Page 95 of Call Back

“I should have known she was up to no good. She was all sweet and helpful.”

“Janine Cumberland?”

“No! Ava. Keep up.”

“When the hell has Ava Milton ever been sweet and cordial?”

“Exactly!” I exclaimed, pointing my finger at him. “That should have clued me in that she was up to no good.”

“What does that have to do with her getting rid of Janine?”

“I asked Ava for information about someone my father worked with, and she encouraged me to ask her guests about her.”

“Stop and think about this,” he said, leaning over his legs and resting his elbows on his thighs. When I didn’t answer, Colt gave me a wry grin. “She’s a tricky one.”

“Don’t look so smug about it. Why don’t you tell me how I got this apartment?”

He sat up. “What?”

“I found out that I’m the first tenant to live here. It’s quite a coincidence, considering that Ava’s taken an interest in feeding me information about my father.”

“What the hell are you implying?” he asked, getting pissed. “You signed the lease and moved in. End of story.”

“And what happened before that?” I asked. “More specifically, I want to hear about the conversation you and Ava had about offering me the apartment.”

“I don’t know,” he said defensively. “That was so long ago.”

“Bullshit. I moved in a week ago. Your idea or hers?”

He didn’t answer—and from the set of his jaw, he didn’t plan to.

“That’s okay,” I said as I got to my feet. “That’s answer enough. Are you my friend or not?”

He grinned, but it looked forced. “Ava must have really unsettled you for you to ask me that.”

“Answer the question.”

He stood and his eyes narrowed. “I risked my life for you last night. If that doesn’t make us friends, I don’t know what does.”

“One would think so, right?” I asked, taking a step toward him. “But you’re hiding things, and that alone is reason enough for me to call you into question.”

“It’s not like you’re not hiding things from me either,” he shot back. “I suspect you’ve got more secrets than I do.”

“Fine! You want to know all my secrets? I’ll tell you every single last one of them. But you have to share yours too.”

His shoulders dropped in defeat. “Maggie. You know I can’t.”

I stormed over to the door and reached for the doorknob. “Then get the fuck out.”

Colt didn’t move. “Don’t be stupid. You need me.”

He was right. I did, and that pissed me off even more.

I slammed the door shut and fastened the deadbolt.

“Oh, you locked us in. Maybe you’re interested in other kinds of secrets.” Colt grinned, but it didn’t look genuine. I was quite certain this was the same look he gave women to get them to leap into bed with him.

“Stop it,” I said in disgust. “I know what you’re doing. It’s not going to work.”

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