Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

Elaine

“Are you out of your mind?”

Tristan’s face was a picture, hands in his hair as he paced my lounge.

“He didn’t tell anyone,” I told him. “Even Silas had more sense than that.”

“Yeah, but he could have. He could have gone straight out of there and told the whole ball that Lucian Morelli was in the building. You wouldn’t be standing here, Elaine. There’s no way your mom would let you sleep at night knowing you’d messed around with him.”

“Plenty of things could have happened. Lucian Morelli could have stolen me. But he didn’t.”

“Oh, that’s a comforting thought.” Tristan Fields had been my best friend and most trusted ear in this world since I was twelve years old. He’d seen me do plenty of wild things in the past thirteen years, but nothing had ever made him stare at me like this.

I sipped my wine. “It’s not like I’m ever going to see him again.”

“I’d fucking hope not. Believe me, baby, I’d be telling your mom myself if I thought that was gonna happen. You’d stand more of a chance of making it out alive with her on your case than him. Close call, but I know where I’d put my cash.”

I closed my eyes to ease off my thump of a hangover, but it made no difference. My brain was jammed plenty by Tristan carrying on his speech.

“You do know he was playing you, right? He wants something from you. If he didn’t think he could trick you into giving him what he needs, he’d have hurt you the second he had you alone.”

Something about that offended me. It may not have made any sense that it did, because he was probably right. Tristan’s words made perfect sense. Still, it offended me. Something about that concept twisted my heart and made it hurt.

I was naive to want to believe there was anything other than hate behind Lucian grabbing me at Tinsley’s party…but I wanted there to be. Some twisted part of me wanted there to be.

I shrugged. “Yeah, he was probably playing me.”

“Definitely. He was definitely playing you.”

“Yeah, he was playing me. Like I said, I’m never going to see him again. What does it matter?”

He tipped his head and matched my stare. His eyes were cold, green pools of disapproval, and I hated that. Tristan was always on my side.

“If you see him again, Lainey, you have to scream and run, understand? No matter how slick he is, no matter what he says, you have to scream and run.”

“Of course I will,” I told him, telling myself at the same time. “I might have been reckless, but it’s never going to happen. I won’t even see him again.”

The way he shook his head showed me he didn’t believe me. In that moment, he thought I was as flighty as the rest of the world did. I felt offended all over again, but I didn’t say anything. I deserved this. I always did.

“Have you told Harriet yet?” he asked.

“No.”

“Hopefully Silas doesn’t tell her before you do.”

“Silas doesn’t tell Harriet anything. He may be her brother, but they have about as much in common as a swan and a rhino.”

He grinned at that. “I’m not sure Silas would like the analogy.”

I smiled back, even through my hangover. “He can be a rhinoceros.”

“True enough.”

He sat down alongside me and took hold of my hand. His fingers were strong. It was the kind of strength I’d enjoyed for years, him sitting next to me as we whispered through our fears and struggles.

I knew what suggestion was coming before he spoke.

“Can you go back to Dr. Karlin again? I think you need it.”

“Therapy makes no difference. It’s never made any difference.”

He squeezed my fingers. “You have to try again.” He gestured to the glass in my other hand. “It stands a shit ton more chance of working than wine or champagne or playing around with coke.”

My defenses came up. “I’m not doing it anymore.”

I felt his eyes on me. Again, I could feel the disapproval. “That’s not what Harriet said. I saw her at the Aegean last week, and she said Jonesy was telling her you’ve been partying as hard as ever.”

My cheeks burned. “Jonesy shouldn’t be telling Harriet anything. It’s not her business.”

“Even he is worried.”

“He shouldn’t be.” It’s true that I’ve been a party girl. Drinking and clubbing. Doing coke to run away from the dark memories in my past. I’m trying to reform.

“I’m worried, Lainey. Really fucking worried.” He took the drink from my hand.

I groaned. “Quit it, will you? I’m fine.”

I’d always been a liar—I’d needed to be—but even I was pushing it. I was less fine than I’d ever been in my life, and again, that was a high mountain to climb. Or more like a deep swamp to sink to the bottom of.

Sometimes I wished I could find the voice to say what I truly needed to say. I wished I could summon up the words to confess just how broken I was inside and why. Secrets, secrets, shhh, little girl. I wished I could spit it out and live with the consequences rather than reaching the end with the secrets still stabbing me in silence. So, so many secrets…

I couldn’t.

I could never tell my secrets.

With that thought, I grabbed the gin back from Tristan and took another swig.

He sighed. “Please go back to Dr. Karlin.”

I couldn’t stand Dr. Karlin and his probing questions. The condescension as he asked me about what happened…he thinks he knows. He doesn’t. “Let’s talk about something else. Anything.” Tristan met this with silence. “How did it go with that musician? What was his name? Indigo Something?”

“Blue Hawk.”

“Nice. Is he one of those rocker types?”

He laughed along. “No. He’s one of those not-sure-if-he-really-wants-dick-or-not types.”

“Sounds like you just a few years ago.”

Tristan had taken a whole lot of time to finally accept that he was bisexual. I’d been there through the journey, knowing way earlier than he did that he had a fixation for hot guys as well as women. His parents had been…tough. Especially tough on a son who lived his life outside of their trailer park status quo. I still remembered his scars.

Scars had been the very first thing we’d had in common.

I loved his smile as he looked at me. “I don’t have years to wait until he works out if he wants to take dick. There are plenty of dicks out there ready and willing.”

“And pussies.”

He leaned his head against my shoulder. “And pussies.”

“You’re lucky. You can have all the dick and pussy you want,” I said and felt that horrible flare of hurt inside. Just like I always did.

Tristan’s smile disappeared. “They can’t hold you back forever, Lainey. If you meet someone fitting, and you talk to your mom about it…”

I pulled my hand from his and held it up. “Stop. You know that’s bullshit as much as I do. Mom will never let anyone lay a hand on me. Not unless she picks him for me.”

He wrenched my hand back down and squeezed it all over again. “She’ll never let anyone you think’s good enough lay a hand on you. Your taste is bad.”

“My taste doesn’t fit their criteria of acceptable.”

“Just as well, or their criteria of acceptable would be acceptably fucked up.”

I let out a sigh and leaned against him, loving the way his arms wrapped me up, even though he thought I was an idiot today. He was the only one who would do it, give me his genuine warmth and not the fake kisses and smiles people all around me gave.

I tried to steer the conversation back to him and not me.

“Are you seeing this Blue Hawk guy again, then?”

“Next Saturday. He’s playing a gig at Cyrus Bar, an intimate little show. Looks great.” He paused. “You could come if you wanted.”

“Where’s Cyrus Bar?”

“NYC. Meatpacking District. About as far as you could get from Bishop’s Landing.”

It sure sounded a world away from Bishop’s Landing. Bishop’s Landing looked down its nose at anyone without a billion dollars in their pocket.

Yeah. I liked the sound of Cyrus Bar in the Meatpacking District.

I pulled up my calendar on my phone. I had some crappy charity affair on Saturday night, but I could ditch it. Fuck it, I would ditch it. I wanted to check out this Blue Hawk guy for myself. Tristan was the only friend I had in the world; I wanted to make sure this guy wasn’t toying with him.

“You coming?” Tristan pushed. “I’ll need to get you on the guest list. It’s sold out.”

“Yeah, I’m coming. Who knows, maybe I’ll meet a hot rocker guy for myself.”

“Give him the benefit of the doubt.” Vulnerability lit Tristan’s eyes.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

He nudged me with an elbow. “I know how you get about me. Protective,” he teased.

“You love it.”

“I love you, Lainey.”

“I know.”

He leaned close, peering into my eyes. “I mean it.”

“I know.” I pushed him back, but when Tristan righted himself, his face was serious.

His next words were a whisper. A whisper with a chill. “Promise me one thing. Swear on your heart you won’t ever fall for Lucian Morelli.”

“I won’t,” I told him.

“So promise me.”

I looked into his eyes and summoned up the fire inside. Because I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t ever fall for Lucian Morelli. “Swear on my heart and hope to die,” I told him.

That appeased him. He was smiling as he hooked my pinky finger in his.