Page 89 of King of Clubs

“What headphones?” I asked.

Arna sighed. “Marlee is going to kill me when she knows I told you this, but the reason she freaked a little last night is because of Evangeline.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, needing her to speak quicker.

“So your sister wears green headphones, right? And they have a little sticker on the side which is of a mint leaf?”

“Yeah, I don’t understand the relevance.”

“The day Marlee left Lucas,” Felicity interjected, “she caught the bus to Arna and Andy’s house.”

“And there was another woman on the bus that day and she was wearing green headphones with a mint leaf sticker on the side,” Arna continued.

“So obviously when Marls saw Eva with them it threw her back to that day which is why she freaked out,” Flick added.

“It’s a crazy coincidence but that is why she said she had a headache. She didn’t want to ruin your time with your sister but it freaked her out a little,” Arna finished.

I was reeling at the idea Eva was there on that bus, that very same day. I knew when it must have been as it was the only time Evangeline had come to visit me without calling first. Mum had pissed her off, she was overwhelmed with assignments and needed a breather. I’d been annoyed that she was on the fucking bus, during a damn storm too, but knowing it was the exact same day and time as Marlee was fleeing her ex made me feel a bit better about it. Neither of them were alone even if they didn’t realise.

No wonder she was so shaken seeing the headphones and why Eva had no idea what caused her to freak out. It was no surprise they wouldn’t remember each other. Two strangers on the same bus, both in some state of emotional distress.

And I’d let her go to bed without checking on her, trying to respect her wishes, when she would have been terrified and needed me.

The drive to get to her this very second was suffocating. To hold her and tell her I understood and was sorry for not knowing. Not realising. That she wasn’t alone and she could tell me anything.

“Yeah, okay,” I said quietly, “sorry I called you all down here. I just thought Lucas had messaged her again and I really got in my own head.”

“Couldn’t have,” Wayne said. “I’ve had the boys watching him and monitoring his phone still,” he grimaced apologetically knowing this wasn’t something I’d requested.

“Wait!” Arna interjected, her hands in the air. “She did get a message last night! From an unknown number again! I forgot. Oh my god. I’m sorry, I told her to tell you but clearly she was playing the fucking martyr again. Fuck. What if it wasn’t just seeing Eva?” She asked more towards Flick than anyone else.

“What the fuck did it say?” Even the validation of being right that something was seriously wrong didn’t quell the rising panic.

“I don’t know,” she muttered as she drained her glass nervously. “Something about how she replaced him with her new family, and something about them getting rid of you if she didn’t do it herself.” Her eyes went wide as she seemed to realise the severity of what she was actually saying and she stopped moving, frozen in place as she slapped her hand to her mouth.

“Ahh, that kinda seems like something we should know straight away,” Andy did his best to be firm, but her eyes filling with tears was definitely softening his resolve and he pulled her into him for a hug.

“What the actual fuck!” A rage unlike anything I had ever experienced seeped from my pores, making the room thick with tension.

“Someone threatened usbothand she didn’t even tell me. And you didn’t even tell him,” I snapped, flicking my hand in Andy’s direction, “and now she’s at work and who knows if they’ve gotten to her already.” I was rambling, a ball of yarn running down a hill. My chest was on fire, my hands itching to move, punch, hurt, but first, I needed to get to her. Keep her with me until we sorted this fucking mess.

Barking orders like nobody’s business, I grabbed my car keys.

“Wayne, call the boys and get them to pay Lucas a visit. I don’t give a fuck how they get it out of him, but I want to know what the fuck is going on. I’m going to pick Marlee up from work. Until we find out who it is for certain she is not leaving my side.”

Arna’s voice was soft, apologetic even. “Seb, I’m going to take a look through this okay,” she pointed towards the envelope Wayne had retrieved from my office, “I know I haven’t spoken to Lucas in a while, but I did spend time with him in the beginning. Maybe I can find something to help.”

I nodded before racing through the club and out to my car. My only thought was about getting to Marlee as quickly as I could.

Marlee

Chapter Thirty-Seven

I planned on telling Sebastian when I got home tonight. I stupidly thought shielding him from the baggage I brought with me was the right thing to do but it only put a chasm between us and left me feeling lonely. He deserved to know, and more than that, I wanted him to. I wanted to share my entire world with him because he always made me feel nothing less than supported and leaning on him was only going to make us stronger.

I could hear Gabriel and some of the other girls outside complaining about having to clean up and I shook my head smiling. They definitely kept me distracted most of the time I was here, which helped with the constant worry about everything else going on in my life. Drying my hands, I took out my phone and re-read the message, even though by now, I knew it verbatim. The threat against Sebastian was as sickening now as it was when I first received it last night.

Unknown

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