Five Weeks (Seven Series #3)(83)

“In the trailer I rented.”
“That’s sweet. So you left your girl to go shopping.”
Jesus, Wheeler could be a pain in the ass. Jericho paced around the middle of the room and heard music coming through the phone, but it didn’t sound like a live band. “Where the hell are you?”
“I split. Not my scene. I’m at a strip club, and don’t go blabbing to Austin. He thinks I went to grab another beer. Do me a favor and keep him in the dark.” Wheeler hung up.
Tony flipped off the light and handed Jericho a bag. “Here you go. Good luck, son.”
That put one nervous butterfly in his stomach that was more like a winged demon breathing fire. All of a sudden, his impulsive idea was giving him cold feet. What if she said no? What if this was too soon? What if she wanted a different ring? What if she didn’t want a ring? Well hell, he’d buy her whatever she wanted. Emeralds, rubies, donuts… any damn thing.
The thing is, her saying yes wasn’t just about accepting Jericho, but it also meant joining the Weston pack. She’d never known stability. She’d never known a family who loved her unconditionally.
Isabelle had clung to him all those years ago because he had given her those things. If she wouldn’t live with his pack, then Jericho would be faced with a choice: love or family.
That wasn’t a choice he wanted to make.
***
After Jericho left, I got dressed and snooped through the drawers in the trailer. Most were empty, but I found some food in the kitchen and made a peanut-butter sandwich. A blues band played outside, and I wondered if the music would go on night and day.
The trailer was beginning to get stuffy, and I had no idea how to turn on the air—if it even had air. What I really wanted to do was grab a lawn chair and sit by the door with a cold beer in my hand. Jericho had locked me in with the best of intentions, but this was a festival. I had never once been to a festival and spent it locked inside a vehicle! Then again, I’d never been to an all-Breed festival, so he was probably right.#p#分页标题#e#
Someone rapped their knuckles on the front door, and I froze mid-bite. The second series of knocks sounded more urgent.
“Izzy? It’s April. Can I use your toilet?”
I laughed softly and put my sandwich down. “One second.”
When I opened the door, April rushed by me. “Oh my God, I hope you’re not naked,” she said, running in short steps down the hall. As she used the toilet, she left the door open so she could talk to me. “I’m so sorry. I went to those portable outhouses and I can’t. I just can’t! There’s no telling what kind of cooties are in there.”
“That’s okay, I understand completely.”
After another minute, April emerged, her expression more relaxed. “I feel so much better,” she confessed, taking a lazy stroll toward me.
“How did you know we weren’t in here knocking boots?”
April raked her blond hair away from her face. It fell to her shoulders in an angular cut that was shorter in the back and longer on the sides. She took a seat at the tiny table. “I ran into Wheeler earlier and he told me you were by yourself.”
“How did Wheeler know Jericho left?”
April pulled off her shoe and shook out a pebble. “Wheeler saw him get in the truck and drive off.”
My stomach did a flip-flop. “Drive off? He left the festival?”
“You didn’t know?”
I glanced at a clock and noticed over an hour had elapsed. “Was there an emergency with the pack?”
“Not that I’m aware of. Denver’s still at the bar, and we think Ben took off an hour ago. I can’t find Reno,” she said irritably. “He’s always forgetting his phone. The last time I saw him was by the fireworks. I went to get water, and when I got back, he was gone. He probably went looking for me when I told him to stay put. God knows where he is! I should have stayed where I was, but I had to go, and I knew Jericho’s trailer was parked over here. Holy smokes, he’s going to kill me.”
“Doubtful. How did you know which trailer?”
“Trevor pointed it out when we were walking around. Joker told him the band always rents a trailer during these outdoor events in case one of them wants to take a nap or get away from the crowd.”
“Well, maybe you should go back to where you were standing by the fireworks,” I suggested. “I’m sure Reno will find you. If not, maybe you can talk one of the singers into paging him.”
She laughed. “He’d really kill me if I embarrassed him like that.” She pulled a tube of lip gloss out of her purse and ran it over her lips. “Wandering around is only going to keep us separated, so it’s better if I stay in the spot he last saw me. Maybe I’ll call Lexi and see if she and Austin can keep me company.”