“You were attacked.”
I nod.
“Who?”
“Please.” I shiver. “We need to focus on Kade first. What’s done is done.”
Tobias gets to his feet, walking to stand in front of me. I don’t flinch as he rests his hand on my shoulder.
“She was my granddaughter. No one takes from me and gets away with it. Once I deal with Kade, I’m going to hunt down whoever is responsible. I promise you, little one.”
I smile weakly. “You don’t need to hunt for him – he lives right under my roof.”
31
STACEY
The screen above us flashes up Check In for our flight home.
The number Aria gave me for Tobias’s secret phone burns in my pocket – where my phone starts to buzz.
I slide my bag down my arm and pull it out to see Kade’s name on the screen. I glance up at his sister, who’s none the wiser, whistling to herself while a crowd in front of us argue about their baggage weight.
I don’t answer, but I do send him a text asking if he meant to call.
Then his name is on my screen again.
On the third call, I eventually tell Tylar I need to answer and wheel my suitcase out of the line. There’s no point trying to talk to a drunken Kade while checking in. I’ll just join the queue once I’m done talking to him.
As soon as I answer, I frown at his silence, covering my other ear. “Kade?”
“I don’t… I don’t want to work,” he says, and I can tell he’s really drunk. “Talk to me, Freckles.”
“I’m here,” I reply, moving hair behind my ear. “I thought you were out with Dez and Base? Did you leave the club?”
“I don’t want to work,” he says again, but I can hear his voice going strange, as if he’s trying to stay awake. “I don’t.”
“Where are you?”
He coughs, then I hear the sound of his lighter flicking, him inhaling and exhaling a lungful of smoke. “Did I wake you?”
I sigh. “No. Where are you?”
“An alleyway.” He slaps his hands together. “I can’t get rid of the blood. My palms are red as fuck.”
My eyes widen. “You’re bleeding?”
He laughs once – low and deadly. “Not mine. It’s dark here – I kinda like it.”
“Where’s Dez and Base?” I look over at Tylar and Lu, still waiting impatiently. The airport is so loud, I decide to quickly go outside to hear him better. “Kade?”
“Club. I had to go do a stupid job.”
I lean my back against the wall next to the entrance, the cold nipping my skin. “Why did you call me?”
“I wanted to,” he replies, inhaling more smoke. “Do you remember when we made a deal to quit smoking? ”
“Yeah?” I haven’t touched a cigarette since.
“I used to sneak one behind your back.”
I laugh, my cheeks heating. “I knew. You were never good at hiding your cigarettes.”
We talk about those times, and I try not to think about him trying to kill himself after we split up. Fifteen minutes go by, maybe longer, and I’m hoping one of his friends finds him soon, or he gets an Uber to his hotel. He tells me that Barry is coming, but then says Barry might be dead, and I gasp.
“I’m kidding.”
“That’s not funny, Kade. My gate closes soon, so I’ll need to come off the phone.”
“I guess I wanted your voice to be the last I heard…”
I straighten. “What? What do you mean?”
“I took something I shouldn’t have, and I needed to hear you before…” he slurs. “Wait, I’m not hallucinating, am I? Are you actually talking to me?”
“What did you take? What kind of drug?”
I pull up the handle of my suitcase and rush back into the airport. But I freeze in place when I see the board closed and the desk empty. Where are my friends?
I have a text from Tylar saying they’re going to lose their signal and to hurry up.
“Freckles, please talk to me.”
“Where are Dez and Base?” I ask for the tenth time. “You need to get to them. Go back to the club.”
He doesn’t reply.
“Where are you?” I ask. “Tell me where you are. ”
“I already…” He breathes deeply. “I already said I’m at… the alleyway.”
“Send me your location – I’m coming to get you.”
Kade groans, but a notification pops up, and I rush to the first Uber I see. An elderly man greets me and places my things into the trunk, and I show him my screen, the call still active. He inputs it into his database and the route shows up.
“I’m tired.”
“Stay awake.”
I beg the driver to speed, and Kade repeats the same thing over and over – that he wants to hear my voice. He doesn’t believe it’s actually me and thinks someone is playing a trick on him. The longer the drive takes, the more confused he gets. I place him on hold quickly, but Lu and Ty both go straight to voicemail, as do Base and Dez.
“Are you still there? You sound like my ex. Her name is Stacey.”
I press my forehead to my knees. “I am Stacey.”
“Hmm. You wish.”
I close my eyes. “Are you okay? How do you feel?”
“I can’t get the blood off my hands, and someone is doing cartwheels in front of me.” He huffs. “Kind of creepy. Hey! Fuck off, will you?”
“Calm down. I’m nearly there.”
There’s another voice. Barry. “What the fuck are you doing?”
Kade yawns. “Chilling.”
Barry takes the phone. “Who is this?”
I hang up as soon as the car reaches the alleyway. The driver sets my bags on the kerb, and I rush down to see Barry standing over Kade, his phone light shining down on him.
I gasp when I notice him slouched on the ground between two large bins, back to the wall, another joint between his fingers. He screws his eyes up against the blinding light, raising a red hand to shield himself from it.
“You two here to kill me?”
Barry sighs.
I kneel between his legs and shine my own phone light on my face so he can see me. “It’s me. Come on.” I offer my hand and blanch at the red stains all over his clothes. “Put your arm around me.”
“That’s very forward of you, but okay.”
He takes my hand, and I try not to stare at the crimson on his skin – or his eyes, which are going in every direction possible. Barry and I help Kade up, and he staggers, throwing one arm across my shoulders, the other over Barry’s.
“The car is over there,” Barry says, and we hurry.
Kade studies my face. “You look like my ex.”
“I know,” I say, looking at Barry. “Do you have a hotel to take him to?”
“No,” Kade blurts out as Barry tells me yes, pulling away from me as I sit down beside him. “I don’t want to work.”
I stop him from trying to open the car door. He’s that fucked he can’t fight me off.
“I’m not fucking working!”
“You aren’t,” I reply. “Please calm down, Kade.”