Page 20 of Pretty Little Lies

“You’re upset.” I increase the intensity of my irritation and a glint of a smirk plays along his lips as if this is funny. “C’mon, Astor. You’re going to be mad at your boyfriend on our first night out?”

“You’re not myboyfriend,” I clip out. The demand for what we weregoingto be wasn’t cute at all. “And, if you were, I wouldn’t have gone out with you tonight since we still haven’t finished ourtalk.”

“You mean the one where you kept all the Emilio Wildes shit from me?”

That’s like the millionth punch to the gut that Levi has served up to me over the course of the week. And I’m over it.

“You done?” I mock, using the same verbiage he used toward me the other day.

Levi reaches for my hand and then slowly drags me toward him so that we’re almost chest to chest. “Depends.”

“On?”

“How good of an actress you can be for this ploy we’re performing. Because Torin is about fifty yards away and he’s already spotted us.”

My blood pumps quicker in my veins off a small surge of adrenaline that just formed. I’m not ready to play this role. Not when self-disgust swells in my chest like a plague.

“I’ll get you that Jack,” Levi emits. “Sounds like you’re gonna need it.”

I can’t help but resonate as though Levi feels rejected, but this isn’t real. However, I’m sure it takes a hit to his male ego that I’m not jumping his dick.

Throw me back a few years and maybe. But too much is happening right now and my head is filled with non-romantic shit.

My phone buzzes in the small clutch that I borrowed—stole and never gave back—from Nessa and the whole function of my body stops.

Breathing.

Blinking.

Blood pumping.

Heart bumping.

Everything.

Literally EVERYTHING.

REEVE: I need one of those hugs that turn into sex.

Itsoundslike him.

But I know damn well that Levi wouldn’t have left Reeve his phone to call for help. And I’m starting to wonder if this is a trick.

BAY: Who is this?

REEVE: You know who it is, McQueen. He’s gonna have to try harder than that.

The cryptic message sends a warning shrill through my spine, and I shiver on impact. This could be Hot Rod or Juice helping Levi with seeing how loyal I am. To see how much I care about him and if I’d try to meet with him just to make sure he’sokay. The nickname would’ve been easy to find through previous messages that he sent to me and I’m not that stupid.

Nor am I going to fall for this.

He’s gone.

That’s what Travis said. The container ship had already left port, and Travis banged on shipping containers for an hour, he said.

Reeve was nowhere in sight.

Shoving my cell back into my purse, I feel nauseous. My stomach knots tightly into little balls of anxiety right before Levi shows back up in front of me with a shot of Jack.

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