Page 89 of Unexpected Heroine

My attention returns to my former best friend. The one who showed up with a suitcase of audacity in addition to a fucking lizard!

Stella lifts her hands in surrender. “In my defense, I thought you were only injured. Again. Like always. A broken leg, maybe. At worst, a collarbone. I didn’t know it was this serious. If I had, I would’ve tried harder to find a Pumpkin sitter on a moment’s notice.”

I shoot her my harshest glare, attempting to look fierce, which is quite a feat when hiding behind someone. “If you didn’t think it was serious, why on God’s green earth did you come on a moment’s notice?” I throw my voice at the end to impersonate her, then stop scowling to kindly add, “By the way, thanks for coming. I love you.” Then my grimace returns. “But seriously, how dare you?” Once the words are all out, I cower again, leaving only the top half of my face exposed.

She grins, fighting a laugh at my dramatics. “Settle down, Greta Thunburg.” Reaching around Tomer, she squeezes my upper arm lovingly. “Why did I come? Hmm. Let’s see. At five in the morning, my best friend’s boyfriend, a man I’ve never met in person, calls me to say that you were hurt and needed me. Of course I’m gonna come.” She wobbles her head back-and-forth, letting her jaw hang slightly. “Duh.”

She shifts her eyes up toward my man. “Speaking of whom. What do we have here?” Raising her hand, she spins her fingers around. “Give us a twirl, darling.” Her eyes trail up and down his body, overtly judging him.

She’s not even trying to be stealthy about it.

Blatantly ignoring her request to preen like a show pony, he extends his hand. “Nice to meet you, Stella. I’ve heard a lot about you. Seems like it was all true.”

She smiles at him, far too sweetly. Not like a flirty kind of sweet. She’s about to bust his chops, and he’ll never see it coming the way I do.

In three, two, one.

“Yes, I suppose it is nice to meet me. I ca?—”

Sadly, whatever sarcasm was about to fall from her mouth gets cut off when Jonesy comes parading through our little group, big and brash, without any care for manners. I sort of like that about him.

Only he’s a stranger. And my stranger-danger sense is tingling.

Suddenly, it’s not the lizard that has me hiding.

He stops right in front of us and looks at Tomer, paying no mind to Stella or me. “Do you need anything else, man?”

For a split second, I’m surprised he didn’t call him by T or Tomer. But my mind doesn’t dwell on that for long because I finally remember where I know him from. The weapons room at Redleg on the night of my rescue. He’s the first person who called him T.

“Nope. I appreciate you grabbing her for us.”

“There wasn’t near enough grabbing for my taste. Perhaps try a little harder next time, big guy,” Stella interjects, drawing a chuckle out of me. It hurts my ribs, but totally worth it.

A sly grin fastens itself to Jonesy’s face, and he arches one brow as he twists toward Stella. “Next time I see you, short stack, I’ll hook up a chain to this ring to haul you around with.” He flicks her nose ring.

“Smash,” Stella blurts, then gasps audibly like she’s trying to inhale the word back down her throat. She sucks both lips into her mouth, her eyes widening like a hoot owl.

Jonesy heads toward the front door, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

With rapidly reddening cheeks, my bestie stares at his impressive backside. Far too late, she attempts to fix her blunder. “The patriarchy. Smash the patriarchy.”

Before he leaves, I holler, “Please forgive my friend. She isn’t housebroken.”

He waves over his shoulder at us but stays silent.

Once he closes the door, she and I devolve into a fit of hilarity. I come out from behind Tomer’s back to hug her again, even if she did bring a leathered-skin demon into my sanctuary.

A few seconds later, the front door opens again. Jonesy’s there, holding up a small box.

My heart sinks, and all humor dries up in an instant. Not another package.

Tomer heads to the door. “What’s that?”

“Josh said it was just delivered.”

“By whom?” My voice quivers.

He inspects the package. “Looks like FedEx.”

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