She stiffened. "I'm not about to cry. I'm just mad, that's all."
It was a lie, and a big one, too. This was Allie. She might yell, but she almost never cried.
Wondering if she needed a hug, I made a move to get off the couch. "Allie, seriously—"
She held up her hands. "Sit. I’m fine, okay? The guy's just a jackass, like I said."
"Yeah, I know. But can you give me an example?"
She gave a shaky laugh. "I dunno…like he's always stealing my pens."
I paused. Yes, that would be irritating, but it was nothing to cry over.Was it?Still, I said, "Thatdoessound pretty annoying."
"And he's totally rude."
I tried to laugh. "Now,thatI can believe."
"Do you know," she said, "he's always leaving stuff on my desk?"
"Like what?" I asked.
"I dunno." She sighed. "Snack wrappers, socks…"
"Socks? Seriously?"
"Oh yeah," she said. "And do you wanna know what it was last night?"
Sothat'swhere she'd been last night?Working?No wonder she was tired. More concerned than ever, I asked, "What?"
"A freaking ski mask. Can you believe it?"
I froze.
No. I couldn’t believe it.
Not at first.
But then, when I thought about it –seriouslythought about it – everything made a lot more sense.
And this is why nine hours later, I was heading to a certain beachfront mansion, intending to get some answers – or kill someone trying.
Chapter 54
I said to the driver, "It's coming up on the left."
"I know," he said, sounding slightly peeved. "I've got a GPS."
Right.Hehadsaid that. And even from the back seat, I could see the display with my own two eyes. "I know. I'm just giving you a heads-up."
"Well, don't," he said. "It's distracting."
Back in Nashville, I knew lots of people who used ride-sharing services. I almost never did. And why? Because I had the worst luck with drivers.
All the time, my friends would be telling me about getting drivers that were perfectly nice and normal. But me? I was totally cursed.
Of course, today I might've cursed myself by looking like a bum or maybe even a bag lady. Probably, the guy was worried I wouldn't pay him. He definitely thought I was crazy.
On this, he wasn't wrong. Obviously, Ihadlost my mind. But seriously, was it any wonder?
