Page 151 of Offside Devil

She meets my eyes, and I nod, encouraging her. She swallows and her voice wavers as she says, “I watched him play and then we… we went to the roof. Then we came home.”

“The roof?” Owen balks.

She’s paler than I’ve ever seen her. “It was… romantic. Pretty. Zane took me up there to show me the sky and?—”

“We fucked,” I interrupt. Owen’s face was glazing over as Mira was talking. He didn’t believe a word. Up until a month ago, I wasn’t taking any woman on romantic dates. He would’ve thought she was full of shit.

But as soon as I explain, he nods. “That makes more sense.”

I rise to face Owen, arms spread. “You searched my house and I told you where I was. I’m clean, O. There’s nothing else to see here.”

His eyes shift towards Mira. There’s little here to see—she’s covered by the comforter, but nothing else—but I slide over to shield her even more.

“I want to believe you…” he says. “But I can’t.”

“I’m going to weekly meetings with you. I told you about drinking that night at the bar. I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do,” I grit out.

He shrugs. “And I still don’t believe you. I won’t until I have proof.”

It sucks knowing this is my fault. I didn’t do anything this time, but I’ve fucked up so many times in the past. Too many times. Enough that even Owen can’t believe a word out of my mouth.

I’ll die with this cloud of suspicion hanging over my head—and it’s entirely my fault.

Which is why I lift my chin and meet his eyes. “What do you need me to do?”

60

ZANE

Walking back to my condo with a clean bill of health should be vindicating. I should be rubbing Owen’s nose in my long list of negative test results.

Amphetamine: negative.

Barbiturates: negative.

Benzodiazepines, cocaine, marijuana, opiates, oxycodone, PCP, fucking Tylenol: all negative.

Instead, Owen drops me off outside the condo with a brusque goodbye that tells me he’s still a little suspicious even after the rapid drug test. I shuffle inside with the results folded in my back pocket.

I’m about to punch in my code when the door opens and Jace is standing in front of me.

“Whoa.” He sidesteps so we don’t smash into each other. I’m too exhausted to bother dodging. “There you are. I was about to call you.”

I blink at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Aiden.” He looks at me like he also suspects I’m on something. “I came to drop him off. I texted you, but you didn’t respond. I just left him with Mira. But I don’t know, man… She didn’t look good.”

I drag a hand through my hair. “It’s been a long morning.”

He winces. “Last night didn’t go like you hoped?”

“No. No, last night was…”

Fucking perfect.

It felt like a new start. Like the beginning of a whole new chapter in my life. I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.

“Owen thinks I’m using again,” I admit in a rush.

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