Page 87 of Laila Manning
“It’s your lucky day, cunt.” The first guy said, checking his shoulder into mine as he walked by. “Tomorrow won’t be, though, so stay out of my business.”
I clenched my teeth to keep from retorting something smart-mouthed back to him, as it seemed I’d earned my free pass. The other kid went with him, but when the third went to go by, he paused, flicking a glance out after his buddies and then at me.
His slurred speech was painful to listen to, and I wasn’t sure how he was standing on both feet still, but he asked, “Have you seen Kade lately?”
My icy cold hands started sweating instantly when I deciphered the concern behind his blood-shot eyes. “No.” I replied, forcing my tongue off the roof of my mouth, mentally counting the days since I saw him at the estate the day I yelled at Zeke. “A week or so I think. Why? Is something wrong?”
The kid shrugged, looking back after his buddies as one called his name before disappearing down an alley. “He’s not been around much the last few days. That’s weird for him.”
“Are you in the crew?” I asked, and then quickly tossed the trash into the dumpster as he stumbled away after his friends. “Wait, he hasn’t been around where? Where is he usually?”
He shrugged again, walking in a stumbled pace toward the dark alley I wouldn’t be caught dead in willingly. I had to get my answers from him before he walked into the darkness or I’d never get them.
“Dunno. Around. But not for a few days now.” He slurred.
I stopped following him as the shadows swallowed him up as a million thoughts ran through my head from his cryptic questions and answers.
If Kade’s druggie friends were worried about him, then something was wrong.
Maybe that was why the doomsday feeling had been clinging to my neck like a noose all day long. I had to find him.
Chapter 23 – Zeke
Iwiped the steam off the mirror above my sink when my front door banged open. Leaning back, I caught a flurry of brown copper hair coming through my door before the doorknob had even stopped vibrating from the dent it had left in the wall.
“How can I find Kade?” Laila demanded in her haste, with her hands on her hips as I turned and walked out of the bathroom completely.
“Hello to you too, Dove.” I replied, crossing my arms over my chest as I leaned my shoulder against the wall. “How was your day? Mine was fine, thanks for asking.”
Laila rolled her eyes and dropped her fists from her hips as a deep breath filled her lungs. She still wore her work uniform, and her cheeks were pink and flushed, breathing life into her light skin. “Hi.” She gave me a soft smile, and then it was like she finally paid attention to the fact that I stood before her in just a towel, fresh out of the shower. Her warm brown eyes traveled down my body, and her pink lips partedmomentarily before her dark lashes snapped back up to my face and her cheeks got even more color to them. “My day is getting better by the moment.”
I chuckled, standing up off the wall and crossing the space to her. We’d only been together for a short while, but my hands knew her body like they’d never been without the feel of her skin against them, and when she was in reach, she leaned into me as I hugged her. “I missed you.” I whispered against her ear, and she pulled back to kiss me.
A few weeks ago, she wouldn’t have been able to be in the room with me alone without panicking, yet now she openly came to me and physically relaxed in my hold instead of tensing. The weight of her trust settled upon me, a powerful and incredible feeling.
“I’m pretty sure I missed you more.” She pouted comically, resting her cheek against my chest and holding onto me.
“Did something happen?” She was on edge when she walked into my apartment, and even though she relaxed with my touch, I could still tell something had her rattled.
“No, I mean, not really.”
“Hmm.” I grunted, pulling her over to the couch and into my lap, adjusting her until she lay against me with her head tucked under my chin. “Tell me.”
She snuggled in deeper, and her breath warmed the flesh of my neck as she spoke. “I ran into a couple of junkies out back behind Neat. One of them asked me if I’d seen Kade lately. Apparently, he hasn’t been around, and I guess he thought I knew where he was.”
“Street kids tend to come and go, Dove.” I replied, mentally tracking the last time I saw the scraggly bag of bones kid. But I couldn’t think of any times past the infamous day here at the estate when I firedhim. He wasn’t actually fired, and I let him keep unloading the truck with Jed. Since then, though, he had been gone.
“The kid said it wasn’t normal for Kade, though. If he’s not here with you or the crew, where else would he be?”
I shrugged because, to be honest, I didn’t know where the kid hung out or slept at night. I had never cared to check in.
Laila cared, though, and that meant I should have cared. “I’ll ask around. See what he’s up to.”
“Yeah?” She leaned back and looked up at me with hope in her warm chocolate eyes. “Really?”
“Really. He’s probably just off doing riffraff shit, but I’ll check on him.”
“Thank you.” Laila murmured, sounding slightly surprised still.
