Page 124 of With Us

Brows up, he opened my door. “And you’re whistling about that?”

I shrugged. “Being angry wouldn’t change her mind. Her karma has already spoken on the matter.”

“Her…” He shook his head. “I’ve got nothing.” He closed the door before going around to the driver’s side and getting in. “When’s your last day?”

“Today. Once Mystic Stones told her how dark roasted her aura was, she rushed over to close up shop.”

He watched me closely. “And you’re okay with everything?”

I rolled my eyes. “It isn’t like it was my dream job. It was time to move on, and that was the shove I needed.”

“Good. Does that mean you’ll be free to see Theo on Sunday?”

“Can’t. Plans with the girls.”

“That’s tomorrow.”

“I plan on still being drunk on Sunday.”

“You could sober up on the drive.”

I bit my cheek to keep from agreeing.

Already agitated, my silence pushed Luc over the edge. “Look, if you’re out, then beout. No one is forcing you to stay. You want to end things with him, then fine. I’ll even be the one to pass along the message. But if you’re going to keep ignoring his emails—”

“I haven’t gotten any emails.”

“He’s sent them,” he shot back, more defensively than necessary. “You’re pissed you’re in the dark, and you want answers. I get it. We all get it. Fucking Theo gets it, he’s just asking you to be patient. But if you’re just dragging this out as a punishment—”

“I’m scared!”

In the beginning, I’d told myself I didn’t want to see him because he wouldn’t be able to fully talk to me. As I sat awake night after night, alone in the giant bed, I couldn’t deny that wasn’t thefulltruth.

I threw my hands out as much as the cramped space would allow. “I miss him. I’m worried about him. It’s not like I don’t care. I just hate secrets.” For some reason, I lowered my voice to barely a whisper. “We both know…” I shook my head, not finishing the thought, but Luc got what I was saying.

And crazily enough, he smiled at me. His body relaxed, his expression softening and warming. He even reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “Theo would fucking kill me if he’d heard any of that. None of us want you gone. Things at Amaric have me stressed, but that’s no excuse. I’m sorry. If you want, I’ll see if I can find the emails on your phone tonight. And think about Sunday, okay?”

I hadn’t expected another showdown with Luc. Nor had I ever thought I’d hear him tell me to leave. Toss in his sudden about-face, and I was left with mental whiplash.

We sat in silence for a couple minutes before I broke it, saying, “Ben said Amaric is extra busy. You guys don’t need to stay with me at the house. Or drive me places. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time, and everyone has more than enough to handle. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“It’s what family does.”

I closed my eyes and let those words penetrate, increasing the sliver of hope.

???

“Luc!” I called out, touching the screen and home button on my phone. “This stupid thing is broken!”

“What’s wrong?” he asked, taking it from me.

“That!”

“I’m not seeing a problem.”

All of Theo’s emails popped up on the screen, one after another. I couldn’t exit out of them. After the tenth time through, pictures started coming up with them. Theo at work. In the car. In his orange jumpsuit.

I gasped as a new one showed up, his face bloody and beat. “That’s what’s wrong,” I cried as another, more painful looking picture replaced the last. “It’s stuck on those screens. I can’t get out.”

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