Page 50 of The Demons We Hide

“Jesus fuck, Nolan, you couldn’t warn me when y’all’d be here?” Zeke asks as he reaches out and claps Nolan on the back as he draws near. I hang back, a little relieved that Lex does the same as I watch the two of them.

Zeke is tall and broad, though not as big as Lex, he’s on par with both Nolan and Gio. His jeans are worn but well-fitting and the plain black t-shirt boasts the club’s name scrawled in the same font as the sign out front.

“It’s well after noon, dude,” Nolan replies. “Let me guess, the club life got you staying up?”

“You know it.” Zeke finally lifts his gaze from Nolan and scans the rest of us, pausing when he lands on me. His eyes widen and then shoot back to Nolan. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing your girlfriend.”

I wrinkle my nose, but decide that it’s safe enough to let Zeke keep thinking that. I don’t know him and something tells me that not being claimed here might not be such a great thing. Nolan snorts, but doesn’t deny Zeke’s words either. Instead, he changes the subject entirely.

“Are we staying here or did you have other digs for us while we’re in town?” he asks.

My brow creases. Hadn’t he said that we were staying here? Did he not know that for sure? I cast a glance up at Lex to see if he has any idea, but he isn’t looking at me. No. His attention is squarely fixed on the man known as Zeke.

“You’re staying here,” Zeke says, rubbing a hand through his already shaggy looking hair. “I have a place a few blocks away, but I knew y’all would be in town sometime soon so I thought I’d stay to be here when you got in. Didn’t actually mean to fall asleep. Here, follow me.”

Zeke turns and leads the rest of us back towards the mouth of the hallway. Lex reaches down for my hand and I don’t resist. His fingers close around mine, offering warmth in the otherwise chilly interior of the building. As we draw closer to the opening, I realize that it’s not a hallway, but a staircase set a few feet back and out of the direct line of sight of the club.

The four of us—five including Zeke—make our way up the stairs to a second floor that’s far more comfortable than the club space below. We come out to a long hall, and Zeke turns us all to a door that leads into a small apartment.

“There are only two rooms,” Zeke admits, “so you’ll have to bunk up.”

I step into the tiny living and dining room combo, noting the galley kitchen to the side and the three doors across the way. Two of the doors hang open, one revealing a quaint bathroom with a single sink and stand-up shower and the other open to a bedroom with little more than a queen-sized bed, side table, and lamp.

“The couch doesn’t pull out, but it’s comfortable so long as it’s only a few nights,” Zeke continues gesturing to the worn looking brown suede couch set in front of a rather large flat screen television.

“Thanks, man,” Nolan says. “We appreciate you putting us up like this.”

Zeke shrugs. “Anything for you, cuz,” he replies. My eyes sharpen on him at that. Cuz? As in cousin?

My attention flickers between Nolan and Zeke with renewed interest. Before I can really examine both of them together, though, Zeke leans over the couch and picks up a jacket and tosses it on.

“I’m gonna head home for another few hours of shut eye,” he announces. “I’ll be in later tonight, but the opener comes in close to five. I’ll send the code to the side door to your phone so you can come and go as you need. Most employees know about the apartment, but they don’t generally wander up here for any reason. If you need anything else, just shoot me a text.”

“Let me walk you out,” Nolan says, turning back to the hall. I shuffle out of the way, bumping into Lex and dropping his hand as I do. When Nolan’s red-brown eyes meet mine, he smirks. “Behave, Princess,” he warns. Then he’s gone, disappearing into the hall with Zeke.

I arch my eyebrow and look between Lex and Gio. “Was that … Nolan’s actual cousin?”

Gio shrugs. “Yeah, on his mom’s side.”

“And he… owns this place?”

Gio snorts and tosses both his and Nolan’s backpacks onto the couch before collapsing next to them. “No,” he says. “He just manages it.”

With that, Gio grabs up the remote and flicks on the TV until a sports station blasts through the apartment. I leave him and Lex and wander through the rest of the apartment, peering into the two open doors before heading to the only closed one. I find it’s similar to the first except instead of one queen bed, there are two twin mattresses on either side of a short dresser.

The kitchen is much the same with only a few pots and pans and dishes that appear as if they were pulled straight from a department store’s website and never used. No food in the fridge except a quart of yogurt, a carton of orange juice, and a bag of apples. This place is definitely bachelor pad material. It’s clear that no one actually lives here. There are no knick-knacks or pictures placed anywhere. Just the bare necessities.

I walk back towards the living room as the front door opens and Nolan steps back inside. “Alright,” he announces. “Room situation—Juliet—you’re there—” He gestures to the open door with the rumpled queen-sized bed. “The rest of us will flip for the couch.”

“Fuck that!” Gio says standing. “I’m staying with Prep Girl.”

Nolan rolls his eyes. “Sure you are, buddy. Keep telling yourself that.”

Gio turns to face me and plants his hands on his hips. I arch an eyebrow, wondering how he’ll get his way this time. I should’ve known better. His lips twitch into a smirk. “I’ll take my third wish now, Miss Genie.”

21

NOLAN

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