"Davy?"
I looked back up and saw Pippa in her doorway. She tugged on her two braids in shock. "Are you—is that you?"
Pete turned to her, but she looked away.
I waved a helpless hand in the air. "Hey everyone. I'm back."
Kates stood in my doorway and lifted up the phone. "Can I order pizza? I'm starving."
Pippa looked taken aback. Brown frowned. "Who are you?"
Emily seethed, "Out! Get out! She was gone because of you, wasn't she? Of course, you would do something like this. I bet you wouldn't even let her call home. I bet you said that you did, that you took care of it all. And Davy, being the good friend she is, believed you. It's all your fault."
Everyone was taken aback, even me. Kates looked annoyed, but I caught the amusement in her eyes. When her lips curled up in a malicious smirk, I darted forward and stood between the two. "It's not her fault. Yes, I left because of her. Her mom died, Em. Be nice. And since Kathryn was like a mother to me, I didn't really think to call. I'm really sorry. The funeral took planning. Then her family and my family were there. When it was time to come back, I didn't want to come back. I didn't know how to deal." I lifted both my shoulders up in a helpless shrug. "I'm sorry. I really am."
"Good one on the guilt," Kates murmured under her breath.
"Shut up," I hissed through my teeth.
Emily frowned. "You were gone because of a death?"
Pippa remained quiet and then Brown exclaimed, "We didn't even think about that! We're so stupid. What else would make someone leave so quickly? I wouldn't call if my mum died. Well, I might call Davy now, but I wouldn't call anybody else. No one would care."
I watched my roommate and waited. Did she buy it? Kates was right, I'd added some guilt in the hopes that it would push Emily into accepting the story. I couldn't have her asking any questions. I kept an uneasy eye on her boyfriend. He didn't buy the story, but I hoped he wouldn't say anything. It wasn't his place. He didn't know me or my relationship with Emily.
"I'm sorry, Davy," Pippa spoke in a soft voice. "We didn't even think to call your home."
"We didn't have a number
to
call."
I heard the anguish in my roommate's voice and relaxed. I was a horrible friend. "Maybe we should go to a hotel? I don't want to be a b
other. I know that you’re probably used to having a single room."
"No," Emily spoke up. "No, please. Stay. I'm sorry." She looked past me. "I'm sorry, Kates."
She sniffed as she opened a bag of chips. "It's no problem." Then she glared at Pete. "I don't want the wolf here. He makes me uncomfortable."
Emily sucked in her breath.
Pippa held a hand to her mouth. Brown opened her mouth and then closed it. Then she repeated the motion.
"I don't believe you—" He surged forward, but Emily caught his arm.
"Honey, stop. Please."
"
You’re going to let her get away with that?” His hands were fisted at his side. "And I don't buy their story. It sounds fishy to me."
Brown closed her mouth with a snap.
"It doesn't matter." Emily moved close to him. "Even if it isn't true, my roommate's back. I need to be here for her. If Davy went somewhere, it was for a good reason. I know it was."
'She didn't trust me enough to tell me. I can't push her. I care about Davy. I want her to trust me. Please, Pete. Please go.'
'There's something that doesn't smell right about her.'
Emily drew upright. "You can go. Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow for lunch."
The dismissal was swift and harsh, but effective. Pete went, but not without glaring at us. Even Pippa melted away.
Brown bounced past us and into the room. She plucked the bag of chips from Kates' hands and settled on our couch.
"Your boyfriend doesn't like me. Is that going to be a problem?" Kates smirked as Emily followed everyone else inside. She lounged back on our couch.
"What. Huh? No. I don't even like you."
Kates quirked an eyebrow up and winked at me. '
That was easier than I thought. Your holy roommate barely put up a fight.'
I looked away and stood there. What
do I do next?
'Don't pretend you can't hear me. I know you can. I can't hear you, only human and all, but seriously. Emmykins folded like a rag. What's up with that? Where'd her backbone go?"
She had a backbone, but I'd snapped it in two. Manipulation and guilt could confuse almost anyone. When Kates started sending her thoughts to me again, I closed my eyes and blocked her. I already felt bad about lying to Emily and I'd only been back for five minutes. How had I kept up the lie before?
"Davy?" Brown had stopped her chattering. "Are you okay? Your aura looks green."
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
The afternoon was strained in my room. Emily wanted to murder Kates. Kates enjoyed fueling that fire and Brown was confused by everything. Her eyes were wide as she studied me at moments, and then studied the tension between my roommate and best friend. After awhile, she threw her hands up in surrender and announced we should go drinking.
To my surprise, the other two jumped on board.
Kates suggested a vampire bar, but since I still didn't know if Emily knew
they were real, I vetoed that suggestion. Then Emily suggested a werewolf bar and Kates shot that down. The truce was Brown's idea.
"What's the name of it?" Kates narrowed her eyes.
"Bosom's."
Emily's eyebrows shot up
and I asked, "Like boobs?"
"No, like…well…yeah. It's all about sisterly love and stuff." The more we stared at her, the more uncertain Brown became. She was staring at her shoes by the end of that statement.
"It sounds like a witch bar," Kates said in a flat voice.
"It's not a witch bar." But Brown was busy inspecting anything around us. No eye contact.
"Wait!" Emily held up a hand and skirted from the room. She was back within minutes with a full grin on her face. "I asked the girl across the hall and she recommended a place called Barbwire?"
"Sold," Kates sighed.
I surged to my feet. "I'm good with that one."
Brown frowned. "Where is that place?"
"It doesn't matter. That's where we're going." Kates raked her up and down. "You need a wardrobe change."
She looked down. "What are you talking about? I think I look good."
"For a witch." Kates bent into her own bag and started rummaging around.
"I
am
a witch."
I couldn't help but watch Emily through their exchange. S
he had seemed uneasy about the witch stuff before I disappeared, but now she didn't blink an eye. I started to wonder if she knew more about the supernatural than she was letting on.
"Not tonight you are. If you hang out with me, you gotta look good. None of this stuff." She waved a hand up and down Brown's figure.
Brown looked down at herself. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing." Kates threw an arm around her shoulder and drew her close. "Trust me. I'm going
to make you hot. The witch look isn’t attractive. You're going to send the guys running away. You want them to come to you."
And make her hot she did. Brown emerged from our room with skintight jeans and a flashy white camisole. Kates wanted her to wear a black bra underneath, but it was vetoed by everyone else. She matched Kates, who wore skintight white pants and a black camisole. When my roommate disappeared with clothes, I was a little scared she would return with her Target outfit
from the last time she had gone out with Kates and me. I was wrong and impressed when she came back in loose-fitting white pants and a conservative black tank. She had a classy look to her now. I frowned at my own closet. Kates would want me to look like a slut. Brown wouldn't care and Emily would vote for something similar to her outfit. I ended up with basic jeans and a pink top that ran around my neck, wrapped around the opposite side and looped together in the back.
Kates whistled when I stepped out of the room. "If only Roane could see you now."
I grinned and then stiffened as I sent a furtive look towards my roommate. Emily went rigid for a moment and then relaxed. Brown started to bounce up and down. "Girls' night out. Girls' night out."
She stopped when Kates grabbed her arm. "Chill, girl."
"Oh, okay." But the stupid smile wasn't wiped clean.
Emily fell in step beside me as the other two led the way. She remained quiet all the way until we got to the bar. We followed the directions the girl from across the hall gave us. After we parked five blocks away and crossed over a park, I caught a glimpse of Barbwire. The entire building looked like an old warehouse with a simple red door in the front. A line of people wrapped around the building. There was nothing glamorous about the place, but as we drew closer, I saw someone in line and groaned.
"What?" Emily looked ahead. "Is that Holly from the hotline?"
My joy for the night was gone.
Holly looked the same. Oval face. Pasty skin. Brown eyes that reminded me of an owl. She looked like a librarian intent on getting drunk. She wore a low cut gray skirt and a white top underneath a matching grey lace vest. When she reached behind and grabbed the arm of a guy, I felt the desire inside of her. Oh yes. The girl was on a mission. Then she looked my way.
And I froze. Adam was with her.
She gasped and a wide smile spread over her face. "Davy?! Is that you?"
Kates asked underneath her breath, "Who's that?"
"She works at the hotline," Emily murmured back.
"Wasn’t the that go
t killed from there too?"
"What?" Brown gasped.
Holly darted our way. Her hand was still attached to Adam's arm and he looked like he had seen a ghost.
Holly clapped her hands together. "How are you, Davy? You never showed up again to cover Adam's shifts. Adam, aren't you going to say hello?"
"Hi, Davy." His eyes darted behind my shoulder.
When he tensed, I knew he had recognized Kates. Then she jostled forward and threw out an arm. "How's it going? I'm Kates, Davy's best friend. Hi, Adam. Remember me?"
He froze. Even his eyes didn't blink.
Holly bright smile dimmed a bi
t and she glanced to her date. “Hi, I'm Holly. You know Davy?"
"Best friends. Childhood." Kates
threw an arm around my shoulder. Her smile was easy, but her eyes were pinned on Adam.
"Oh. That's great."
Then Brown burst forward. "I'm Sarah, but you can call me Sarah. I'm a witch. What are you?"
Holly's eyes threatened to burst out. "What did you say?"
"I'm a witch. I'm not very powerful. Or, well, I barely have any power, but I will. Someday."
Kates muttered under her breath, "You really need to stop telling people that."
Emily moved forward. "I agree. You need to learn some boundaries."
"Boundaries? But she's a friend of Davy's."
"There are different types of friends."
Emily nodded.
"Wait, what?" Holly kept glancing between all of us. Her hand tightened on Adam. "What’s going on? Davy?"
Adam looked everywhere and anywhere, just not as us.
"Oh look. It's almost time for you to go in." Kates pointed behind them. When Holly saw the bouncer motioning towards them, she swallowed and then came to a decision. "You can come in with us."
"What? No. That's okay." I shook my head.
"I mean it. The line's really long and they have a limit. Come on. Come in with us."
"What the hell." Kates broke free and led us forward. Holly seemed uncertain, but then nodded before jumping forward. She motioned to the big guy in black. "They're with us."
When the bouncer's cold eyes passed over us, he paused on me and then nodded. "Sure."
A shiver went down my spine. I felt like he had looked inside of me. As I passed through, I looked back over my shoulder. He was still watching me, but Kates grasped my hand and dragged me the rest of the way. When the door closed she whispered in my ear, "He's one of Lucan's. Don't draw any more attention. He knows me, not you. Let's keep it that way."
I nodded and then was distracted when Adam stopped beside me. When I looked into his eyes, I was shocked. The Adam I knew had been happy and carefree. He had liked me before, but now he feared me.
The old Adam was gone. I had been a part of that.
I didn't say anything. He didn't say anything either, but his eyes went to Kates again. No matter what he'd told the police before, he knew what she had done. I went inside of him and felt how he blamed her for Shelly's death. That's when I knew that no matter how much time he took off, he'd never be over the past.
"Let's get something to drink." Kates gestured towards the bar and then grabbed Brown and Emily. She pulled them around groups and weaved th
rough until they were on the other side of the club. I followed at a more sedate pace, but I couldn't shake the look from Adam's eyes. He watched us go as Holly stood silent beside him. She had a hand over her mouth, but she didn't stop us. When we found an empty table, I saw the relief in Kates' eyes. I wondered why, but then she plopped her purse on the table and took out her clutch. "I'll buy. Save my seat."