I take my cell out and pull up the text before turning it so he can see the screen. “I didn’t demand. There’s a question mark there.”
“Cut the shit,” he barks. “What’s going on? Did something happen with Roxie?”
“What? No, of course not.”
“Then why am I here, Screamer?” he demands, his tone impatient.
“Can’t a guy just wanna get a drink with a buddy?” When he starts to shift out of the booth, I hold up my hand. “Fine, I’ll cut the shit.”
“‘Bout fuckin’ time,” he mumbles. “Now, what did you want?”
“Tell me about Roxie,” I blurt, and instantly I want to call back the words because Shuffle stiffens and looks like he wants to lunge across the table and strangle the life out of me.
“She’s off-limits,” he snarls.
“I’m not aski?—”
He slams his fist on the table and rises. “Roxie is off-fucking-limits,” he repeats as he moves to stand next to where I sit. Wrapping his hand around the back of my neck, he squeezes. “The only thing you need to know about my sister is that I’ll gut the next man who hurts her.”
With that, he storms out of the bar, leaving me to stare after him. Shuffle gave me nothing while giving me everything, and he doesn’t even know it.
I’ll gut the next man who hurts her.
So, shehasbeen hurt. Now I only need to know two things: Who hurt her, and where the fuck can I find him?
CHAPTER 11
ROXIE
What about Screamer?
“You’ll never guesswho I saw last night.”
The excitement in Melody’s voice is infectious, and I grin. I haven’t spoken to her, Greg, or Sammie since I let them know I arrived at my destination safely. The four of us agreed that I wouldn’t tell them where I am, at least for now.
“Who?” I ask.
“Tiffany Smith,” she replies, referring to an old coworker of hers who was fired after fucking their boss in the office bathroom.
“No way. Did you talk to her?”
“Hell no. I was leaving a restaurant after dinner with my parents, and she was sitting at a corner table with some poor schmuck.”
“Did she see you?”
“Sure did,” she confirms. “And girl, if looks could kill.”
“I mean, youarethe one who turned her into HR.”
“Only because I was hoping they’d offer me hazard pay for having to hear the noises those two were making,” she sayswith a shudder. “I still don’t know how my lunch didn’t make a reappearance.”
We talk for a few more minutes about the fallout from the report she made, laughing until she suddenly sobers. “Hey, Rox?”
“Yeah?”
“Has Jace tried to get a hold of you?”
Instantly, my good mood vanishes. “No.” I don’t know why, but that makes me sad and happy at the same time.
