“One more thing, Jessa,” he calls after me.
I stop in place but I don’t turn around. “Yeah?” I say over my shoulder.
“Would it make a difference to you to know that he got into the car with Jhené Torino?”
My body gives me away. I go rigid. But I pretend like I’m unaffected by the information. “Why would it make a difference to me?”
“If you’re smart, you’ll pretend it doesn’t matter to you at all. Because lambs that fall in love with lions get eaten.”
I don’t want him to see my goosebumps. Or my fear. So without deigning to reply, I turn and walk away as quickly as I can.
I’m on autopilot, my feet carrying me who-the-fuck-knows where. I don’t even know how I get out of the Plaza, but when I look around again, I’m standing on the curb, watching cars whisk by.
It’s almost three in the morning. Getting a cab is going to be a bitch and it’s too far to walk home.
So, because I need comfort more than anything else right now, I call the one person I know will drag himself out of bed at three in the morning, even when he’s mad at me.
* * *
Fifteen minutes later, Chris pulls to a stop in front of me. His eyes are still puffy with sleep. My heart clenches when I see him.
I get into the passenger seat, lean over, and envelop him in a desperate hug.
He must sense my fear, because he strokes the back of my head and says, “Jesus, Jessa. Are you okay?”
I don’t tell him about what happened tonight. I don’t tell him that Anton was the one who made sure to hire me, just so he could get me fired. I forget the details and focus on the bigger picture.
“I think you’re right,” I whisper into his warm chest. “I should give the phone back.”
Chris sighs with relief. “Thank fuck. This will all be over soon.”