Page 40 of Renegade

I glared at her.

She patiently continued, “Before you get upset, nothing happened. He wanted to let me know that his ex-girlfriend was moving here. It was pretty apparent he thought we were through. I knew it was coming, I can’t say it didn’t hurt though.”

I opened my mouth to reply just as the server showed up to take our drink orders. Once he was gone, I asked, “So, Landon was just fine with everything being over? From what you’ve told me about him, he doesn’t seem like the type to just be done.”

She began picking apart her paper napkin ring, “He could be very intense at times, but he’s in love with his ex. He made that pretty clear.”

I lowered my voice, “Elizabeth, the guy calls you repeatedly for two weeks only to tell you he’s not into fucking you anymore? You swear that you didn’t hook up for old time’s sake?”

The server chose that exact moment to bring the drinks and Elizabeth clammed up again. After informing him that we needed a few extra minutes before ordering, I turned my gaze back to her, “Let’s go, Greene. No more stalling.”

“I swear, Lauren. Nothing happened. You’re right and I’m going to be a better person, even if it kills me.”

I exhaled slowly, trying to keep my emotions in check. David and Elizabeth were my couple. They were my reason for skipping out on mediocre dates in favor of one great love.

I settled for clearing my throat and sounding stern instead. “If I have to move in with you when David’s out of town to keep you safe, I’ll do it.”

We finally ordered food, much to our server’s delight and I loosened up enough to tease her about David. The man, complete with his sourpuss expression, reminded me a bit of Daryl Dixon fromThe Walking Dead.

I might’ve had a bit of a sci-fi nerd side. “So, have you ever gotten him to dress all grungy and posed him with a cross-bow in his hands? I think you need a picture of that for your desk.”

We collapsed in a fit of laughter and I decided that if finding a new friend was like dating, then I had to be hitting this one out of the park. At work, we were constantly interrupted, but I genuinely liked spending time with her. And, if that was the only way to ensure that she remained faithful to her husband, therefore giving me hope for finding a love of my own someday—then she could spend all the time she needed.

We parted with plans to meet at the gym the following night so that I could get her into fighting shape. My gym was nothing fancy, but it did help me work off a lot of the stress that working for someone like Sandra Mulloy caused.

As I pulled into my apartment complex, I couldn’t help but think that maybe my luck was beginning to change. Then, I saw a 2007 dark blue Toyota Camry parked under the awning about one hundred yards from my apartment door and all good feelings evaporated into the warm desert air.

“I don’t understand,” I muttered to myself, as I surveyed the vehicle. It had to have been a mistake, but the license plate matched exactly. It was my car; returned to me in the exact condition I last saw it in.

“You Lauren?” A deep male voice asked from behind me and I jumped in fright.

I spun around, clutching my chest. “Y-yes. Do I know you?”

The man was a giant, with close-cropped blond hair and piercing blue eyes. My heart gave a sudden pang of loss. Jack had beautiful blue eyes too.

Not the time, heart. You knew him for one day.

One day!

He shook his head. “You don’t know me, but that’s your car, right?”

Oh, Jesus.

What had Monica gotten herself into this time? Better yet, what had Monica gotten me into?Had she used my car as collateral?

I nodded dumbly and the man smiled. “Name’s Jamie. I’m a-uh- friend of your mom’s. She’s detoxing and after checking into it, I saw that this car was registered to you.”

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. Maybe he thought there’d be reward money involved, but any spare change I’d had went to paying off toll violations. “I don’t have any money, if that’s why you’re here—”

Jamie shook his head. “It’s not. Just wanted to return the car to you. It’s got a full tank of gas and just had an oil change. You don’t owe me anything.”

He held out the keys and I tucked them into my purse. He seemed so nice, that I couldn’t let him go without a warning. “You—um, you might think you know Monica, but just be careful. She’ll feed you any sob story to get what she wants—which inevitably ends up being more drugs.”

Jamie nodded, as if he was actually taking my words to heart. “Yeah, I think that’s how she used to be. Maybe once she’s clean, you could get to know her again.”

I shook my head and turned to walk toward my apartment. “Oh no, I’ve been there, done that more times than I care to admit to a perfect stranger. Let’s just say that I’ve lost not only all respect, but a lot of material things due to Monica’s addiction. You’re welcome to her; just keep her the hell away from me.”

He agreed. “Absolutely. You take care.”

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