“What happened?” he asks, sounding more alert. I shake my head, struggling to put it into words.
“I don’t know yet. It’s quiet around Parsons. No sign of anyone. But that’s too obvious.”
Jay’s silent for a moment. “I assume this is about Claire. What could she possibly do?”
“Who fucking knows,” I grumble, irritated with myself, and angrily sticking the tip between my lips. “The cunt will think of something creative, I’m sure.”
He yawns. “Did you talk to Addie about it? You couldn’t have woken her to talk about your feelings and then call me when you know something is actually wrong?”
Shithead.
“She’s sleeping.”
“I was sleeping.”
“She also went to bed angry because she got in an argument with her mom about getting on medication or some shit. I didn’t want to disturb her.”
I’m pretty sure her mom was trying to convince Addie to get me on medication. Antipsychotics, to be exact. I laughed, and Addie then promptly agreed with her mother.
In response, I rolled her onto my face and ate her pussy until she was riding my tongue into oblivion. The little liar loves me just the way I am.
He sighs. “You’re lucky I understand the wrath of a scorned woman.” He pauses. “And a man, if I’m being totally transparent.”
I roll my eyes. Idiot. He understands it so well because his booty calls are just that, and they don’t like it. But does he stop fucking them? Of course not.
“I’m sure they’ll both get over it,” Jay placates. “From what I’ve heard, they love each other. They just have a funky way of showing it. Or acknowledging it.”
I flick the lighter, about to light my damn cigarette, and just as the flame ignites, so does the proverbial light bulb in my head. My heart drops.
“Shit, Jay, check Addie’s parents’ house,” I clip, finally singeing the tip and inhaling deeply.
He pauses. “You don’t think Claire would try something with them, do you?”
“Who else would she go after? I have no family, but Addie does, and it wouldn’t be hard to find out that her mother has been visiting frequently.”
I hear bed sheets rustling and then the whir of his computer turning on. That dread now has me in a chokehold, and I feel with every fiber of my being that something will be amiss.
Where’s my fucking laptop?
Not anywhere close to me.
“Jay,” I prompt, growing impatient as I take another drag, my knee bouncing restlessly.
“I’m looking,” he mumbles. A few seconds later, he curses, “Shit, they have a Nest camera. Someone busted in about thirty minutes ago.”
Fuck. I fly off the stool, nearly sending it toppling to the checkered floor.
“Her parents don’t have cameras inside the house, so I can’t see what’s happening,” he says, voice tight.
I’ve already stubbed out my cigarette in the sink, and am rushing toward the stairs, mouthing a few choice words on the way.
“Send a drone out to keep an eye on the outside. I’m on my way there,” I direct, swinging around the railing and taking the steps two at a time.
“Sending one now.”
“Thank you,” I say, clicking off the call as I fly down the hallway and through Addie’s bedroom door. She’s facing away, curled in a ball, and sleeping soundly. The balcony doors are cracked open, allowing in a cool breeze. She tends to get overheated from her nightmares, so those doors are always open.
I rush to her, not bothering to stay silent.
“Addie,” I call, nudging her softly. I hate to wake her when she seems to be getting a moment’s peace while sleeping—but she’d murder me if she discovered something was wrong with her parents, and I left to handle it without telling her.
Her eyes crack open, brows knitting as she comes to.
“What?” she croaks, gearing up to throw the sheets over her head. I grab her wrist, squeezing tightly so she understands the severity.
She freezes, her eyes now flying open to stare up at me.
“What happened?” she asks, panicked as she sits up.
Fuck. She’s completely naked, and the fact that it hardly distracts me is how strongly my inner alarm bells are blaring.
“Get dressed. We’re going to your parents’，” I order, stepping away from her and heading toward her dresser.
“What? Why? What’s going on?”
I shake my head. “I had a bad feeling Claire was up to something, so I had Jay check their house. Someone broke in about a half-hour ago.”