Damien
Raven was still upstairs, sitting on the lounger, her Kindle open but ignored. She was on the phone and offered me a smile as I approached.
“Sounds good, Deb. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She listened for a moment. “Yeah, I’m excited too. We’ll plan it all out.”
She hung up, dropping her phone into her satchel. I bent, kissing her mouth, then sitting across from her.
“Tomorrow?” I questioned.
“Deb’s plans changed. She asked if I could meet her tomorrow afternoon.”
At my frown, she shook her head. “We’re meeting at a coffee shop I’ve been to with her before. You can check it out first if you insist.”
I chuckled. If I insisted. “What is the name of this place? And what time?”
“The Arbour. Two o’clock. We’ll probably be there a couple of hours.”
I nodded. “I’ll sit a few tables away.”
“No. You can look around and leave. It’s a public place that Andy knows nothing about. It’s down the street from her apartment. I’ll take a cab back afterward.”
“I’ll pick you up when you’re done.” I didn’t add that I would send Egan in to scope out the place before we went. Or that I would hang around for a while. I quickly texted Egan, who informed me that it was no problem and to send him the address.
She watched me, not saying anything. She shut her Kindle and stretched. “How was Egan?” she asked, trying to sound nonchalant and failing.
“Frustrated,” I admitted. “Andy seems to be a ghost. And I have a feeling he’s a hacker and deletes every trail he might have left behind.”
“He told me once he was brilliant and could have any job he wanted within the computer world,” Raven informed me. “I wasn’t sure if that was true. He liked to brag a lot.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “In this case, he might have been telling you the truth. So, anything you can remember, tell me, even if it seems insignificant. You think of something, let me know.”
She looked troubled. “I will.”
I reached over and took her hand, wanting to distract her. “Anything you’d like to do today? Go for a walk? A movie? Errands you need to run?”
“Really?”
“Of course. As long as I’m with you, you’re safe, Raven. We don’t have to stay here.” I sat back, ogling her, then winked. “Unless you prefer that.”
Color bloomed on her cheeks, and I laughed softly. “After last night and this morning, I can still make you blush?”
She shrugged. “It—sex—is still pretty new to me. My fiancé was the only guy I had ever slept with, and I had the feeling I wasn’t exactly very good at it.”
I hid my surprise at her confession. “Why would you say that?” I asked quietly, feeling anger start to build.
“Why else would he have an affair with my best friend?”
“Because he’s an asshole with no morals. I don’t think much of your friend either. But that’s not on you.”
“When we fought in the church, he said I drove him to it because I was so indifferent.”
I barked out a laugh. “You are not indifferent, Raven. You’re passionate and warm. He was just turning the blame on you—guys like him do that. She made me unfaithful. She didn’t give me what I needed. It’s all bullshit, but that’s how they rationalize it. It’s not you, though.”
“Is that what Andy does? Does he blame me for his obsession?”
“Probably.”