Page 40 of Shadowed Whispers

“No.” Leo laughs nervously and looks to me for help. He won’t get any assistance from me. “We aren’t, though I think she’d like to be.”

“That makes more sense.” Bishop chuckles, but his shoulders relax a fraction. “What are you guys planning this evening?”

“Well, we were hoping to take Frankie to dinner since she missed lunch.” Leo tucks his hands in his back pockets. How dare he look good doing that?

“Oh, I’m sure she would have joined you if she could have,” Bishop answers for me, the bastard. I open my mouth, only for him to place a hand over it. “I hear she had to meet with another instructor and was otherwise indisposed.”

Yeah, with your dick. I think it, but I don’t say it.

Tori just glares at me during the entire exchange.

“Right.” Leo looks from me to Bishop, seeing far more than he should see. “Anyway, we were going to head into town and grab some diner food. Do you want to join us?”

“We’d love to.” Bishop claps. “Right now?”

“Ah, I’m not hungry.” I raise my hand because, for some reason, I feel really out of place for this entire conversation. I feel like they are all talking over my head.

“Sure you are.” Bishop never loses the smile he’s forcing out.

“I think Frankie can answer for herself,” Matteo speaks up, his voice dark and soothing.

“Frankie can speak for herself,” I mock the others, “and dinner with a bunch of people sounds?—”

“Amazing,” Bishop answers for me again.

“Just fucking go to dinner with us,” Tori hisses in my ear. “Don’t ruin this for me.”

I was so close to scrubbing the cum from my body, and judging by the damn smile on Bishop’s face, he knows it.

Grinding my teeth, I give Leo what I hope is a genuine smile, though I guarantee it looks like a grimace. “Let’s go.”

Matteo tilts his head at me, not convinced, but I give him a shrug.

Ignoring all of them, I grab my keys. “I’m driving my own damn self.”

There is no way in hell I’m going to be stuck longer than I need to be, socializing.

Chapter 14

Frankie

I burst from the tower like a shadow fleeing light, my heart pounding in my ears. The cold evening air seeps through my clothes, prickling my skin as I run. If I could just disappear, maybe they’d forget I ever existed, allowing me to slip back into the obscurity of my peaceful, albeit lonely, life.

“Frankie,” Leo calls, his voice a mix of concern and breathlessness as he jogs up to me. His fingers brush against my bicep gently, like a whisper of silk. “Hey, wait for us.”

I don’t slow down. Despite being a foot shorter than him, he can catch up faster than I ever could if our roles were reversed. The sticky salty air clings to my nostrils, mingling with the faint scent of blooming night jasmine from nearby gardens.

Exhaling, I shake off the entire confrontation, knowing Bishop is just playing games to rile me up, and I’m letting him.

“Are you alright?” Leo asks.

I must look insane, barreling out of that room and stomping down the steps like a child. I don’t bother looking back as I grip my keys, the metal cold and hard in my trembling fingers. I weave between vehicles to get to my Jeep. “We need to talk,” I grumble and unlock the doors. “Get in.”

“Alright,” Leo drawls, opening the door. The whole Jeep bounces as Matteo launches himself into the back seat. I barely catch the moment he jumps in, seeing only how he lands and sinks into the center of the seat without bothering with his seatbelt.

Not my body, not my problem.

“Frankie!” Bishop shouts.

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