Erica laughed to me. “I think he’d keel over if he realized I ate boys like him for breakfast.”
I gave him a look. “Yeah. Come to think of it, he does look like a younger version of Wanker, but he’s more cutthroat. I can already tell, but forget him. You’re still working with Susan? I thought you two went your separate ways at work.”
“God,” she muttered under her breath.
Susan came back, digging out money from a black bag. She went to Henry.
Erica lowered her voice. “I wish. No. I can’t escape her just yet. I’m still just part-time, but her full-time promotion has gone to her head. She offered to pay for all this food, and she’s acting like she’s the boss of everyone.” She perused the group waiting by some tables. “But I can’t really fault her. It’s because of her that I was even included on this project. For the next few weeks, we’re all working on an interview.”
“An interview?” I grinned at her, batting my eyelashes.
She laughed, nudging me in the side with her elbow. “Don’t make fun of me.”
I dramatically sucked in my breath and held a hand to my chest. “I would never.”
“Ha-ha.” She didn’t sound amused. “I can’t tell you anything yet, but it’s big, and it’s worth putting up with Susan for now.”
“That’s good then.”
“Uh…” Henry raised his hand, waiting for me at the doorway, while his other hand held our emptied delivery bags to his chest.
I smirked. “Mr. Happy Pants forgot my name.”
Erica barked out a laugh.
He made another impatient gesture to the door.
I waved at him. “Yeah, I’m coming.” Moving toward him, I threw over my shoulder to Erica, “I have to go. I’ll see you tonight.”
She grinned, heading back for her table. “See you later.”
It was past closing time, and Henry called after me as I was about to walk out the door, “What are you going to be?”
Turning around, I pushed open the door with my back and thrust my fist in the air. “Not optimistic!”
“I’ll see you tomorrow or whenever you work next.” He gave me an approving grin and wave.
I was tempted to give him a double thumbs-up sign with a cheesy smile, but refrained. I wouldn’t have meant it, and God forbid, I would be fake. Though Henry would’ve lapped it up. He was all about fake and circumstance. It could’ve been his graduation song.
“Jordan.”
I had opened the second set of doors, and it was swinging shut behind me when I heard my name. I stopped mid-step. My foot was literally in the air, and it came down roughly as I twisted around. I thought I would be ready, but nothing could’ve prepared me. This was fitting in some way. He’d been out a week, and I had been waiting every day. I lifted my head, but the sight of him in front of me didn’t seem real.
But he was there.
He was staring at me, looking at me like he knew the only me that mattered, the real me.
“Kian.”
He was wearing a black leather jacket.
That was the first thought that stuck out to me, but I couldn’t get past it. I didn’t know why, and I started laughing in my head. Yes, I was nervous. Yes, I was a little scared, and yes, a part of me had been waiting for this meeting to happen for too long. Now, here he was. In a black leather jacket. Really?
I grinned. “Could you get more typical bad boy than that?”
He moved his head to the side, narrowing his eyes.
I didn’t want to drink in the rest of him—how his dark eyes seemed even more alluring in person than on the television, how there was an air to him that pulled at me, which was weird and wrong, especially in how it also pushed me away. I wanted to run, but at the same time, I couldn’t do a thing while he was looking at me like he had during the trial.
Kian hadn’t been allowed to speak to me, not after he’d killed Edmund. Before the trial, during the trial, and afterward, there’d been no exchange between us. In some ways, Kian was as much of a stranger to me as he was to everyone else. And in other ways, I felt like I couldn’t be more exposed to him if I turned my insides out. He knew me. That was how I’d felt all this time even if it wasn’t validated, and I was feeling that again.
“Jo!”
Footsteps sounded from behind me, and I twisted around. Jake was across the street. He lifted an arm up and stepped out, turning to check the road. He was coming over to me.
No…
He couldn’t.
I didn’t want him here.
What was he even doing here?
I looked back with an apology ready for Kian, but it died on my lips. He was gone.
Jake hurried past the cars beside me and stepped onto the sidewalk. “Hey. Glad I caught you.”
“No.”
“What?”
No.
He couldn’t be gone, but he was.
“Jo,” Jake softly prompted. He moved close, so he was standing right behind my shoulder.
If I swung around to look at him, I would’ve touched his chest. I sucked in my breath. Kian had been here. He’d actually found me.
I had to call Snark. He’d tell me what to do now.
But Jake was still here. Jake was familiar. Jake didn’t have a team that wanted to blame me for my foster father’s death.
I let out some air, deflating my lungs, and hoped to calm my nerves before I moved back a step and turned around until I was facing him.
He was frowning at me, and he cocked his head to the side. A small strand of his hair fell over his forehead, and he raised a hand to push it back, his eyes warming as he did that absentminded gesture. The corners of his mouth lifted in another grin, transforming his face from concern to caring.
“Sorry. I’m just…I thought I saw someone I used to know.”
The truth felt lame as it stumbled from my lips, but I followed one of Snark’s guidelines. “Stick to the truth, but be vague. It’s the best form of lying there is.”
Jake nodded, his grin curving higher. He glanced up and down the street. “I hate when that happens. Used to happen to me all the time after our thing ended.”
I shoved Kian to the back of my mind and made myself shake all the lingering tension away. “Yeah?”
His eyes darkened. “All the time. It was…annoying.”
“I’m sure Tara loved that.”
I gave him a look. “Yeah. Come to think of it, he does look like a younger version of Wanker, but he’s more cutthroat. I can already tell, but forget him. You’re still working with Susan? I thought you two went your separate ways at work.”
“God,” she muttered under her breath.
Susan came back, digging out money from a black bag. She went to Henry.
Erica lowered her voice. “I wish. No. I can’t escape her just yet. I’m still just part-time, but her full-time promotion has gone to her head. She offered to pay for all this food, and she’s acting like she’s the boss of everyone.” She perused the group waiting by some tables. “But I can’t really fault her. It’s because of her that I was even included on this project. For the next few weeks, we’re all working on an interview.”
“An interview?” I grinned at her, batting my eyelashes.
She laughed, nudging me in the side with her elbow. “Don’t make fun of me.”
I dramatically sucked in my breath and held a hand to my chest. “I would never.”
“Ha-ha.” She didn’t sound amused. “I can’t tell you anything yet, but it’s big, and it’s worth putting up with Susan for now.”
“That’s good then.”
“Uh…” Henry raised his hand, waiting for me at the doorway, while his other hand held our emptied delivery bags to his chest.
I smirked. “Mr. Happy Pants forgot my name.”
Erica barked out a laugh.
He made another impatient gesture to the door.
I waved at him. “Yeah, I’m coming.” Moving toward him, I threw over my shoulder to Erica, “I have to go. I’ll see you tonight.”
She grinned, heading back for her table. “See you later.”
It was past closing time, and Henry called after me as I was about to walk out the door, “What are you going to be?”
Turning around, I pushed open the door with my back and thrust my fist in the air. “Not optimistic!”
“I’ll see you tomorrow or whenever you work next.” He gave me an approving grin and wave.
I was tempted to give him a double thumbs-up sign with a cheesy smile, but refrained. I wouldn’t have meant it, and God forbid, I would be fake. Though Henry would’ve lapped it up. He was all about fake and circumstance. It could’ve been his graduation song.
“Jordan.”
I had opened the second set of doors, and it was swinging shut behind me when I heard my name. I stopped mid-step. My foot was literally in the air, and it came down roughly as I twisted around. I thought I would be ready, but nothing could’ve prepared me. This was fitting in some way. He’d been out a week, and I had been waiting every day. I lifted my head, but the sight of him in front of me didn’t seem real.
But he was there.
He was staring at me, looking at me like he knew the only me that mattered, the real me.
“Kian.”
He was wearing a black leather jacket.
That was the first thought that stuck out to me, but I couldn’t get past it. I didn’t know why, and I started laughing in my head. Yes, I was nervous. Yes, I was a little scared, and yes, a part of me had been waiting for this meeting to happen for too long. Now, here he was. In a black leather jacket. Really?
I grinned. “Could you get more typical bad boy than that?”
He moved his head to the side, narrowing his eyes.
I didn’t want to drink in the rest of him—how his dark eyes seemed even more alluring in person than on the television, how there was an air to him that pulled at me, which was weird and wrong, especially in how it also pushed me away. I wanted to run, but at the same time, I couldn’t do a thing while he was looking at me like he had during the trial.
Kian hadn’t been allowed to speak to me, not after he’d killed Edmund. Before the trial, during the trial, and afterward, there’d been no exchange between us. In some ways, Kian was as much of a stranger to me as he was to everyone else. And in other ways, I felt like I couldn’t be more exposed to him if I turned my insides out. He knew me. That was how I’d felt all this time even if it wasn’t validated, and I was feeling that again.
“Jo!”
Footsteps sounded from behind me, and I twisted around. Jake was across the street. He lifted an arm up and stepped out, turning to check the road. He was coming over to me.
No…
He couldn’t.
I didn’t want him here.
What was he even doing here?
I looked back with an apology ready for Kian, but it died on my lips. He was gone.
Jake hurried past the cars beside me and stepped onto the sidewalk. “Hey. Glad I caught you.”
“No.”
“What?”
No.
He couldn’t be gone, but he was.
“Jo,” Jake softly prompted. He moved close, so he was standing right behind my shoulder.
If I swung around to look at him, I would’ve touched his chest. I sucked in my breath. Kian had been here. He’d actually found me.
I had to call Snark. He’d tell me what to do now.
But Jake was still here. Jake was familiar. Jake didn’t have a team that wanted to blame me for my foster father’s death.
I let out some air, deflating my lungs, and hoped to calm my nerves before I moved back a step and turned around until I was facing him.
He was frowning at me, and he cocked his head to the side. A small strand of his hair fell over his forehead, and he raised a hand to push it back, his eyes warming as he did that absentminded gesture. The corners of his mouth lifted in another grin, transforming his face from concern to caring.
“Sorry. I’m just…I thought I saw someone I used to know.”
The truth felt lame as it stumbled from my lips, but I followed one of Snark’s guidelines. “Stick to the truth, but be vague. It’s the best form of lying there is.”
Jake nodded, his grin curving higher. He glanced up and down the street. “I hate when that happens. Used to happen to me all the time after our thing ended.”
I shoved Kian to the back of my mind and made myself shake all the lingering tension away. “Yeah?”
His eyes darkened. “All the time. It was…annoying.”
“I’m sure Tara loved that.”
