Page 99 of Pretty Little Thing

I frown. “How many times have you done this?”

“Enough,” she answers.

“He’s turning!” Melanie points again. “He’s turning!”

“I see him...” Trix says, slightly annoyed.

Clive takes a right turn and disappears down the street. We make it to the intersection in time to see him stop at a light a block away.

“Don’t lose him,” Melanie says.

Trix merely sighs and ignores her.

I sit back with crossed arms, feeling absolutely wretched. Maybe I should have just asked him directly on the street. Or, better yet, maybe I shouldn’t bring it up at all. He’ll tell me when he’s ready.

I look up into the rearview mirror. The pearl on my choker waves back and forth as Trix weaves between lanes. I smile slightly, remembering everything about last night and this morning. Safe and warm. I don’t want to lose that…

But still, my eyes keep flicking ahead. I don’t want to lose him right now either. Curiosity clenches my gut. There’s still so much I don’t know about Clive Snow.

Clive turns off the street into a parking lot. Trix slows down and slides into an empty parking spot just off the street and barely out of sight of Clive’s vehicle.

Trix tosses her seatbelt off. “All right, ladies. Light feet.”

They throw open their doors and I roll my eyes as I reluctantly join them. We walk to the edge of the building to get a view of Clive’s car in the parking lot, me stepping normally while the two of them slide against the wall with their backs hunched over like sinister cats. I’m glad they’re having fun with this because I’m about ready to turn around and—

“It’s a gym,” Melanie says.

“Daddy getting his swole on,” Trix muses. “Is he as ripped as he looks, Nora?”

I ease forward slightly to catch sight of Clive as he opens his trunk and withdraws a red gym bag.

“Yeah, he’s in pretty good shape,” I answer. “He also works at a gym on weekends and, low and behold, it’s Sunday. So, now that we know he didn’t drive to a box under a bridge, can we please go?”

Melanie gasps. “Maybe this is where he showers!”

Trix slaps her shoulder. “You think?”

“Yeah! Gym memberships don’t cost nearly as much as rent and it’d cost even less with an employee discount. If I were homeless, this is how I’d stay clean.”

I sigh. I want to argue but she makes a decent point.

“What are we looking at?”

I jump at the familiar male voice in my ear. I spin around, coming face-to-face with Robbie.

“God, Rob!” I smack the arm of his leather jacket. “You scared the shit out of me...”

Trix smiles. “Hi, Robbie!”

Melanie groans at him. “What do you want?”

“I saw you guys slinking around,” he says with a shrug. “Thought I’d come say hi.”

Melanie crosses her arms. “You know, for a city with almost three million people in it, we tend to bump into each other an awful lot.”

“Yeah, it’s almost like you’re obsessed with me or something,” he says, smirking. “So, whatcha up to? Casting spells from the Book of Shadows you found in your attic after your grandmother died?”

“Did you literally look up a bunch of witch references just to whip out and insult me with?” Melanie asks.

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