Toxic Bad Boy(80)

I was prepared for them to come back with the news that they’d remarried. Julie seemed eager, almost desperate, to get my dad in her clutches again. Not that he minded, he never had when it came to her.

Chance was at their dad’s house, leaving her mom’s house empty for Ian’s coming home party. Gianna didn’t know it yet, but Ian had called up a couple girls he sometimes messed around with. They’d be arriving later.

Cece arranged the chips in the center of the coffee table and took a seat across the room from Dante. His eyes lingered on her while she pointedly ignored him. They hadn’t worked things out and Gianna wasn’t sure Cece would give him another chance now that she’d been able to salvage the invitation to the Colorado Ballet Academy. Cece claimed she didn’t have time for a boyfriend since her schedule was full with practices and soon she’d be taking her high school classes online.

I pointed out to Gianna that a baby would’ve been even more time consuming. Gianna had shut down my argument, telling me to let it be. She was right, it was none of our business and they had to figure out their problems themselves.

Jared and Gage arrived with a stack of pizzas each and the guys all followed them into the kitchen. Pushing the vultures out of the way, I placed two pieces of pepperoni onto a paper plate and handed it to my girl.

“Thanks, babe,” she said, awarding me with a beautiful smile.

Ian took an entire pizza box, not bothering with a plate, and sat at the kitchen table. “This is heaven,” he mumbled around a bite. “As soon as my pussy gets here, it’ll be like I was never in juvie.”

Gianna twirled to face him. “You did not invite some skank to my house!”

“Shanks,” he corrected her. “There are two of them. Tag team style.”

“Ew!” Cece complained.

Taye threw his head back laughing. “You gonna take them into her mom’s room?”

“Was planning on using Gianna’s bed,” Ian answered, already on his second slice.

“Your dick isn’t going anywhere near Gianna’s sheets,” I told him, throwing an ice cube at his head.

“Ew!” Cece repeated. “I’m eating!”

Ian retaliated with an ice cube of his own. I dodged the chunk of ice as it whizzed past my head. Why was I friends with him?

“Where’s my cake?” Ian asked after eating his fifth piece of pizza.

“Oh my god!” Gianna yelled. “I forgot it in my Jeep! It’s probably melted in this heat.” She jumped out of her chair, making it scrape against the tile.

“I’ll help you,” I offered, planning on stealing a kiss in private, or a mini-makeout session.

“No, that’s okay. It’s not that heavy. But can you get the ice cream out and start scooping it?”

“Sure, princess.”

“Whipped,” Ian whispered loudly enough for everyone but Gianna to hear as she rushed out the door. Cece went with her, likely to whine about Dante staring at her obsessively.

“You’re the pussy who asked Gianna to get him a cake like it’s your birthday.”

“I want two scoops!” he called out after me as I opened the freezer.

I’d prepared eight plates with ice cream on them and the girls still hadn’t returned with the cake. “I’ll go see what’s taking them so long,” Jared said, walking toward the front door.

But a sick feeling hit my gut as my chest tightened. Something was wrong. Charging past him, I threw open the front door and jumped down the porch steps. Cece looked dazed as she sat up from where she’d been sprawled in the driveway near the place Gianna’s Jeep had been parked.

“Cece!” Jared yelled, taking in the cut on her temple.

I grabbed Cece’s shoulders. “Where’s Gianna?”

“Josh,” she mumbled weakly. “I’d only met him a couple times, but it was definitely him.”

“He took Gianna?” I asked. Fear like I hadn’t known since last October built in me.

Dante kneeled down to help her up and she turned her face into his chest. “Yeah.”

I pointed to Gage. “Call 911!” Going back inside the house, I grabbed my phone from the kitchen and dialed her dad. Calling 911 would get us Broomfield Police Department and Josh might take her elsewhere in the city.

“Hello?”

“Chris, it’s Caleb. Josh took Gianna.”

“What do you mean?”

“Josh!” I shouted into the phone. “That fucker somehow got out because he showed up here and took Gianna!”

I heard Chance say something to his dad and Chris snapped, “Go wait for me in the car!” Then to me, he said, “I’m on my way and calling Novak. Did you call the police?”