She was tall and striking, with near perfect features. She leaned over the three men with a finger in one of their faces. The gold jewelry in her waist-length braids glinted in the candlelight of the bar, as her hair swished with her angry motions. Two of the men looked amused by her fury, but one, with ginger curls, looked nervous, his eyes flicking to his friends.
Abruptly, the woman whirled away and stalked across the bar in stilettos and fitted leather pants traveling in the same direction Cara had gone.
“I’m in love!” Skye breathed, her eyes glued to the woman striding out of sight. “That is a work of art!”
Jerrod and Todd nodded, but Wes’s body was on alert. He wanted to charge after Cara, but he wasn’t sure she wanted to see him right now.
“Could you check on Cara?”
Skye took one look at his expression and handed her glass to Jerrod. She had just reached the entrance when the extraordinary woman was back hesitating at the doorway. She looked upset. Skye, distracted from her mission, stopped next to her and appeared to be trying to strike up a conversation.
Wes’s confusion grew as Cara appeared and gave the strange woman a hug. She looked in the bar and then tugged the two women out of sight. Cara knew her. The pieces clicked into place.Amara.Cara said she was coming to town.
He tried to ignore the little curls of anxiety that grew in his stomach. Amara was her friend, but he couldn’t forget how upset Cara had been when she first heard Amara was coming to visit.
“I’m sorry what did you say? It’s loud in here.” Wes said, once he realized Jerrod had been speaking to him.
It wasn’t that loud, and by their looks, the two men weren’t buying it.
“I asked how Melody was doing? Is she coming back?”
“Of course, she is.” Wes’s response was defensive, and worse, automatic. He frowned.
“So, you’ve talked to her?”
“Yes.” Whenwasthe last time he’d spoken to Melody? Weeks? More than a month? He knew she was doing well because she posted photos of Italy on her social media every day. But when was the last time they actually had a conversation?
Whatwas taking Cara so long? He took a step toward the door.
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” Jerrod took a sip of his drink, not hiding his smirk. “It’s only—"
“Uh-oh,” Todd interrupted his husband. Wes swung his head to see where Todd was looking and saw Skye frantically gesturing for them to come.
Instinctively, Wes looked to where the men had been sitting.
They were gone.
His shoulders tightened, his pulse picking up speed, as he hurried across the room.
As soon as she saw him approach, Skye disappeared again. Angry voices echoed in the two-story marble lobby. He followed the noise to the small alcove between the bar and the bathrooms.
When Wes turned the corner, his body went rigid.
Cara wore an angry expression on her face, but what had him seething was her arms wrapped protectively around her stomach. Skye stood off to the side, clearly at a loss for what to do.
The ginger and one of the other men leaned against the wall, their ankles crossed, enjoying the show.
Amara stood next to Cara, her eyes flashing. The man who had stared so intently at them in the bar had his back to Wes, but he could clearly hear the patronizing voice.
“Chill, Amara. No one isdoinganything to Cara. I just wanted to say hello. I haven’t seen her for a long time. I mean in person.” One of the men snickered, and Wes saw bright red spots appear on Cara’s pale cheeks.
Her chin jutted forward, and despite her distress, her voice was steady. “And I would prefer if I never saw you again, Erik. Amara and I were having a conversation, and you interrupted. You can go away.”
“You aren’t still mad that I fucked that girl in Ibiza, are you? You were a super bitch when you saw us. Made quite the scene, but I’m prepared to forgive you—if you ask nicely.” Eric sent his friends a leer over his shoulder.
