* * *
JADEN
“Where are you going?”
Anxiety pulses in her voice.
“Out,” I say, glancing in the mirror.
Tipping my head back, I run my hand through my hair while taking a quick inventory of my black shirt, dark stonewashed jeans, and boots.
She prances around me, her hands on her hips, her lips pursed as she takes me in.
I look in the mirror, waiting for her gaze to lift from my butt.
“What do you mean out?” she asks, locking my gaze.
A frown stretches across her brow.
“As in out. What’s so hard to understand?”
She looks at me, intrigued and baffled at the same time, unable to figure out whether I’m serious or not.
“Can I come?”
“Did I invite you?”
She stares at me, completely thrown off.
I cock an eyebrow.
“No...” she says, hesitant.
“Then no,” I say coldly.
“What time will you come back?”
“Don’t wait for me.”
The light dies out in her eyes, her mouth pulling slightly open as her lips begin to tremble. I snatch the car keys from the kitchen counter and head to the garage.
I hurl one last glance over my shoulder, enough to register her pale face and the worry in her eyes. She looks small in her sweatpants, and the cropped top wrapped around her chest.
We lock eyes one more time before I vanish out the door.
Half an hour later, I pull in front of Jill’s.
I stop the car, turn off the ignition and scan the parking lot. Engine running, a police car blocks the entrance, and cops stand on the sidewalk.
I climb out of my ride and swing by them as I enter the building. Swiftly, I skim the crowd inside before veering to the bar and sliding into a seat.
“Hey. What can I get you, man?” Scott asks, his eyes scanning my face briefly.
“Guinness.”
Within minutes, he sets the beer on the counter.
“The place cleaned up nicely,” I murmur after taking a drink.