Page 12 of Strike
I nodded, a smile pulling at my lips. “Yeah.”
“I knew it! It’s about time you were obsessed with a guy,” she declared. “You need to get yourself some cock, girl.”
“Macy!” My cheeks heated with embarrassment. She was so forward about these things, and a part of me wished I were like her. If she wanted sex, she went out and got it. If I wanted sex, I went out and flailed around like a moron and came home alone and miserable. I was so clueless.
“Don’t be such a prude,” she said with a giggle. “Anyway, let the post run its course, and if he wants to talk, he’ll let you know. Simple.”
It didn’t feel simple. I knew I would be glued to my phone all day, hitting refresh until I wore a hole in the screen.
“Well, I’ve gotta fly,” Macy said, standing and smoothing down her skirt. “I’ll see you tonight. If you need anything, call me at work, okay?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
She stopped at the door and glanced back. “And Callie? Don’t obsess. It’ll happen, or it won’t. Either way, you’ll be just fine, I promise.”
Smiling, I pushed down the nausea rolling in my stomach. “Sure.”
Before she left, she made a face. “You’re not going to do that, are you?”
“Nope.” I grinned sheepishly and picked up my phone to refresh my messages.
It was going to be a long day.
6
Storm
My fightat The Underground tonight hadn’t exactly gone to plan.
The plan was to win, but instead, I’d had my ass handed to me by Blade. It was like another dose of karma was thumping me in the face, and this time, it was retribution for being a knob to Faye last night. I experienced a lot of karma these days.
Making my way through the crowd, I rubbed my side. That kick had to have busted a rib. Maybe I should get it checked out.
“The shop burned to the ground,” a woman was saying. “And some guy just leapt into the flames and saved her.”
“Her cakes are amazing,” another woman added. “Did you see this one? It’s shaped like a fairy garden with little toadstools and grass and everything. It’s chocolate inside.”
“It’s a shame about her shop.”
“Yeah, I hope she finds the guy.”
“To think he just left without leaving his name like that. It would drive me mad.”
I froze, my heart leaping. They were talking about the ashen-haired woman. They had to be. How many other stupid fuckers leapt into burning buildings in this city?
I should’ve kept walking, but I turned to the group of women, temptation flowing through my veins thick and fast. She was looking for me. Green eyes was looking for me.
I had a chance to know her if I wanted. I’d walked away because I knew it was the right thing to do, but selfishly, I found myself wanting to run after her. Maybe she would be different. Maybe she would see the real me, not the lies.
Elbowing my way forward, I approached the women.
“Hey,” I said, ignoring their startled glances when I pushed my way into their group. “Who’s that you’re talking about? That fire on Brunswick Street the other night?”
The woman next to me eyed me curiously. “Yeah. Did you see it?”
“I live near there,” I replied. “I saw the trucks.”
“Some woman was trapped in there,” the girl across from me said. “Some mystery guy saved her.”
