Out of the Storm(33)

"My bank is Wellington. And my dry cleaner is Jones. Why?"

There isn't a branch for Wellington the way she's going. And Jones is across the street from her place. I've lived here my whole life, and I know Amberton. "Just worried about you. After last night, I don't want to not know where you are, how to find you. Did you see what I put in your bag?"

"Fuck yes. What the hell were you thinking, Theo? You know I don't know how to use that."

"I meant to show you before you left, but I wasn't thinking straight. I'll show you tonight."

"About that." When I loop around to Pembroke, I can't believe what I see. I quickly pull into a parking place and cut my ignition. Shit. I didn't even think about her hearing Maggie. But if she asks, I'll just tell her I just got to the office. Why didn't I think of that earlier? Why am I lying to her? Better yet, why is she lying to me? "I don't think that's a good idea."

She has my full attention as I watch her cut her car off, and then put her own phone to her ear. Shit, this feels so wrong, spying on her like this. "Why not?" 

"We need to lay low. And being in the same hotel together isn't doing that. It's begging for trouble."

"At least I can protect you if you're with me. Besides, you said he wasn't suspicious. Say you're staying with your parents. Or better yet, let's both stay at your parents'. I'd love to meet them." I don't buy for one fucking second that she all of a sudden wants to lay low. This is a cop-out. She's acting different with me, her flirtation is gone. What in the hell could have possibly changed since I saw her thirty minutes ago?

"My parents are out of town this week. They went on a cruise." Note to self. Look into that to see if it's another lie. Another lie. Fuck. Jules is lying to me. Has she been playing me this entire time? It's not the first time I've thought that. Give her the benefit of the doubt, Theo. Look at where questioning her motives got you last time. "I'll call you when I get back to the office to let you know I'm safe. I gotta go."

"Are you at the bank or the dry cleaner right now?" This is it. This is the moment of truth to know if she's really lying. Will she tell me she's at neither of those places? That she had another errand to run over here first?

"The bank. I need to go inside for something. It's so quiet in there. I hate to have everyone hear our conversation."

"Right. Were you going to tell me something sexy like you did last night before you hung up?"

She laughs, but it sounds forced. "Hadn't planned on it, but now that you mention it, I guess I could play that game with you."

"No, don't bother. You need to be paying attention. It got you in trouble last night." The reality is I don't want to hear something sexy from her right now. My stomach is queasy, and sweat is pouring out of every pore on my body. "Be safe, Jules."

"You too."

That does make me chuckle. "Since when are you worried about my safety?"

"I'm always worried about your safety, Theo. More than you know."

Bullshit. I smell bullshit.

"Later."

"I'll call you when I'm done."

"Yep." I wanted to be like please do. Or done with what? Or when you're done on Pembroke or the bank? But I couldn't bring myself to call her out on her lies. Not right now when I'm supposed to be meeting Marco.

Wait. No. I shake my head, running my hand through my hair. Did Marco call us both here? Why would he do that?

Jules walks into the diner across the street from where we're meeting. So, unless she's meeting him there first, I don't think he is involved. But what are the chances we'd both be at the same place at the same time? Elevator. It's not like it's not happened before.

Watching all the other people walking around on the street, I try to figure out who she's meeting. What if they're already inside? I can't risk her seeing me. Yet, she'll probably do that when I walk into the Chinese place. But I didn't lie to her. I was headed to the office when Marco told me to meet him here. This is all on her this time. She has a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Is that? That can't be him. What the hell has she done?

Knocking on my window causes me to nearly jump out of my fucking seat. Glancing up, Marco is grinning back at me. "What has you all jumpy?"

I can read his lips. Stupid fucker. But I can't help but laugh at myself as I open the door. He holds one arm out and the other in front of him. I grab his hand and pull him in.

"So fucking good to see your face."

"You too, brother." And just like that, all the frustration I had with him over the last twenty-four hours dissipates. "What was so urgent you pulled me away from my job … jobs … to meet you over here?" I ask.



       
         
       
        

"Inside. We'll talk inside."





I made sure to turn off my phone before I got out of the car, so I'm even more insecure about where I am, what I'm doing without it. And I didn't bring in the bag with the gun because let's face it. I'm liable to shoot myself before someone else. That's a hazard.

Walking into the diner, I don't see Jake anywhere, so I seat myself in a booth by the window. Still full and somewhat nauseous from the whole situation, I don't even bother looking at the menu.

"Hey, sugar." A waitress approaches. She looks younger than me. But her belly protrudes to the point she can use it as a desk for her notepad. "What can I getcha?" She's at least eight months pregnant. All belly. She's pretty. It makes me sad to see girls working at diners while pregnant. So much potential, so much possibility. Of course, my life is in shambles. Perhaps, I would have been better being knocked up by the cliché douche in high school and left to wait tables the rest of my life like they show in movies. It beats prison. And Charlie is douche enough. Maybe the guy who knocked me up wouldn't have been a jerk. Maybe he would have been like Theo. Perhaps there would have been so much love it wouldn't have mattered I had to stand on my feet in an old diner all day waiting on other people, serving them just weeks before giving birth to whatever number child I'd be on by now. Theo. Love. Shaking my head, I kick that thought out of my head.

"Do you need another minute?" she asks.

"No. Just a water, please. I'm meeting someone."

"Sure thang." She tucks her pad into the apron tied around her waist before walking away, pushing the pen through your brown, curly ponytail.

A bell jingles. "Welcome to the Diner on Fifth," a guy behind the counter greets.

I made sure since I was the first one here I got the side of the booth that allows me to see the door. Looking up, I see Jake walking toward me. Just like last night, he's dressed in a white shirt, sleeves rolled a quarter up his arm. His tie is tight around his neck. He smiles, but something in me isn't comforted or reassured by it. In fact, my knee starts to bounce, and my palms begin to sweat.

Maybe this is wrong. What if he's not really FBI? That's just crazy. He showed me a badge, gave me a card. But what if he's a crook? I shouldn't be going behind Theo's back, but after seeing Charlie, I didn't feel like there's much of a choice. I don't. There isn't. Theo's plan is flawed.

He sits across from me, giving me a lopsided grin. I don't think I realized just how handsome he was last night because I was scared out of my mind. My guess is he's used to doing that panty melting grin, and then having girls dropping to their knees begging how they can please him. But his piercing blue eyes and dark features are creeping me out. Maybe because he's too sexy. 

"So," he says, folding his hands on the table. "I know you ran straight to your boyfriend and told him about me."

My mouth drops. "I didn't." Truth. There's no way I would tell Charlie about this.

He chuckles. "Sorry. So many boyfriends you have. Let me clarify. I know you told the one who didn't put that ring on your finger. The one you're not supposed to be sleeping with, but you are."

Shit. I swallow. How does he know that? "Unless you bugged Theo's place, I'm not sure how you'd know that. That is, if I were sleeping with him. If I told him."

He narrows his eyes, but that smirk never fades. "Do you want the deal, Jules?"

I nod.

"You didn't follow directions from last night very well. If it were up to me, I would have removed the offer, but we need you as much as you need us."

Blowing out a breath, I purse my lips together. "Okay."

He puts his pointer finger up, his eyes scanning me like he's taking inventory of every line, every feature. "One stipulation."

I stare at him deadpan. I'm tired of the games. "Whatever I have to do to put this all behind me as soon as possible."

"No more contact with your boyfriend." He looks down at my finger, the one with Charlie's ring. "I don't need y'all fucking up my investigation."

"What makes you think we're working together? What makes you think we're doing anything other than fucking? If we're even fucking."

He does this small, throaty laugh. "None of that, either. If you need to be fucked, I can help you out with that."

Gripping the booth, I can only imagine how white my knuckles are in this moment. "Go to hell. And last time I checked, it's not exactly standard FBI operating procedure to fuck the witnesses."