Page 60 of Don't Lie to Me

Slowly, he handed me my phone and I answered it.

“What do you want Jack?” I yelled into my phone over the noise in the club.

“Where are you?” He demanded. Seriously?

“None of your fucking business,” I yelled back but started walking back toward the bathroom hallway so I could hear what he was saying to me. Tate shook his head while I walked away, clearly not believing my story about not being stupid.

“Damn it, Emma. I need to know you’re safe. Where are you?”

“I don’t think you have any right to know where I am or what I’m doing.”

I heard him sigh through the phone and I could imagine him leaning against his kitchen counter, gripping a fistful of his hair.

“I know. I know. And I can’t explain what happened. I just…” His voice trailed off and I said nothing. I stared at the graffiti along the bathroom walls like I was actually planning on calling Damien for a good time like the carving on the stall door suggested. Jack spoke again, his voice a little bit softer. “Where are you?”

“I told you. It’s none of your business.”

I think I heard his teeth grind together, and maybe I was pushing his buttons intentionally, but I was drunk and didn’t care.

“I can tell you’re wasted. I just need to make sure you’re okay.”

I scoffed. “Sure you do, Jack. Because you always take such good care of me. You don’t need to worry about me; Dean will take good care of me tonight.”

I closed my eyes, knowing I had gone too far when Jack growled a string curse words through the phone.

“Emma.”

“Whatever Jack. I need to go.” I hung the phone up.

I cleaned up in the bathroom and walked back to everyone at the table.

As soon as I got there, my phone started buzzing in my hand again.

“What?” I yelled, not even bothering to look at the number, but just assuming it was Jack again.

“It’s Marcus. Logan had a nightmare and can’t go back to sleep. I hate to ask, but can you come help?”

I swayed a little bit. A mixture of the alcohol, my argument with Jack, and worry about Logan. I put a hand on the table and closed my eyes, trying to get my balance under control.

“Emma?” He shouted through the phone.

“I’ll be right there,” I said and then turned my phone off. I could be at Marcus’s in five minutes and already the realization of how drunk I must have sounded to Jack made me realize he was going to start blowing it up in a few minutes anyway.

Dean frowned, seeing the concern on my face.

“There’s never a dull moment with you around, is there?”

I snorted. He was right. In the last two months, I’d started a passionate affair with my boss, fell in love, been faced with my ex walking – literally – back into my life, attacked by a well-known Senator, introduced ex to his son, ended a passionate affair, and lost my job. My life was anything but dull.

Having a dull and boring life suddenly sounded absolutely perfect.

“I need to get going, can you help me get a cab?” I asked. At least I was sober enough to realize being alone wasn’t a smart idea.

“Tell me you’re not going over that asshole’s house, Emma.”

I shook my head at Tate. “No, that was Marcus. He needs some help with Logan.”

Macy hiccupped. “Sure…Logan. Of course that’s what he needs help with.”

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