Текст книги "Out Of The Blue"
Автор книги: Carina Adams
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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 20 страниц)
Chapter Twenty-One
~ Molly~
Hell. A place of torment and punishment. Or Nate Kelly’s tour bus. The two were synonymous.
Two weeks. Fifteen days. Nine shows. Thousands of miles. And zero orgasms.
My body was on high alert. If I thought I’d been horny before I started sleeping with Mike, it was nothing compared to now. Being near him, smelling him, watching him laugh with his friends when he thought I wasn’t looking, feeling his fingers run over the bare skin on my back as we walked to the stage—it was all driving me crazy.
I went to bed on a bunk above his every night, silently begging him to join me once everyone else was asleep. Three nights in, I realized that was never going to happen, and I started using my fingers to try to ease the never-ending ache. It worked. For all of fifteen minutes.
I barely had any time alone with him. If we weren’t with Lia, it was Nate, or one of the other boys, and after our embarrassing public make out session in New York, Mike refused to have a repeat. He was too good, too considerate to do anything that would make our roommates uncomfortable.
In fact, he had started avoiding me hours after we boarded the bus. At first, it was just little things, like sitting across from me instead of next to me. Then it was bigger things, like making sure Lia tagged along with us if we were heading to a party before the others or having Noah join us on our jogs. Then came the ultimate blow. I’d cornered him in the kitchen early one morning, hoping for a quick snuggle—or more—and he’d pushed me away, making some lame ass excuse before rushing into the bathroom.
For a few days, I struggled. His behavior stung, more than I would ever admit out loud. He’d started taking calls, at all hours of the day, and from the little snippets I’d heard, I knew they were from Julie. I couldn’t begin to fathom what the woman could possibly have to say that would make him stop what he was doing and sneak out. I blamed her for his change in behavior, because I needed to blame something, and she was the easiest target.
Then, one afternoon while I was curled up on the couch, lost in a heartbreaking romance, Noah sat next to me and pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around me and settling his chin on my shoulder. I pulled out an earbud, tucking it into his so he could watch with me. None of the guys paid us any attention, lost in their own electronics. It wasn’t unusual to find the two of us like that. The kid may show the world a practical jokester, but at heart, he was a pure romantic.
Halfway through the movie, Noah adjusted us, and I leaned my back against his chest, adjusting the tablet so he could still see the screen. “Hmm.” He turned his mouth to my empty ear. “Don’t look now, little girl. But, we have an audience.”
I didn’t have to look to know who he was talking about. Ignoring the advice, I glanced up and straight into the unmasked jealousy on Mike’s face. Noah chose that moment to kiss my temple and run his fingers up and down my arm. The giant brat. Mike’s nostrils flared, and his eyes grew heated.
At least I wasn’t the only one losing my mind.
After that day, the few private seconds we were able to sneak were filled with stolen kisses and promises of what Mike was going to do to me once we got to the hotel in California. He was very detailed, as if he knew that I hung onto every word he said. I couldn’t fucking wait.
Thinking about it now made me squirm in my seat. Glancing up at the clock to see how long we had before the show, my eyes rested on the man that was driving me out of my mind. He was watching me, a knowing look plastered on his face. When his eyes darted to the bathroom, and then back to me, I knew what he wanted. Hell, I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more.
We’d been parked outside the Isleta Amphitheater for a few hours, waiting for the show to start. I’d hoped that the boys would be stir crazy, and want to go explore Albuquerque, but no one had gone anywhere because the weather was too hot and sticky. The general consensus was that we were just too fucking tired. Bastards.
Just as I was sliding off my seat, intending to sneak to the bathroom, the door opened, catching us all by surprise. I paused, waiting to see who it was. We’d barely seen the guys I used to live with on the second bus. They very rarely came over here, unless we planned to hang out. They were all married and settled, and apparently, we made single life look appealing. Yes, the temptation of playing video games for hours on end and remaining abstinent. I couldn’t imagine why everyone didn’t want to live our version of single life. Asshats.
I chuckled at my agitation. Apparently, this no sex thing was making me snarky. I wondered if I could use my attitude to prove to Mike that we had to have sex—for the good of the tour.
All sexy thoughts vanished and I did a double take when I saw the woman that could have been Nate’s twin standing in our doorway, holding a little redheaded bundle. “Nikki!” I squealed as I launched myself at the duo, eager to get that baby in my arms before her daddy or uncles stole her away. “Emma!” I cooed, plucking her from her mother’s hands. “How’s my pretty girl?”
As I smiled down at the little beauty, I couldn’t keep the giant smile from my lips. If Nate and Lia were ever blessed with a daughter, I was positive she’d look just like this. Her strawberry blond hair was long for her age, with curls that hung to her shoulders, she had her mom’s beautiful blue-green eyes, and features that told the world she was all Kelly.
And chubby, good Lord this baby had rolls on top of rolls. A sign of a healthy, breastfed baby who was just starting to get mobile. I wanted to eat her up.
The smile? Good Lord, that smile could stop a grown man in his tracks. Emma Nebraska Woods was going to be the heartbreaker to shame all heartbreakers. I couldn’t wait to see her men try to keep her from being the wildling she was born to be.
I leaned in, smelling her baby powder and infant smell, hugging her to my chest. Like the sweetheart she was, she nestled her head in my neck and grabbed a handful of my hair, giving it a not-so-gentle tug. I loved her.
Before I could do more than cuddle, a very insistent uncle practically ran to me, holding out his hands. “Okay, my turn,” Noah demanded, and I grudgingly handed over the peanut. He didn’t even acknowledge me, just turned and carried the little miss to the couch, crooning to her as they went.
I shook my head, debating how long I had to wait until I could grab her back when Lia and Nate came out of their bedroom. Nate was holding her hand, clutching it really, as they stared at the baby while they walked. I could tell he was worried about his wife, but he shouldn’t have been.
Lia wasn’t the jealous type. She’d never worried about Nate while he was out on tour, and she didn’t look upset now. Instead, she walked straight to the sofa and plopped down next to the duo, her face lighting up with happiness. Nate watched them for a minute before letting his shoulders sag in relief.
He turned toward us, pulling his sister into a giant hug once he got close enough. “I didn’t know you were coming!”
Nikki shook her head. “We weren’t. It was a surprise trip for Finn. We missed Daddy.” She smiled in Emma’s direction. Then she shrugged. “Plus, I need to have a sit-down meeting with Lia and it seems like a good time.”
The door opened again, and this time, Finn Woods, the ‘Bama Boys bassist, struggled up the stairs carrying what appeared to be a very heavy tote. Nikki stepped aside, giving him room, and then directed him to drop it off by the coffee table.
“That’s yours,” she added, pointing to the giant plastic box.
“Mine?” I frowned, unsure. “What is it?”
She pursed her lips. “Your mail from Eli. I met with him last week and got things straightened out. That is what he had.” She glanced over at the giant tote. “At least I hope it’s everything.”
“What do you mean by everything?” Lia asked, squeezing by me to hug her sister-in-law.
“Probably all my letters?” They both looked at me, waiting for more. “I read and respond to all my fan letters. They all got sent to Eli, and his staff would open them before sending them on to me. Guess it’s been a while.”
“Why do you do that?” Nikki asked, as if I was crazy. “That’s your PAs job.”
“I don’t have a PA.”
“Why don’t you have a PA?” She was obviously appalled.
“Because I don’t need a personal assistant, thank you very much. I got this.”
She dismissed my idea with a wave of her hand. “Please. Even Nate has one. He’d be lost without April.”
“I’m not as big as Nate. I don’t need one.”
Lia and Nikki spoke at the same time. “You do need one.”
“She’s going to get one,” Lia informed us, while Nikki told me, “I’ve got the perfect woman for the job!”
I rolled my eyes, leaving the two of them to talk about their insane idea, and sat on the floor next to the couch, popping the top on the container. “You read every one?” Mike asked, sitting on the couch behind me.
“I do. And write back to almost all of them.”
He nodded, as if it seemed like a normal thing, and grabbed a handful. “Let me help then.”
I’d gone through dozens of letters and bills, separating them into piles so I knew which ones to keep out so I could respond to them later when Mike swore. “What the fuck is this?”
I looked over, sure I was going to see him holding one of the repulsive nude selfies random men liked to send me. Instead, it looked like a blank piece of paper. “What is it?”
He turned it around. Printed in large black block letters were the words, Genesis 38:24-26. “Do you know what it means?”
“A bible verse?” I shook my head. “Put it aside and we can look it up later.”
He hesitated, as if he wanted to argue, but Lia chose that moment to plop down next to me. “Holy shit, Molly. How many letters are in that thing?” When my only answer was a shrug, she smiled and yanked out a pile. “Let me help.”
The distraction was all Mike needed to set the weird letter aside and keep sorting. We listened to Nikki and Finn talk with the boys, and everyone took a turn holding the baby as we worked through the mail. I was laughing at a story Noah was telling his sister when I pulled the next strange message out. This one was the same black bold block print, only this time the words were different. “Ezekiel 16 28,” I read to my friends.
Mike’s head snapped up and he ripped the letter from my fingers. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Lia dropped the mail in her hands, moving to her knees and leaning over the table for a better look. “What does it mean?”
“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “Mike found one earlier.”
She narrowed her eyes at me as she pulled out her phone. “Where in the hell did it come from?”
I’d already been reaching for the envelope, questioning it myself. My heart sank when I recognized the familiar zip code. “Keene, New York. It came from Keene.”
Mike’s eyes met mine, as Nate joined the conversation. “What came from Keene?” he asked, as if not sure how much to say. He already knew that was my hometown; it had been his money used to purchase a house there a few years ago when his friend was in desperate need and her mom was about to lose her childhood farm. Hell, if you wanted to be technical, Nate owned a property in Keene.
“Molly got a coded message,” Lia explained, shaking her head and holding up a hand when he tried to ask a question. “Listen to this bullshit, ‘Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou was unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.’ What in the…” she dropped the letter, looking up at me. “I don’t understand.”
Before I could answer, Mike shoved the first letter under her nose. “What about this one?”
Lia’s hands flew across the keyboard on her phone and then she read, “‘Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath played the harlot; and moreover, behold she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth and let her be burnt—’”
“Enough,” Mike growled. “I don’t need to hear any more of that shit.”
Lia looked horrified, but I only shrugged. “They’re calling me a whore.”
“Oh, my God, Mols!” She grabbed my hand, holding tight. “Is this because of those lies about you and Nate? About the baby that never was?”
I wished it was that simple. “No. I’m pretty sure these are from my sister and her bible-thumping Baptist friends.”
The color drained from her face. “What?” she gasped. “Why?”
Her husband, on the other hand, sat next to Mike and his face had turned a horrid shade of red. “Fucking bitch.” Pushing Mike out of the way, he grabbed his own handful. “Let’s see if there are more before we jump to conclusions.”
There were more. Lots more. All mailed originally from Keene post offices or the surrounding area. All with bible verses printed in the same spot, in the same font. I had no doubt it was just one person, or one group, writing them.
“You’ve never gotten anything like this before?” Mike grilled me for the fourth time as we sat on the empty bus a little while later. The ‘Bama Boys, realizing something important was going on, had fled the bus along with Nikki and Emma, leaving the two of us with Nate and Lia.
“No,” I snapped, agitated that he wasn’t hearing me. “These are the first I’ve seen. I would tell you if there were others.”
Mike stood, pacing the small trailer with his fingers knotted behind his neck, elbows in the air. The waves of anger he had rolling off him made me nervous. Stopping, he turned to Nate. “We need to beef up security.”
Nate nodded. “Done.”
“No.” I shook my head. “That’s just silly. These people aren’t dangerous—they’re cowards hiding behind words from an ancient book. They can’t even bring themselves to insult me directly, Mikey. They’re nothing to be scared of.”
“Roxy is fucking nuts, Mols. I wouldn’t put violence past her.”
Nate watched me, closely. He’d had to speak to my sister on the phone once, but he’d heard the horror stories. “I agree with Carson, Molly. There’s no telling how far someone like that will go. You may think it’s just words, but it might be more to whoever is doing it.”
I threw my hands in the air. “No. She is just trying to scare me. I will not give her the satisfaction. I have Mike. I don’t need someone else following me around and watching me all the time.”
“Fine. We’ll be more careful. For now. First sign of worry and I’m bringing in more guys.” Mike pointed his finger at the tote. “Hire someone to go through her mail. Every time she gets one of those letters, I want to see it.”
Lia nodded. “I’ve changed her address for mail to go where Nate’s does. Nikki said she has a friend, someone she trusts, who needs help starting over. I’m calling her tomorrow.” Holding up a hand to me, she stopped my protest before it could leave my lips. “Everyone has an assistant, Mols. Even Nate. Plus, think about the fact that you’d be giving this woman the second chance Nikki says she so desperately needs.”
Well, when you put it that way… “Fine. Call her. But, I want to meet her first.”
“Absolutely.”
I wasn’t worried. I wasn’t scared. Hell, I wasn’t even mad. The worst part was that I wasn’t even surprised. Well, maybe a little shocked that it took my sister this long to do something so shitty. It was pathetic and just like her, though.
Mike, on the other hand, was not taking this lightly. When we stepped off the bus, he grabbed my upper arm and held it tight, surveying the parking lot before he led me across, hand still firm around my bicep. He dropped me off at makeup and then stood outside the door in the hallway, arms across his chest, looking like the ex-SEAL he was—all badass and shit. It was hot, even if it did piss me off.
It wasn’t until I stepped on stage a few hours later that I realized I’d never gotten the kiss I’d been so sure I was going to get earlier. Damn my sister. Damn her straight to the hell she was so afraid of.
Chapter Twenty-Two
~ Mike ~
My phone vibrated in my pocket for the fifth time in two songs. I ignored it, instead crossing my arms over my chest to keep myself from reaching for it, and focused my attention on the woman on stage and the fans moving around in front of it. This was not the time or place for me to deal with Julie’s drama. Not that there ever was a time for me to handle her bullshit.
I shouldn’t care. It wasn’t my problem. The term ex-husband meant that all things Julie Samms were no longer my business. She wasn’t my responsibility. The woman performing in front of a sold-out audience, though, was.
Molly should be the only woman on my mind. This shit with her sister bothered me a hell of a lot more than it bothered her. Something was off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it yet, but I could feel it. A gut instinct that had served me, and my unit, well for years.
Her sister was certifiably insane, yeah, and a fucking bitch, but what did she have to gain from sending hidden messages that called Molly a slut? There was something more to this. Something I was missing. Knowing I didn’t have all the pieces nagged at me, keeping me awake at night.
At least, that was part of the reason I stayed awake for all hours, staring at the ceiling of my bunk. The other was that I knew the hottest fucking woman alive was sleeping right above me. Right fucking there. I could easily slip out of my bunk and into hers and no one would know. That fact kept me up, and hard, for hours.
My phone started vibrating again. Jesus! The woman was persistent, I’d give her that. But she always had been, hadn’t she? I’d get Mols off stage and secured in a room and then I’d call Julie back. She could wait a fucking half hour.
I shook my head in annoyance at the fact that I’d just made a plan to accommodate Julie. If only I could turn off my feelings as easily as it was to sign the divorce papers. Then I could tell her to get bent and not worry about whether or not she was drinking herself half to death in front of my kids. Her kids.
I couldn’t do that, though. I could sit here all day and try to convince myself that I was only concerned about her because of the kids or because I hated hearing the worry in Jake’s voice when he talked about his mom, but it would be a lie. The old Mike may have tried to overlook the truth, and lied to himself constantly, but I didn’t do that anymore. I looked at the facts, no matter how painful they were.
I didn’t love Julie. I had never been in love with Julie. Molly had been right a few weeks ago when she’d accused me of never loving Julie like I had Lia. I may have never looked at it like that, but I could see now that it was the truth.
My feelings of protectiveness, or my need to make it right, had nothing to do with love. Or misguided loyalty. Maybe, once upon a time, I would have thought so, because even though I didn’t love Julie, I’d been devoted to her. I would have been faithful to her until the day I died. She’d destroyed that the moment she started fucking another man while wearing my ring. And if not then, the moment she’d passed off his daughter as my own.
The love may have never been there, but Julie and I had shared a life, a home, memories, children, and so much more. She’d always hold a special place in my life because she gave me the most important thing in the world—Jake. There were many things about the woman that drove me crazy, and most of the time, I had the unmanly urge to throttle her, but at the end of the day, she’d always be my son’s mother. It was my job, as his dad and someone I wanted him to look up to, to help her when I could.
Molly finished up on stage, coming into the wing with a giant smile on her face. The roar from the crowd was almost deafening as they called her back for an encore. She hesitated for a moment, then walked to me, lifting her hand to my cheek.
“What’s wrong?”
This woman never stopped surprising me. This was her moment, fans were screaming for her, chanting her name, but she ignored them all, stepping closer to me. Her eyes searched mine, and I knew that if I told her I needed to leave, to go make a phone call, she would come with me.
“Nothing.” I offered a smile that even felt fake. Reaching up, I closed my fingers around hers and pulled her hand to my mouth. Without thinking about it, I kissed it. “You kicked ass out there.” Dropping her hand, I nodded toward the stage. “Go. Give ‘em hell, kid.”
Her lips curved into a grin as she backed away, but her eyes were still full of concern.
I shook my head. “I’m fine, Mols. Really.”
She watched me for a second, then mimicked my nod. “I’m right here. You know that, right?”
I nodded again.
“Okay.” Smiling, she winked at me, blew me a kiss, and then turned and bounded back onto the stage as the band started playing one of her hits.
My phone went off again, shaking against my upper thigh. Sighing angrily, I yanked it out and looked at the screen. Seeing it was Jules and not Jake, my finger hovered over the screen, ready to tell her to back the hell off when I glanced over at the front of the stage.
There was a man in the pit weaving between fans, staring at Molly with a sneer on his face. There was nothing extraordinary about him—Caucasian male, mid-twenties to mid-thirties, average height, and average weight with no standout features. He wore black jeans with a white tee shirt and a jean jacket. Not uncommon attire for a concert billed as country music. But the look on his face had me taking closer stock.
I glanced back to Mols. She was oblivious, lost in her song, moving around the stage. My eyes cut back to the man, getting closer by the second.
The hair on the back of my neck rose, and I reached for the earpiece that I used to wear when I worked for Nate, but all I found was my ear. I hadn’t worn it since I took the job with Molly because I was the only member of her security detail and didn’t need to hear the chatter from the men guarding Nate and Lia. Thank Christ Sam insisted I carry a hand radio for emergencies.
I yanked it off my belt, barking into it. “Sam! Out front, eleven o’clock and gaining fast.”
I held the radio to my ear, hoping I would be able to hear a reply over the music, mentally cursing the decision to go without the headset. I glared at the man as he somehow managed to do what the rest of the people in the pit had been unable to do—squeeze between other fans and get close to the stage. As he slithered his way to the front, he never took his eyes off Molly, his features frozen in a way that told the world he despised what he was looking at.
I’d seen that look before. My heart started to pound erratically and my mind began to race as flashes from a lifetime ago started to claw their way to the surface. If I let it, if I gave in to the moment, I would start to hear gunfire erupt around me, the smell of death would invade my nose, and the pain of that surprise attack would not only cause my arm to ache, but also my heart. I’d lived with post-traumatic stress disorder long enough to know I had to fight my way to the surface right now.
I was not in a desert, thousands of miles away from my family. I was not laying wounded and delirious while I watched my friends die, one by one, praying that the Bean Nighe would come for me because death was the only way I would escape the torture, wishing I could hold my kids just one more time. I was no longer a helpless failure who let down those he’d sworn to protect.
No, I was back on American soil, only a phone call away from my son. Even though I’d failed to save all of my brothers the day my convoy leader hit an IED, I would carry that loss and guilt with me for the rest of my life. But I couldn’t change the past. I could only focus on the future. I would die before I let something happen to Molly.
Forcing the unwanted feelings and memories away, I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. I found the man in the crowd again, and I stepped closer to the edge of the stage, knowing that fans could see me if they looked.
When he reached into the pocket of his jacket, I felt my hand moving to my own gun, ready to take him out if needed. I had a clear shot, and I would not miss. Then Sam’s giant form appeared out of thin air, grabbing the man by the arm as a few other members of his security team swarmed the area. Molly’s song ended, and oblivious to what was happening almost directly in front of them, the band started to play another.
The stage lights went off suddenly, leaving everyone on it in the dark, and a collective gasp came from thousands of people. The music stopped as the guys glanced around, uncertain of what had happened. I silently thanked Sam. I took advantage of the darkness and strode out on stage to grab Molly.
“Mike?” she asked, confusion mixed with worry. “What’s going on?”
I didn’t answer. Wrapping my fingers around her bicep, I forced her to move toward the wings as more of Sam’s team hurried onto the stage and started ushering the band off. Molly glanced over at me, her eyes wide with panic, but she didn’t say anything as she followed my lead.
Backstage was a madhouse of activity. The security team, the roadies, and venue staff were hurrying around, doing God knows what. I wasn’t sure if Sam had changed the protocol for situations like these, but it didn’t matter even if he had. I was getting my girl out of the building and into a secure location. At least until we knew what was going on and talked to the police.
We moved around people, unnoticed, and sidestepped the mobs as we hurried toward the back exit. I nodded to Kris, the big guy guarding the door, and he nodded back, his eyes moving to Molly as if to make sure she was okay. I didn’t stop to verify that she was, hurrying her out into the dimly lit parking lot and across the small space to our bus.
Once the door was safely closed and we were all alone, because even Mr. B, our driver was somewhere inside still, Molly turned to me, crossing her arms over her chest. “What in the hell was that?”
I turned, lifting the shade covering the window over the sink and peered out into the parking lot.
“Oh, no. You are not avoiding this.” Molly grabbed my arm. “Tell me what in the fuck just happened.”
Before I could explain the necessity of the last ten minutes, the shrill ring of my cell phone screamed into the silence as it vibrated against my thigh once more. “Goddammit!” I snapped, yanking the thing out of my pocket and stabbing the answer key harder than I should have. Holding up a finger to Molly, I snapped into the phone, “I can’t talk right now.”
“Mike?” Julie’s sobs were nothing new over the last few weeks, but tonight were over the top.
“I’m working right now, Jules. I’ll call you back.”
“I can’t do this,” she wailed. “I can’t raise two kids alone. I… I…”—more sobbing—“I need you, Mikey! The kids need you.”
Molly crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes, letting me know she was not happy.
“Julie,” I used my sternest voice. “I will call you back. I’m in the middle of something—”
“I’m serious, I can’t do this. I can’t go to work and see him every day. He flirts with the nurses and ignores me…”
I didn’t listen to anything else she said because Nate opened the door and sprinted onto the bus, hurrying over to Molly and pulling her into his arms. Kissing her forehead, he pulled back. “You okay, babe?”
She nodded, insisting, “I’m fine. Confused as hell, but fine.”
Kelly’s features twisted in surprise and he glanced at me, a hundred unspoken questions reflected in his eyes.
“He’s talking to Julie,” Molly snapped, leaving no doubt in my mind that she was pissed. “Will you please tell me why the world has suddenly gone crazy?”
Nate turned back to her. “It was a camera. Nothing else.”
Relief poured through me as Molly arched a brow. “What was a camera?”
“Mike, are you still there?” Julie demanded, forcing me to turn my attention back to her and miss what Nate was saying.
“Yeah, I’m here. But, Jules, I’m working. I really need to call you back.”
“Fine. But first, you never answered me. Do you think it would be okay? Just for a few days to get a break? It would be fun, right?”
I had no fucking clue what she was talking about, but I just wanted her off the phone. Asking her to clarify the question would take time I didn’t want to waste talking to her. “Sure. If it’s what you need to do.”
“Really?” she squealed, all tears gone. “I’ve never been to California! I’m sure the kids will love it.” Wait. What? “Columbus Day is next weekend, so I’ll have to book our flight as soon as we get off the phone. What airport should we fly into?”
“You’re coming to Cali with me?”
She chuckled. “Yes, silly. That’s what we just agreed on. The kids have a long weekend and I took time off because we…” She trailed off, sighing. “Doesn’t matter. I just don’t have to work. And you said it sounded fun.”
“I’m working while I’m there, Jules.”
“I know. We can entertain ourselves while you’re working. I’m sure the hotel has a pool. But when you’re not on the clock, we can spend time together as a family. I’m so happy that you want us to come. I’m so excited! I’m going to go tell the kids!” She was practically yelling again. “Now, go play bodyguard to that girl and I’ll see you next week!”
The line went dead in my ear before I could process what in the hell had just happened. I looked up, taken aback a bit when I found both Nate and Molly staring at me. The latter had her arms crossed and was shooting daggers at me. Nate, with his arm slung over Molly’s shoulders, looked on sympathetically. It was if he was saying, “Dead Man Walking.”
Molly pushed away from him, shaking her head. “Well, this night’s been fun. Really. But I’ve had all the excitement I can handle. I’m going to take a shower.” She kissed Nate on his cheek. “Kick ass on your set. Sorry about—”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. You’re safe, it was a false alarm. That’s all I care about.”
She didn’t say another word, just kicked off her heels, picked them up, and hurried to the bathroom.
“She’s pissed.”
Nate laughed at that. “Yeah, Carson. She’s pissed. But her adrenaline is crashing, she’s missing the party, and she just found out your wife is joining you, so she can’t have the fuck fest in California she’s been planning weeks for. Cut her some fucking slack.”
