Page 45 of Save Me
A phone cuts into the moment, the ringtone of dueling banjos.
Tension instantly cords in Ronan’s limbs. “Shit. What time is it?”
11.Ronan
The sun has sunk into the gulf by the time Sloane and I are sliding on our shoes and climbing the steps at Seraphina’s. Most everyone has gone inside, leaving only the staff and Connor, hunched over the bar with a pint of beer, in conversation with Jeremy, who laughs as he loads dirty glasses into a dish rack.
“Hey, man.” I drop a hand on his shoulder, both in greeting and as a wordless apology for earlier. “Thanks for the call. We lost track of time.”
“Yeah. No problem.” He peers over his shoulder, first at me, then at Sloane, at her tousled hair that screams just fucked.
We might not be the only ones, given the smear of red lipstick on Connor’s shirt collar. I do believe that is Belinda’s shade. “Hey, Jer. Can I get a drink?” Sloane asks, setting her empty glass on the counter. She refused to leave it behind, joking that Henry Wolf would find a way to charge her with theft if he found out.
“Yeah, I got you. I’ll come up with something good.” Jeremy winks and abandons his cleaning task.
Her fingertips graze my forearm. “Where’s the restroom? I’d like to freshen up?”
“Inside those doors and to the left.” I nod toward the building. “I’ll grab your drink and meet you there in a few.”
With a secretive smile, she takes the steps up, her dress billowing with a slight breeze.
“You fucking owe me,” Connor says into his glass.
“I don’t know. Looks like you might owe me.” I flick his stained collar. Connor’s been itching to hook up with Belinda again forever. He talked about that day for months after.
“You kidding me?” The usual dumb grin on his face is absent. And does he have a fat lip?
My concern swells. “What happened?”
He chugs the rest of his beer. “She chose violence.”
“Wait. So you twodidn’tfuck?”
“Oh, we did.” He winces as he stands. “I wouldn’t use your desk again without giving it a good wipe down.”
I cringe. “What the?—”
“For the lady.” Jeremy slides a glass filled with a purple-tinged water and lavender sprigs poking out.
“Thanks, man.” I collect the glass, and we peel away from the bar. “You usedmyoffice?”
“She insisted. I wasn’t gonna say no.”
If that isn’t Belinda sending a message …
“Is there any blood through my shirt?” He gives his back to me.
“Blood? No.”
“I’m surprised.” Connor limps as he climbs the stairs, and I can’t tell if it’s because of his knee or some new injury he earned doing my bidding. The idea of the latter leaves me feeling guilty. I snapped at the dude and then fed him to a lioness.
“She also grilled me about Sloane. Wanted to know her name, where you two met, if we’ve fucked her together. All the good stuff.”
That much, I expected. I guess Henry didn’t share his PI’s pictures with her. “What’d you tell her?”
“I played dumb. Said I didn’t know where you guys hooked up, and I just met her tonight. Threw out a bunch of names that start withS. Susy, Sally, Sandra …”
His forgetfulness wouldn’t be hard to buy. It’s Connor, after all. He struggles to remember the names of women he’s balls-deep in. “And then?”
