Page 94 of Lake
But before I could even do so, he was trying to start up a conversation with the brunette’s friend and I was left alone to play wing-man or some shit.
I wished he would have gone over the plan before he dragged my ass over here. Though listening to the other woman, she didn’t really seem interested in Mouse right away. Or being here, really. I got the feeling that it wasn’t her idea to come here and that she was just here for her friend. And that should have made me laugh because it was clear that Mouse was either slightly attracted to her or just looking for a distraction from whatever kind of shit was going on in his head. It sucked that it looked like Mouse was failing so bad.
“I like your hair,” Carla said, running her fingers roughly through it.
“Um, thanks,” I said as I tried to take a step back and escape her crazy hand.
How the fuck was I supposed to respond to that? I didn’t want her to touch me but I also wasn’t such an asshole that I wanted to tell her off and make her feel bad about herself. It wasn’t her, but I knew she’d never believe me if I said that. It was me. Or rather my Bridge and the fact that the woman had my fucking heart so wrapped up that no one would be able to get to it anytime soon.
I had to be smart about this.
A wide, crazy smile spread across my lips as I spotted Sketch across the bar. With a sly head nod, I beckoned him over since Mouse was no help to me at the moment.
“Ah, what’s up hottie?” he asked noticing Carla right away.
And as her head turned in his direction and a somewhat sexy smile slowly slid across her face, I knew I’d gotten myself out of this one.
“Carla, this is my brother, Sketch.” I made the introduction with a wide smile.
I was quickly dismissed as the two of them made eyes at one another.
I held back a laugh as I walked off, leaving Sketch and Carla swimming in sexual tension and Mouse and Amber having a conversation like two normal people trying to get to know one another. Which, hey, I’m glad that turned around for him.
I should have stuck around to see how all that shit worked out but I was just ready to flop down in my bed and go to sleep.
As I made my way to my room, I tried like hell not to pull out my phone and call Bridget.
Sometimes it was hard but the last thing I wanted to do was make her feel like I was smothering her.
Bridget.
My almost girlfriend.
The only woman that I could actually picture a future with.
It didn’t matter that she had told me a few times that I could call her whenever I felt like it. Or that I knew that she’d probably be awake at this late hour. Or that I was really desperate to hear her voice. I held myself back for reasons I couldn’t grasp right now.
I tossed and turned in my bed for another hour. Even though I couldn’t smell her on my sheets anymore because— despite not wanting to— they had been washed multiple times, I could still feel her there. I felt her soul beside me, sleeping right there just inches from me. Maybe it was a little strange or obsessive-crazy, but it was true, nonetheless.
I fell asleep with my phone clutched tightly in my hand.
And woke to the beginning of chaos.
The kind of chaos that made me grateful that Bridge was so far away from me. The kind that reminded me that my life wasn’t the safest and put those doubts in the forefront of my mind.
You know, the kind that made me wonder if I could ever keep her safe.
I snapped awake as my phone vibrated with a sling of messages in my hand. Prying my lids apart, I read through them all.
Detective Mullins was here and Iron had him in the kitchen area.
And a few minutes later after I rushed to throw some clothes on and get down there, I found him sitting at one of the tables casually drinking a cup of coffee surrounded by the rest of us officers, save for Ky. I knew Ky wouldn’t be able to make it here so quickly being that he lived with Chris on the beach which was a good twenty minutes away on a good day.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I didn’t trust him. But then again, how could I when he’d made it clear that his life’s mission was to take us down.
Only there was something off in his posture. It wasn’t puffed up like a man that had the information he needed to cripple us completely. It was of a man here to make some kind of peace. But I still didn’t trust it one fucking bit.
“Why the fuck are you here?” Iron asked with a bite in his tone.
