“You don’t even know her,” he points out, giving me an angry, over protective look.

“She cheated on you, she’s using you, and you’re smitten like a silly schoolboy. I know enough.”

“People make mistakes,” he grunts. “I’m sure you’re not perfect.”

I huff. “That’s what desperate people say.”

“If you’ve got a fuckin’ problem with her, why are you still here?” he growls.

“Don’t growl at me,” I say, shoving a finger into his chest. “I’m here because it’s my job. Now, I’m going to pick up for you so you can fuck out your sorrows with some random pussy while I go home and spend the night with my B.O.B.”

He shakes his head, and gives a deep, exasperated sigh. “Sometimes I don’t know what to do with you, Tia. There will come a time your little act drops and I see the real emotion behind your funny persona.”

I spin around, putting my back to him. “Whatever you say.”

I swallow the rest of my drink and then turn back to Reign, my act ready. “It just happened,” I say loudly. “He was there and he just . . . it just . . .”

“He was my best friend!” he barks, slamming his glass down.

“I know that,” I cry. “It wasn’t meant to happen. I can’t help the feelings that grew . . .”

“I loved you,” he roars.

The girls have all stopped turning and are watching us closely. Every time. Nosy cows.

“I know,” I scream. “But I love him.”

I hear one of them gasp. Sucker.

“What did I ever do to you?” he barks, his eyes meeting mine and I could swear there is real emotion there.

I shrug. “Nothing. You just weren’t good enough.”

I take my purse and turn, walking away. I look back over my shoulder at him sympathetically. “Sorry.”

As I get to the door, I hear the girls talking. “What a fucking bitch. Poor man. Go and see if he’s okay.”

Bingo.

~*~*~*~

“A, open up!” I yell, pounding on Autumn’s door later that night.

It takes her ten minutes to answer, and when she does her eyes are frantic. She looks like she’s on some serious drugs or something. It’s a little concerning.

“Shit, what’s wrong?” I question, scanning her face. She’s really pale.

“It’s, ah,” she whispers, looking past me into the darkness, “it’s nothing.”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I think I did,” she murmurs, more to herself than me. As if realizing this, she shakes her head and wipes the fear off her face. “What’s up?”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Okay, you did not just brush that off.”

“It’s nothing, Tia,” she says, shaking her hand casually.

“You’re such a liar. I thought we were friends; soul sisters, and what have you . . .”

She snorts. “That one time we combined blood was not enough to make us soul sisters.”

“No, you’re right. We should have sacrificed ourselves.”

She laughs softly, but her voice is strained. My friend has a secret; I wonder when she’s going to tell me what it is.

“How’d you go the other night?” I ask her. “Get laid?”

“Ah,” she says, the shaky voice back. “Yeah.”

“With who?”

She waves her hand. “No one special.”

“You’re lying again. Oh come on, who was it? You can’t leave me hanging like that?”

She walks over to her coffee machine and lifts the top, taking a bag of beans from beside it and pouring some in. When she lifts her arm, I see faint bruises on her skin. I rush over, jerking her shirt up. She’s got fingerprint bruises all up her arms.

“What the hell?” I gasp. “Someone hurt you?”

“No,” she says quickly, pulling her sleeves down. “It’s nothing, Tia.”

“Stop lying,” I yell. “You have bruises on your arms.”

“I just got into a brawl at the bar the other night, that’s all.”

“You’re not being honest,” I say, narrowing my eyes at her.

“Can you drop it? Please, just drop it.”

I swallow, but the panic on her face is telling me right now is not the best time to push this. Whatever is going on, she’s clearly not ready to talk about it.

“Just tell me one thing. If a man is hurting you . . . you’ll tell me?”

She nods, her eyes wide. “Of course.”

“Don’t let anyone hurt you, A.”

“I won’t.”

We both stand in silence for a moment before she says, “So, those bikers, do you know much about them?”

Why is she interested in them?

I shrug. “No, just that Reign hired them for security.”

She nods, looking away.

“Did one of them do that to you?”

She shakes her head quickly; too quickly. “No, no, of course not.”

“A . . .”

“I’m thinking I might go away for a while. Maybe a holiday.”

Autumn is running again.

“Are you ever going to tell me why you run so much?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I like travelling, is all. I’ve got restless feet.”