Page 81 of Such A Bad Girl

EVERLEIGH

My phone ringing woke me up. I’d left it in the living room after falling asleep, the distant vibration pulling me from my slumber. I’d slept deeply, exhausted and finally safe and alone in my own home.

I padded into the living room in search of my phone, the sunlight streaming in through the windows waking me up more with each step. Slowly, the events of yesterday began returning to my mind.

Theo.

Theo’s naked body on mine. Theo’s naked body in mine. I shuddered with pleasure, a slow smile spreading across my face.

I couldn’t wait to talk to him today. I had so much to say to him.

My phone was stuffed under a couch cushion and I fished it out, West’s face flashing on the screen. I answered it with a smile. I couldn’t wait to tell him what I’d figured out.

“Hey!”

“Ev, let me talk to Theo. He won’t pick up my calls.”

“What?”

“Theo! Let me talk to him. I know he’s there.”

“He’s not, West. He said he was going to stop by this morning, though.”

“Everleigh, cut the act! He told me everything.”

“West, he really isn’t here. I just woke up, let me see if he texted.”

I switched the call to the speaker phone and scrolled through my text messages.

“No. Nothing. What’s going on?” Panic started to set in. West was worried for a reason.

“Yeah, this is weird. Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”

“Why would he not pick up your call, West?”

“We sort of had a fight yesterday,” he said. I could hear the worry in his voice.

“About us? We should talk about that, West. I’m a grown woman –.”

“--That doesn’t matter right now. I can’t get ahold of Rian either. I’ll keep trying to reach him. Let me know if you hear from him. I’m going to his house.”

“I will, and you do the same.”

He hung up quickly, leaving my head spinning.

I tried to call Theo but he didn’t answer, his phone going to voicemail, a sinking feeling of dread settling into my gut.

Where the fuck was he?

Chapter Fifty-Seven

THEO

I’d been shocked to see Jill when the door opened. No masks, no disguises, just her proud smile shining back at me, like she’d accomplished something she’d been working on for a long time.

“You came!” She gestured for me to come in like I was there for a friendly nightcap. “Come in, please!”

I walked past her into the dark hotel room, my anger growing now that I knew she was responsible. I wanted answers.

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