Page 24 of Code Word
Did I sleep on the couch?
I heard the familiar vibrating buzz of my phone somewhere at the same time my stomach reminded me of the booze I’d tried to drown myself in.
Then there was a loud knocking. “Blake! I swear to fucking god.”
Fuck.
Ignoring the pain in my head and the urge to puke, I stumbled to the front door and opened it just as Jeremy was about to knock again. He had his phone to his ear and for a split second was relieved, until he scowled at me.
“Wait up,” he said into the phone. “He’s here. Cancel the police report.”
The what?
He clicked off the call and, still pissed, walked inside. “The fuck have you been?” he asked. “You don’t answer your phone; you didn’t go home. Becca doesn’t know where you are...”
I closed the door and ran my hand through my hair. “I, uh... I don’t know where my phone is.”
I made my way back toward the kitchen, knowing he’d follow.
“You look like shit,” Jeremy said.
“That’s probably because I feel like shit,” I mumbled, opening the fridge. Seeing it was empty, I closed it and thumped the coffee machine to life and searched the pantry for the coffee beans I was pretty sure were in there. “Thanks for your sympathy. It’s nice to feel wanted. And I appreciate you coming all this way, but if you’ve come here to insult me some more or to make me feel worse, you can fuck off too.”
I hated myself for saying that, but for fuck’s sake.
Remembering what happened with Luke and how Maddox sided with him made my already tender stomach twist.
Jeremy said nothing, and when I turned around, he was standing there with his arms crossed, looking as pissed off as I’d probably ever seen him.
I sighed. “Sorry.”
The coffee machine beeped and I poured some fresh beans into the grinder, slid a mug under the spout, and let it do its thing.
“You drank last night,” he said.
I resisted sighing again and tried to tamp down the defensive urge to be a sarcastic dick. “Yep.” I checked the time on the wall clock. It was almost midday. “That would explain the lost time and feeling like roadkill.”
“By yourself, or . . . ?”
“Yes, I was alone. Given Luke hates me for some reason, and he got Maddox in the divorce, and now Atrous no longerexists, I figured our pact doesn’t either. Kinda surprised to see you, to be honest. Thought you’d side with Maddox in the split, no questions asked.”
Anger flashed in Jeremy’s eyes and his nostrils flared. He took a deep breath and exhaled. “He doesn’t hate you, B. And I’m not siding with anyone. There’s no reason to.” He looked kinda torn. “No one’s split up. No one’s... Luke, just... Give him time.”
Christ.
He knew.
He knew what the fuck Luke’s problem was, and I didn’t.
Everyone fucking knew but me.
I snatched up my coffee, took one smell of it, and put it down, my stomach churning.
“Give him time,” I mumbled. “So you know too, huh? Kinda proves my point.”
I nodded, more to myself than to him, because it was truly clear to me now.
Instant tears welled in my eyes, and that pissed me off. “Fuck this,” I said. I met his gaze. “What the fuck did I do?”
