Page 15 of Lonely Heart

There was a long pause, and I desperately wanted to know what was happening, but I didn’t dare move for fear that my brother might hear me. As it was, I was terrified he might hear me breathing or the rapid beat of my heart.

“Coop?” Marco pressed.

Cooper’s voice dipped low. “Do you have someone here with you?”

“What? No. Why would you say that?”

Another long pause. “Well, there’s a woman’s coat on the floor over there. And a hat, and a pair of sunglasses. Why do I feel like I’ve seen that hat and coat before?”

Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. He was going to figure it out.

Marco didn’t immediately respond, and I hated that he’d been put in this position. I could accept the fact that my stupid,stupidchoices put me in a compromising situation last night,but I didn’t need to be the reason Marco lied to my brother, to his best friend.

Just as I was about to step out and face the music, Marco said, “Listen, man, would you mind just giving me a few minutes? I have something I’ve got to take care of this morning. I was actually getting up to find my phone to call you and let you know I needed the day off today. I can give you a call later, if that’s okay.”

“Something’s wrong,” Cooper declared.

“No. No, everything’s fine. It’s just… I have something I’ve got to do.”

“Can I help? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

There was another long pause, and I could only assume Cooper was assessing Marco. “Where did you cut yourself?”

“What?”

“You needed that first-aid kit and shirts from your truck. Why?” my brother pressed.

“Coop, man, I’m asking you to let this go right now,” Marco pleaded with him.

I’d never, not once in my whole life, ever heard Marco in such distress. He was always so laidback and carefree, even if a little mischievous.

“You think I’m supposed to see something that’s not right going on and ignore it? You’re my best friend, and you expect me to just walk out like you’re not acting completely unlike yourself right now?”

Marco didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

“I can’t do that. That’s not what we do.”

I couldn’t let this go on. This wasn’t fair to Marco. Cooper, too, if I was honest.

So, I inhaled deeply in hopes of mustering up some strength and stepped out into the doorway, completely visible to both Marco and Cooper.

“What the fuck?” Cooper clipped, his eyes taking me in for just a brief moment before cutting to Marco.

Marco held his hands up in surrender. “This is not what it looks like.”

If it hadn’t been for how fast Cooper stood, I might have allowed that blow to cause more damage. “Oh? You just lied to my face when my sister was standing in the next room wearing your T-shirt. And you’re telling me this isn’t what it looks like?”

“Cooper,” I called out.

“One second, Ivy.”

“Cooper, look at me,” I demanded.

My brother tore his attention away from his best friend and looked at me. That’s when he noticed what he missed the first time he looked at me. His brows drew together as his eyes roamed over my face, and he instantly came rushing toward me. “What happened to you?” Cooper didn’t give me a chance to respond before he was looking at Marco with a murderous gaze. “You better tell me what the fuck is going on, and I better not hear something that’s going to make me regret knowing you.”

I lifted my hands and placed them on either side of my brother’s head, urging him to look at me. Tears welled in my eyes. “I was assaulted last night,” I rasped. “I was downtown, going to a woodcarving class, and no sooner did I get out of my car when a guy grabbed me, dragged me down the side road, stole my purse, and assaulted me.”

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