Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“My cars are all in the garage in the basement of the building.”
“Cars?” she asks, and then, “Of course, cars. You’re Braden Black. You have more than one car.”
I have ten, to be exact, but that doesn’t matter when her friend is in potential trouble.
I lead her toward my forest green Jaguar and open the door for her.
Once I’m in the car, Skye gives me Tessa’s address, and I plug it into the GPS. Then I turn to her. “It will help if you tell me what’s going on.”
She nods, swallowing. “I’ll tell you on the way.”
I turn on the engine and pull out of the parking space. I’ll give her a minute.
Finally, she says, “I made a mistake.”
“How so?”
“I was selfish. I…” She sighs. “Tessa wanted me to go to dinner tonight with her and Garrett.”
“Ramirez? They’re back together?”
“I guess. I don’t know. He seems to have some kind of spell over her. Tessa is never this silly over a man.”
I have my own feelings about Garrett Ramirez and the architecture firm he works for, and Skye knows all about them. But I stay silent and let her continue.
“Please don’t tell her I told you this, but she slept with him tonight.”
I raise my eyebrows.
“That’s why she wanted me to go to dinner with them. She didn’t think she could control herself around him, and she didn’t want to sleep with him.” She shakes her head. “This isn’t like Tessa at all. She’s always been able to handle men. She usually has them eating out of her hands. You know how gorgeous she is.”
Tessa Logan is indeed supermodel gorgeous, with an olive complexion, deep brown eyes, and flowing onyx hair. Not to mention her model-perfect body. But I’ve had my fill of the vapid celebrity type. Not that Tessa is vapid. I don’t know her well enough to have an impression. Not being able to control herself with Garrett Ramirez, though?
I smell a rat.
A big fucking rat.
“Anyway, she was crying on the phone. She said he screwed her and then left. Said he had a meeting in the morning. But tomorrow’s Sunday, Braden. Who has a meeting on a Sunday morning?”
I let out a slight huff without meaning to.
“Sorry,” she says with sarcasm. “I forgot who I was talking to.”
“Just go on,” I say.
“She’s been drinking, but that’s not what concerns me.”
“What does concern you, then?”
“The last time she and Garrett had a falling out, she…” Skye bites on her lower lip.
“You may as well tell me, Skye,” I say. “I’m in this now. I need to know what we’re dealing with.”
“She took ecstasy,” Skye says. “And that surprised the hell out of me. Tessa doesn’t do drugs.”
“Did she seem high to you?”
“She certainly wasn’t herself,” Skye says. “But how would I even know? She and I have had some rough patches, and this is all my fault, Braden.”
“How can it possibly be your fault?”
“Because she asked me to have dinner, and I said no. I said no because I didn’t want to cancel on you.”
“Skye…”
“She misses me. She thinks I’ve been absent from her life because I’m so taken with you. And she’s partly right, Braden.” Skye sniffles.
“This isn’t your fault, Skye. Tessa is a grown woman. She doesn’t need a babysitter. If she was that worried about not being able to resist Garrett, she could have broken the date herself.”
“I know. I just feel terrible. I put you over her again. I… I wanted to be with you tonight, Braden. You and I went through a rough patch, too, and I was ready for tonight. I yearned for it. I can’t bring myself to be sorry it happened.”
“No one is asking you to be. Not even Tessa.”
“She kind of is. She said she needed me tonight. And I wasn’t there for her.”
Before I can reply, we arrive at Tessa’s building.
“You may as well go home,” Skye says. “I should stay with her tonight.”
I nod. “I’ll walk you up. It’s late.”
She kisses my cheek. “I’ll be okay.”
“I’m walking you up, Skye. It’s not up for debate.” I slide out of the car and open the passenger door for her.
A few minutes later, Skye knocks on Tessa’s door. Tessa opens it, her face streaked with tears, and her eyes…strange, like one is looking the other way or something, but not quite.
Damn. I’ve seen that look.
She’s on something.
“Hey,” Tessa says weakly. “Hi, Braden.”
“Hello, Tessa.” I walk straight into her apartment, taking command. “What can we do for you?”
“Braden…” Skye begins.
Does she expect me to walk in here and not take charge? That’s not how I’m wired. Tessa needs help, and I’m wired to find solutions.
“Have you eaten?” I ask Tessa.
“I had dinner with Garrett.”
I look around. A nearly empty bottle of vodka sits on the coffee table. I pick it up. “How much of this have you had?”