“I’m not saying I’ll go in blind… she just has to think I am,” Kat continues. “I’m not totally useless, and I am partly to blame for all of this.”
My face morphs into shock. “How the fuck are you in any way to blame for this?”
“If I wasn’t here, this wouldn’t be happening, and you damn well know it.”
“Not true.”
“Of course it is. She hates that I’m married to you. She wants you, and for some reason, she thinks taking me out of the equation is going to make that happen.”
“And what exactly are you suggesting here, Kat?” I ask, because nothing about this idea is watertight.
“I’ll make contact with her and arrange a meet up… and then play it by ear from there,” she says with a shrug. Yes, a goddamn shrug. My mouth actually falls open, and Zoey laughs. Do these women think this is all a big joke?
“I can help too,” Zoey says, encouraging this ridiculous idea.
“No,” I say again, because they clearly didn’t hear me the first two times.
“Come on, Nate,” Kat urges. “You need to end this.”
“I am fully aware, but I am not sending my wife and my sister into the fucking firing line,” I rage as I stand up and pace the floor. “I’m going to make some calls, and when I get back, I hope that all common sense has returned because you’ve obviously both lost your minds.”
With that, I leave the kitchen and make my way to my office.
Fucking hell, as I if I would ever let them go through with such a stupid idea, not to mention one of the shittiest plans I’ve ever heard.
Everything about that suggestion has disaster written all over it, and over my dead body will I ever let happen.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Kat
“He’s going to fucking kill us,” I say to Zoey, but all she does is give me a cheeky grin.
“You can handle him,” she says. “And I’ve had years of practice, so it’ll be fine.”
I don’t agree with her, but we’re here now, so it’s time to see it through.
We walk into the strip club, the smoky atmosphere hitting me as soon as we enter––along with the musty smell and scent of alcohol. I stop myself from screwing my face up and remind myself that I have my big girl pants on. I can do this. We can do this. And everything will be fine.
Yeah, play it on a loop, Kat, because Nate may very well kill you himself after this.
I don’t know this Jessica chick, but the fact that she worked here before working for Nate surprises me. Zoey told me that Nate hired her after seeing some guy beating on her outside of this place one night. I didn’t ask what Nate was doing here and it was way before I even knew he existed, so it is of no concern to me. It does make me wonder what the hell she’s doing though, turning her back on someone who saved her.
“Yo, Jerry,” Zoey shouts from beside me, making me startle.
I look in the direction of this Jerry guy to see a man with almost no hair, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, stubble that needs a good shave, and a vest with holes in that does nothing to cover the beer belly that he is sporting. Lovely.
“Well, well, if it ain’t Zoey Knowles,” Jerry says, his voice raspy. Probably from the fifty-a-day cigarettes he smokes, no doubt.
“No need for pleasantries, Jerry, you know I don’t come here unless I want something,” Zoey continues, moving to the bar but not touching it. Jerry turns slightly on his stool, and I can literally hear the wood creak from the movement.
“Who’s your friend?” he asks, a smirk on his face and a lecherous look in his eyes. Gross.
“Nate’s wife, so don’t even think about it,” she warns, and he rolls his eyes before taking a puff of his cigarette and flicking the ash on the floor.
“What do you want?” he says, and I’m relieved we are about to cut through the bullshit.
“I need to know if you have seen or heard anything from Jessica,” Zoey asks, and Jerry looks at his cigarette thoughtfully.
