“Wait.” I grabbed her arm. “Ben gave you money?”
“Yeah. Why?”
He wasn’t the type to give money, much less have money. “Where’d it come from?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t say, just tossed me a big envelope and told me to take care of Mallory’s stuff. I didn’t question it. After you took off, I learned that maybe it’s better if I don’t ask any questions.”
My eyes narrowed. “How’d Ben look?”
“What do you mean?” She grew weary now, more than she had been at the beginning.
“Was he his normal grouchy self?”
“When’s he not his normal grouchy self?” She paused with the pan in her hand. “Actually, now that you mention it, he looked happy last week.” She shuddered. “I don’t even want to know what that means. I took the money and did what he said. I told you before that I would take care of your apartment. Two of my co-workers helped me clean and I left your keys on the counter. Your landlord seemed fine with that.”
I nodded. I tried to tell myself that things were fine. I was safe. Amanda seemed fine, pissy, but fine. However, I couldn’t shake what she told me. Mallory and Ben were gone. What’d that mean? That had to mean something. And Ben had money. Ben never had money. Something was off, well, considering the situation, something was really off.
She bit her lip, eyeballing me. “You don’t look too good now. What’s wrong, Emma?”
I jerked my head up. “Nothing. It’s fine. Thanks for taking care of the apartment.”
“Look,” her shoulders dropped and her voice softened. “I’m sorry that I didn’t text you or call you. You gave me that new number and I know you were never one to really call, but I was mad after you took off. I know you did something to keep us all safe and I know that I’m not supposed to ask what that was, but Mallory went off the deep end a few days after you left. She got real bad again. Ben wouldn’t let me call you. He said that you deserted us so we would make do without you.” She blew out a deep breath. “Anyways, so I was mad at you for a bit. And I missed you. I miss making fun of Ben with you. He’s so weird sometimes.”
I grinned, despite myself. This wasn’t a funny situation, but I missed those moments too. “You said he was happy? What’s Ben like when he’s happy?”
“Oh, you know.” She chuckled. The pan had been cleaned and put on the drying section. “He was walking around, strutting like some peacock that got laid by a swan. I dunno. He had some weird new walk, thrusting his hips around.” More chuckles poured from her. “I know he thought he was hot stuff, but he looked ridiculous. Like a plump turkey that got stuffed and liked it.”
My grin widened, and I relaxed. I had missed this. I missed our camaraderie. “He thought he was hot stuff?”
“I caught him checking himself out in the mirror. I think he’d been jerking it, but I wasn’t sure. He was all sweaty and his pants were undone.”
“Gross.”
Her nose wrinkled up. “Tell me about it. By then Mallory was starting to come around again. She thought he was stupid too, but it’s not the same. She doesn’t…” Her voice trailed off and a glimmer of sadness appeared before she looked away. Mallory wasn’t me. She didn’t laugh at Ben like we did.
“So,” my voice hitched on a note. “Mallory was doing better before…” I couldn’t bring myself to say it, that Mallory and Ben were gone. Oh god. I swallowed a knot in my throat. What did that mean? They had left. No one had taken them? My chest tightened. Had Franco found Mallory? But Carter hadn’t said anything, he would’ve told me, wouldn’t he? But then I knew—he wouldn’t. And he’d been gone all week.
Just like that, my stomach dropped, and I knew something horrible had happened.
“Emma?” Amanda was frowning at me. She was pale now. “You don’t look so good.”
“I have to go.” I turned on my heel and walked out of there. I would’ve run if it hadn’t looked suspicious, but as I went, my heart dropped again. Everything had changed. Jeremy Dunvan changed everything. Carter was right. This had been done to me. I lost my friends because of what he did to Mallory.
My jaw hardened.
I was done with waiting and hiding. I had taken care of Mallory before Carter came into my life. I wasn’t helpless and he needed to start telling me what was going on. This was my life too.
As soon as I cleared the cafe’s entrance, I was whisked into a car waiting for me. Mike pushed me inside and climbed behind me. Another door shut in the front so I figured the guard by the bathroom sat by the driver. I glared at Mike and rubbed my arm, where he had gripped me harder than he ever had before. “Ouch.”
He growled, then blanched and sat up straight. “Is your arm okay?”
“It’s fine.” I eyed him. I’d never seen Mike as anything other than professional, but he quickly switched, oozing it again. “You’re mad at me?”
He stiffened.
I corrected, “You’re all mad at me, aren’t you?”
He didn’t respond.
That was my answer. I sighed and scooted down. “I just missed her. I’m sorry.” And I wouldn’t do it again. I knew that much. They were only doing their job, and I had gotten mad. I was still mad, but I was going to take it out on Carter. And when I said take it out on him, I let out a deep sigh and knew I wouldn’t say a word. He was protecting me. I shouldn’t forget that and I had, for a little bit that afternoon.
“When you deviate into an unmarked room without us, you’re going in blind. We were not prepared for the back room of that café.”
Oh. Huh? “When you say unmarked, you mean…?”
“We’ve been over every room in your work building. We’ve even planned for the café, but you went into a dark room. We didn’t have a guy in the back ready because we didn’t think you would follow her. We thought you would stay in the front room.”
“So a dark room is somewhere that you guys haven’t mapped out yet?”
“Planned for.”
“What’s the difference?”
He grimaced. “We will be better next time. I promise.”
I blinked at him for a moment. Why was he apologizing to me?
“Yeah. Why?”
He wasn’t the type to give money, much less have money. “Where’d it come from?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t say, just tossed me a big envelope and told me to take care of Mallory’s stuff. I didn’t question it. After you took off, I learned that maybe it’s better if I don’t ask any questions.”
My eyes narrowed. “How’d Ben look?”
“What do you mean?” She grew weary now, more than she had been at the beginning.
“Was he his normal grouchy self?”
“When’s he not his normal grouchy self?” She paused with the pan in her hand. “Actually, now that you mention it, he looked happy last week.” She shuddered. “I don’t even want to know what that means. I took the money and did what he said. I told you before that I would take care of your apartment. Two of my co-workers helped me clean and I left your keys on the counter. Your landlord seemed fine with that.”
I nodded. I tried to tell myself that things were fine. I was safe. Amanda seemed fine, pissy, but fine. However, I couldn’t shake what she told me. Mallory and Ben were gone. What’d that mean? That had to mean something. And Ben had money. Ben never had money. Something was off, well, considering the situation, something was really off.
She bit her lip, eyeballing me. “You don’t look too good now. What’s wrong, Emma?”
I jerked my head up. “Nothing. It’s fine. Thanks for taking care of the apartment.”
“Look,” her shoulders dropped and her voice softened. “I’m sorry that I didn’t text you or call you. You gave me that new number and I know you were never one to really call, but I was mad after you took off. I know you did something to keep us all safe and I know that I’m not supposed to ask what that was, but Mallory went off the deep end a few days after you left. She got real bad again. Ben wouldn’t let me call you. He said that you deserted us so we would make do without you.” She blew out a deep breath. “Anyways, so I was mad at you for a bit. And I missed you. I miss making fun of Ben with you. He’s so weird sometimes.”
I grinned, despite myself. This wasn’t a funny situation, but I missed those moments too. “You said he was happy? What’s Ben like when he’s happy?”
“Oh, you know.” She chuckled. The pan had been cleaned and put on the drying section. “He was walking around, strutting like some peacock that got laid by a swan. I dunno. He had some weird new walk, thrusting his hips around.” More chuckles poured from her. “I know he thought he was hot stuff, but he looked ridiculous. Like a plump turkey that got stuffed and liked it.”
My grin widened, and I relaxed. I had missed this. I missed our camaraderie. “He thought he was hot stuff?”
“I caught him checking himself out in the mirror. I think he’d been jerking it, but I wasn’t sure. He was all sweaty and his pants were undone.”
“Gross.”
Her nose wrinkled up. “Tell me about it. By then Mallory was starting to come around again. She thought he was stupid too, but it’s not the same. She doesn’t…” Her voice trailed off and a glimmer of sadness appeared before she looked away. Mallory wasn’t me. She didn’t laugh at Ben like we did.
“So,” my voice hitched on a note. “Mallory was doing better before…” I couldn’t bring myself to say it, that Mallory and Ben were gone. Oh god. I swallowed a knot in my throat. What did that mean? They had left. No one had taken them? My chest tightened. Had Franco found Mallory? But Carter hadn’t said anything, he would’ve told me, wouldn’t he? But then I knew—he wouldn’t. And he’d been gone all week.
Just like that, my stomach dropped, and I knew something horrible had happened.
“Emma?” Amanda was frowning at me. She was pale now. “You don’t look so good.”
“I have to go.” I turned on my heel and walked out of there. I would’ve run if it hadn’t looked suspicious, but as I went, my heart dropped again. Everything had changed. Jeremy Dunvan changed everything. Carter was right. This had been done to me. I lost my friends because of what he did to Mallory.
My jaw hardened.
I was done with waiting and hiding. I had taken care of Mallory before Carter came into my life. I wasn’t helpless and he needed to start telling me what was going on. This was my life too.
As soon as I cleared the cafe’s entrance, I was whisked into a car waiting for me. Mike pushed me inside and climbed behind me. Another door shut in the front so I figured the guard by the bathroom sat by the driver. I glared at Mike and rubbed my arm, where he had gripped me harder than he ever had before. “Ouch.”
He growled, then blanched and sat up straight. “Is your arm okay?”
“It’s fine.” I eyed him. I’d never seen Mike as anything other than professional, but he quickly switched, oozing it again. “You’re mad at me?”
He stiffened.
I corrected, “You’re all mad at me, aren’t you?”
He didn’t respond.
That was my answer. I sighed and scooted down. “I just missed her. I’m sorry.” And I wouldn’t do it again. I knew that much. They were only doing their job, and I had gotten mad. I was still mad, but I was going to take it out on Carter. And when I said take it out on him, I let out a deep sigh and knew I wouldn’t say a word. He was protecting me. I shouldn’t forget that and I had, for a little bit that afternoon.
“When you deviate into an unmarked room without us, you’re going in blind. We were not prepared for the back room of that café.”
Oh. Huh? “When you say unmarked, you mean…?”
“We’ve been over every room in your work building. We’ve even planned for the café, but you went into a dark room. We didn’t have a guy in the back ready because we didn’t think you would follow her. We thought you would stay in the front room.”
“So a dark room is somewhere that you guys haven’t mapped out yet?”
“Planned for.”
“What’s the difference?”
He grimaced. “We will be better next time. I promise.”
I blinked at him for a moment. Why was he apologizing to me?
