Page 64 of Exposed
He let himself into his room and went straight to the bar. Normally, he wouldn’t dare to have too many drinks while working. But right now, one wouldn’t hurt. He poured three fingers of whiskey in a glass and slammed it back. Its rich flavor coated his throat, and then the burning sensation followed. He slammed the glass down, turned to the couch, and sat.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. If it was Maddie, he’d break the damn thing. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
Ethan.
This time, he had no remorse when he ignored the call. It had been a long time since he’d been in a monogamous relationship—or had even wanted one. From what he knew, Maddie hadn’t had a serious relationship in a while either. But fuck, it hurt like hell that someone else was enjoying her. Maybe he should have kept listening.
His phone vibrated again. He locked his jaw. God, Ethan was being a fucking hemorrhoid lately. He lifted the phone, this time ready to answer, but it wasn’t Ethan.
Maddie’s encrypted number lit up the screen. Tension settled into his shoulders and he punched answer.
“Hello?” He didn’t bother trying to hide the chill in his voice.
“It’s me.” She spoke softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Fuck. That meant she had risked calling him with Carlos around.
“What are you doing?” he rasped. He kept his voice low, as if Carlos could hear him.
“I need to talk to you. Don’t worry, Carlos is out cold in the bedroom, and I’m in the office.”
He made a sound under his breath. They were too late in the game to be getting sloppy. “You shouldn’t have called.” He rested his elbow on his knee and held his forehead in his palm.
“I know. Something happened with Carlos and me. It’s not a big deal, but I wanted—”
“I heard.” His voice went hoarse. “Dylan called me down when he overheard.”
“It’s not what you think. I gave him the pills, but I had to—” Disgust curled his insides in a tight ball. “You let him touch you?”
“No…” Her voice faltered. “Not really. I just had to let him think we’d been intimate so he wouldn’t wake up realizing I’d drugged him.”
He pinched his temples together between his thumb and forefinger. She’d been in a tough position, but damn it to hell and back, she never should have been there in the first place.
“I get it, Maddie. But this is screwed right up. You never should have gotten in this deep.” The raging need for another drink coursed through him.
“Look, you’d better get back in case he wakes up or something. Let me know before you guys disembark in the morning.” He disconnected the call and dropped the phone beside him. Carlos should be out for the night with the roofies, but she was right, it was hard to say what he’d remember in the morning.
He hoped she hadn’t done more with Carlos than she’d claimed.
***
Bang, bang, bang!
Nate groaned and shifted on the bed. His arm flopped over and pain shot through his wrist. What the fuck? His eyelids fluttered and light shone into his eyes, blinding him. The object he’d hit his wrist on filled his line of vision. The coffee table. No wonder he felt like a bag of shit, he’d passed out on the couch.
A jackhammer roared into his skull and he pressed the pads of his fingers into his eye sockets. He shouldn’t have stayed up so late. The last time he’d looked at the clock it had been five a.m. He needed a shower and a cup of coffee more than he needed his next breath. They had a big day ahead, and he would need his stamina.
Memories of last night hit him and his headache intensified.
Bang! Bang!
Annoyance shot through him. He leapt off the couch and stumbled to the door, not bothering to put pants on over his boxers or find his shirt from yesterday. He scowled and pulled the door open.
Ashley stood there, her eyebrows pinched together, and annoyance flashing in her brown eyes. She shoved at his chest and let herself in.
“What the hell happened to you last night? I was locked out and had to crash at Dylan’s.”
Shit. He’d forgotten that Ashley had been keeping an eye on Hector last night. Knowing Hector’s gambling habits, she’d probably been out long after he’d passed out. He rubbed his hand through his hair and yawned. His eyes raked over her and he frowned. She wore one of Dylan’s T-shirts and a pair of his sweat pants. Nate’s lips twitched. Well, at least his demise had benefited his friends.
