Page 62 of His Lair
“Okay, call me if you need anything.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because that’s what friends do, Lailani.”
“Yeah, we’re still not friends. But thanks for the car.” I open the door and jump into the driver’s seat. “I’ll return it in one piece.”
“If you don’t, you’re paying for it. I’m not running a charity here.”
The moment the garage door opens, I start up the engine and drive out. My heart races the closer I get to the gates. A huge piece of me wants to stop. I want to turn around and repeat those three little words back to Sammie.
I don’t do that. Instead, I force myself to keep driving. When I reach the next block, I pull over, park the car against the curb, and pick up my phone. I open the message thread with Sammie and hit therecord voice notebutton.
“Hey, I… ah… I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry. I… I have no idea what to say. I’m going out of town for a few weeks. But I’ll be back, and hopefully when I am, we can talk.” I hit send on the message and throw my phone onto the passenger-side seat. There’s a fat chance in hell he’ll want to see me again.
I can’t focus on that right now. So I turn on the radio and plug my dad’s address into the navigation system. Four hours and thirty-six minutes. Great. Just what I wanted to be doing today, making a cross-country drive. I could get a plane. It’d probably take just as long by the time I arranged it, though.
Fuck it! Driving it is.
Plus, using E’s car gives me a reason to return. There’s no way I can keep it. That would just be rudeandcost me a small fortune. I should call my dad and tell him I’m coming early.
I’ll wait till I’m closer…
Five hours. That’s how long it took me to make it back to my childhood home. A place I’ve been running from since the day I was old enough to get up and run.
I cut the engine, climb out of the car, and make the dreaded trek up the footpath that leads to the front door. I didn’t stop to call my dad, but it’s not like he’s going to care that I’m here unannounced.
Letting myself in, I call out, “Dad, are you here?”
When I don’t hear anything, I make my way through the house, the smell of burned bread hitting me the moment I go to walk into the kitchen. I quicken my pace and find my dad throwing away two pieces of black toast.
“Dad?” I call out again when he doesn’t hear me approach. It’s strange for my dad to not hear me. He’s always aware of his surroundings.
“Oh, Lailani, you’re here. I didn’t know you were coming,” he says, walking around the island counter. He hugs me briefly.
“I thought I’d come early. Were you planning on eating toast for dinner?” I ask him.
“I was, but now that you’re here, how about I order pizza?” He picks up the phone without waiting for my answer.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
One week later
She’s been gone for a week. I’ve buried myself in work, trying to forget about her. Not an easy task, especially when I spend the night watching the CCTV footage Ihave of her in Carlo’s apartment, in the stairwell at my hotel, while my mind is repeating every conversation we’ve ever had.
I was so fucking stupid. She played me like a fool, and I fell for her act. Hook, line and sinker. No one has gotten the better of me until her. And the fucked-up thing is that I fucking miss her. She said she’d be back in town in a few weeks. I’m hoping that by then, I won’t care a single fucking bit.
I’ve had a closed-off heart my whole life. I can go back to that. It was a lot fucking easier.
I jump to grab my phone when it rings. There’s a small part of me that wants it to be her. Okay, a large fucking part of me wants it to be her. It’s not, though. No, it’s the other woman in my life I really don’t want to hear from.
“Mom, what can I do for you?”
“You haven’t responded to my invitation. I don’t need you to RSVP, Sammie, because I know you’ll be there. But the least you could do is acknowledge the day.” My mother’s voice sounds calm. She’s not. It’s just the calm before the storm.
“I really don’t have time for this right now,” I tell her.
“Then make time. Because I’m the only mother you have, the only one you’ve ever had, and the only one you will ever have. I’ll be gone one day and then you’ll regret not making the time,” she says. “Besides, don’t think for a second I won’t follow through on what I said I’d do.”
