“Not necessarily watch him,” he said. “Just keep your eyes open if you happen to be around the guy.”
The thought of that almost constituted one of my worst nightmares. I groaned. “You know it could just be a little study boost.”
His gaze hardened. “Really, Eli? Even when exams are done for now?”
Tilting my head back, I stared up at the sky. “Party drug, then,” I said sourly.
“Or,” he said, taking a slight step forward, “while we’re each taking turns at guessing what it was he bought, he could be slipping it into some girl’s drink and getting ready to take advantage of her.”
I sighed. Thinking about it like that, I could see his frustration. “Okay, fine. I’ll watch the guy if I see him. Happy?”
Lowering myself down to sit on the edge of the tailgate, I rubbed my hand across my forehead. I just didn’t get it. Zac was a smart guy. He was up there with the top of the class. If he really did buy himself an illegal substance, that was his entire career, gone. And if it was GHB—and he was intending to slip it into some girl’s drink—why the hell would he risk his entire career, just to get laid? I knew plenty of chicks who would jump into bed with him in a heartbeat, despite my opinion of the guy.
Glancing up at Noah, I shook my head. “I just can’t see it, Bro. He could get almost any chick he wanted. Why would he drug someone?”
Noah shrugged and gave me a sad smile. “I don’t know, man. Control? Fantasies? Maybe he likes some freaky shit that chicks don’t dig.”
“Yeah, like fucking a corpse.”
He sighed before dropping down beside me. “I just don’t like it, man. I have a gut feeling about these things since being in TJ’s gang, and it’s telling me it’s not good.”
I groaned. “Awesome.” My thoughts shifted to Jess. I didn’t like that she was so close to the situation at all. I mean, I didn’t think she would be in any danger. Zac was unlikely to drug his best friend’s girlfriend, but I still didn’t like it. “How long until you question him?”
Noah’s jaw tightened. “I’m not officially on the case, so I can’t really say. But Walt shouldn’t wait longer than the weekend before he drops the dealer. If he does, I’ll fucking go do it myself.”
If it were any other time in the year, I’d rest easy with his words, but we were all on vacation now. The entire week was one long fucking weekend. There was a party every damn night. “You know it would help if we knew what kind of drug we were dealing with here, don’t you, Noah? There’s a massive fucking difference between buying something for yourself and buying something to slip into someone’s drink.”
“I know, man,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I wish I fucking knew too. If it was just a little E, I wouldn’t even be having this conversation with you.”
“But you don’t think it just a little E,” I finished for him. And for some reason—maybe it was my gut too—I thought he just might be right.
Chapter 9
Jess
I never used to consider twenty-two to be old. Not by a long shot. I mean, I was still technically in college, so that kind of implied an element of abandoned recklessness in itself. But here I was, at ten o’clock at night, my head spinning after only two drinks, and I was seriously pining for my bed. I had no idea how I’d become such a lightweight. I was trying to tell myself I was just over the ridiculous number of parties Wyatt had been dragging me to every night, but I thought it might’ve been more of a case of just not enjoying the scene anymore.
As I leaned against the wall, half watching Wyatt say goodbye to Zac—weird, I know—and half making sure I stayed upright, I thought about how Wyatt had been with me since the snobby debacle the other night. He’d said he would show me that I had nothing to worry about, and so far he’d been true to his word. Probably a little more than necessary. But I couldn’t deny that he’d been trying, and I guess that was all I’d been wanting for the last six months.
Tonight, we’d planned on staying at my apartment. Aiden had taken Emmy away for the weekend, trying to have a little alone time before he had to leave. I thought it was a little dumb scheduling gigs the week before Christmas, but it meant Wyatt and I had the place to ourselves, so who was I to argue?
Drawing in a deep breath, I let it out in a huff, my eyes widening a fraction when my body started to slide to the side. Whoa. Okay, it was seriously time to get myself under control, or I would be on the floor in no time.
Straightening, I pulled my shoulders back and focused on my breathing. It was a little harder than it should’ve been. My head was starting to feel like it was filled with cotton wool, and I was having serious trouble getting my eyes to focus on anything for longer than a few seconds at a time.
I sighed with relief when I finally saw Wyatt break away from Zac and start walking toward me. He was scowling, but when he got close enough to take my hand, he smiled. “All good?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yup.” The P made a popping sound when I released it, making me giggle.
Wyatt frowned down at me as he began towing me toward the door. “Are you drunk?”
I mirrored his expression as I thought. “I only had two drinks, but I think I might be,” I said in all seriousness.
Unlocking the car, he opened my door and held it open for me. “What the hell were you drinking?” he asked, slightly incredulous.
I shrugged as I climbed in. “I don’t know,” I murmured. “Vodka?” For some reason, my tongue didn’t want to cooperate with me. Normally, it would’ve frustrated me, but it seemed my brain was too tired to care. “But the last one tasted gross.”
Wyatt closed my door and moved to his side of the car, sliding in behind the wheel before glancing over at me again. His expression was kind, but it bordered on intense. Something about it made me pulse inside.