Page 7 of The Acquisition

"Are we doing this here?"

She took a step back. "I'm tired of people lying to me. I want to know what is going on. Why do you get to know what is happening to me, and I don't get to know?"

"You're right. Let's go home and I'll tell you what I know."

She shook her head. "I don't have a home. I don't have anything."

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her to me. "You've got me."

FOUR

JANA

"You've got me."What the hell was that supposed to mean?

There were loads of daydreams I could conjure up. I mean, the man was built like one of those marble statues out of the Renaissance.

I had to remind myself he was my best friend's dad, and I wasn't living in some kinky babysitter fantasy. Colter Greyson was off limits.

I almost laughed out loud. My life was burning down around me and here I was fantasizing about a hot guy. This wasn't me. At least not since I was sixteen and Malcolm showed me how easy a heart broke by sleeping with my nemesis, Matilda Forsythe.

Thoughts bounced around my head, and I needed to get away from his distracting face to clear my head.

"I'm going to take a walk."

Colter stopped making coffee and set the carafe on the counter. "It's raining. If you need to go somewhere, I'll take you."

"That would defeat the purpose of getting away from you." I waited for the cocky reply, but he seemed too tense and irritable to rise to our usual banter.

"Fine, if that's what you want. I'm trying to be a friend, Jana, if only you'd let me. Whether you want to admit it or not, you need somebody and I'm here. But if you're telling me what you need right now is space, then I'm going to give it to you."

Absent witty repartee, I was expecting him to fight me on leaving. The fact he was accepting me walking out so easily left me a little hurt and a lot confused.

He walked over to his hall closet and took out a raincoat and an umbrella. "Be smart though. It's been raining for days. You'll catch a cold if you don't stay dry."

I took the jacket and umbrella, offering him a weak smile. It was stupid. I had no money and no clue what I was doing. Still, I left his apartment and wandered aimlessly for what seemed like forever.

"Jana?"

I turned around at the familiar voice and saw Sabrina Lake coming out of a coffee shop.

"Hey, Sabrina," I replied.

My voice sounded flat, and there was no way I didn't appear as lost as I felt.

"What are you doing? You look like you've been wandering around for hours in the rain. Seriously, what have you been up to today?"

I shrugged. "Wandering around for hours in the rain." The shock of everything that happened last night was starting to wear off, robbing me of the blanket of numbness and leaving me to feel the wet and cold.

Patting my pockets, I thought I should check in with Colt and let him know I was okay, sure he was worried about me. How had I not noticed I didn't have my phone?

"I don't really know what I'm doing," I finally answered her more honestly. "My life kind of exploded, or rather imploded, last night. I took a walk to clear my head."

"Is it working?" she asked.

"Obviously not." I spread my arms out, letting the umbrella hang by my side, and tipped my face back to feel the falling rain. "I'm still out here."

I bit the corner of my lip. "I'm sorry. That sounded seriously bitchy. I didn't mean it like that."

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