Page 31 of The Obvious Check
“How many knocks to the head do you think I’ve taken?”
He chuckles. “Should have known I can’t get anything past you. I’m sure she’d love to see you. What’s a thousand bucks when you’ll make thousands more winning for me in the ring next week?”
If he thinks this is softening me up, then he’s dumber than I thought.
“How about this? I’ll give you five minutes free with her.”
Yeah, I doubt Savannah would appreciate seeing my face in one of those private rooms for the first time, especially since she seems to be living in complete denial that I know exactly what she does here. That or she's hoping I'm blind enough not to recognize her.
“I’m good. I’ll just watch like everyone else.” I rasp my knuckles on the counter, fighting the urge to put them through his face instead. “Another beer, please.”
I stroll back to my seat and relax back as I wait for my girl to come out again.
He lied.
Luke lied to me when he said she was doing two more dances tonight. I stayed the entire time, and she didn’t come out again. What a fucking waste. Now I’m sitting in my car, waiting in the parking lot for her to come out, feeling pathetic. It’s been two hours since the place closed. We’re way past midnight and I don’t see her car here. She’s gone. I just haven’t admitted it to myself yet.
My phone buzzes. “Not again,” I mumble.
I scroll through the incessant messages Madison has sent me. All of them have attachments, and I frown at the digital assault. My poor dog has been subjected to countless photos and videos of him dressed as a goddamn polar bear tonight. Does he look distressed? No. His tongue is hanging out like he's having the time of his life, and his tail is wagging hard enough to generate electricity. The traitor. My biggest concern is that his haphazard, eager-to-please demeanor is only going to serve to encourage my sister more. By next week, she'll have him in a full Broadway costume with backup dancers.
Cade:I think it’s time you let Stanley sleep. Are you staying at mine tonight?
Madison:When are you coming home?
I look up at the bar again, making sure I haven’t missed her. Nope. No one is there. I’m still out here alone. When I see Luke walk out of the bar, my stomach sinks. She’s gone. There’s no way she’s still in there. He’s locking up. Did she leave straight after her first performance? Maybe she does have another job.
What a waste of my fucking night.
I sigh, typing a message back to Madison.
Cade:I’ll be back in an hour. Won’t let Stanley be on his own for too long.
Madison:Then I might get Dash to come and pick me up.
I hope one day I won’t retch when I think about my sister and Dash together. Today is not that day. I stop myself from responding with anything other than thanks because there’s no point creating any tension between them. She’s just trying to help me out, and I know she wants me to forgive her. I’m not sure I’m there just yet.
I start my car, ready to turn out of the parking lot. It’s only then I notice the familiar sedan parked opposite at the chicken joint.
Savannah’s.
The headlights are off, and it’s only when I see the flicker of a light coming from the back that I realize she must be in there.
I can’t let this opportunity go to waste. I need to talk to her and if trapping her in her own car is the only way I’m going to get her to listen, well, then I guess that’s what I’m doing. Rock bottom has a basement, and I’m currently taking the express elevator straight to it.
Chapter 9
With the car turned off and the blackout curtains up, I lie down in the back seat and pull the fluffy blanket over my shivering body. I still feel cold enough that my teeth might start chattering any second, but this is better than being outside or worse, Luke’s apartment, so maybe I should count my blessings. Not that I have many left to count these days.
I snuggle into the makeshift pillow and try to force my brain to shut down long enough for sleep, which is hard after the day I’ve had. Cade knows. He has to know. How can he not? The way he looked at me in class, and those loaded questions about Luke… It’s so obvious he’s figured out my pathetic secret, and I was too chicken-shit to even look him in the eye, let alone talk to him about it. Another item for the ever-growing list of reasons I hate myself.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I open my eyes and hold my breath, every muscle locking into place. Did someone knock on my car? My heart is racing, my breathing coming in shallow gasps, and I don’t know how to make it stop. This has never happened before. When I put my curtains up, I didn’t see anyone else in the parking lot.
Shit.
Did I lock the door? Does it even matter? I remember watching a horror movie once where the guy still managed to get in despite the locks and slaughtered everyone inside.
