Page 22 of Addicted Lies

And speak of the devil, and he himself shall arrive. “Whose dating life?” Dutton’s voice booms into the living room.

“Billie’s. She has a date next weekend.” Posie winks at me when I go to open my mouth to tell him I don’t. “And we discussed this. You have to let her date. She needs this. And when she feels like she needs you, she will come to you. Until then, let her date and look after herself.” Dutton stares at me, and I avert my gaze. “Right?” Posie asks rhetorically as she places her arms around his neck.

It’s not that I haven’t had this same argument with my brother a million fucking times. It’s that I’m tired of losing my shit every time because he’s a brick wall and as stubborn as they come. It’s why I’ve gotten into the habit of sneaking around. It got easier when I found out Ivy could tamper with my phone to counter anyone hacking into it. Namely Dutton. Having a best friend who is a secret hacker is a big bonus.

“Right,” he says through gritted teeth, but his glare is warning enough.

I want to laugh at the fact that she’s telling him what to do. But I don’t because I love that my brother has someone who makes him happy. And I also fucking love that she’s totally team Billie.

My parents tell Dutton about my job, and then we spend some time talking about random topics before I decide it’s time to leave. Dutton walks me out, stopping me on the porch. Our parents are waiting in their car for me, as they offered me a lift home.

“Just so you know, I’ll still kill any man who touches you,” he warns, then he turns and walks back inside. A part of me wants to laugh, while another wonders what he’d do if he finds out who I’ve been fucking.

I ignore the thought as I message Ivy, the buzz of vodka in my veins.

Me:Hey, girl. I think it’s time we go out to celebrate. I’ll be home in fifteen. Let’s dance the night away.

CHAPTER 9

Ford

I’m awake. It’s two in the morning, but I only came home an hour ago from cleaning up some mess for Eli. It’s unusual for Billie to text me, let alone call, especially at this time of day.

I answer on the second ring. “Where are you?” I ask.

Her first response is a hiccup. My eyebrows furrow as I look back at the phone. “Calm down, I’m fine,” she says drunkenly, then I’m getting a call to FaceTime her. I answer, and her beautiful face appears on the screen. She smiles. “Hey, handsome.”

I notice Ivy standing behind her, not looking nearly as drunk as Billie. Then again, Ivy has always been better at handling her alcohol. “Hey, Ford,” she says, giving me a quick wave. To Billie, she says, “Now, go away. I need to pee.”

“Is she pissing in an alleyway right now?” I growl.

Billie hiccups and smiles. “Yep. We really needed to go.”

“You peed in an alleyway, too? Billie, what the fuck? Where are you? Does your brother know you’re out?”

“He’s not thebosssofme!” she slurs, slumping against a brick wall. I feel the vein in my neck throb as I straighten up from my kitchen counter and go to my room to put a shirt on. “Pin me your location right now. And, for fuck’s sake, don’t move.”

She sways, and I get a quick glimpse of the short fucking dress she’s wearing. I’m fucking furious that no one is with them right now. It’s very rare that Dutton isn’t on this shit already. Unless, of course, he’s preoccupied with his fiancé.

“Boop!” She giggles as she taps the screen and drops her pin. “You know I was calling you to tell you to take me back to your place,” she says smugly as if that’s the reason why I’m picking her up. But there’s no way I’m having her in this condition.

I’m already in the car, counting my fucking blessings that she’s only ten minutes away from me.

Ivy laughs in the background. “As if Dutton would ever let you! You two are funny.” She grabs the phone and pushes back her short blonde hair. “But seriously, Ford, can you please come and pick her up so I can go get laid?”

“She’s ditching me!” Billie whines. “Ford, I?—”

Her phone cuts out. I wait for it to reconnect, but when it doesn’t, my heart fucking races. I hit the gas, threading through traffic. Fucking hell, this woman. I swear to God, if anything’s happened to them, I’ll strangle her myself.

I get that I’m only two years older than her, but it’s different for a man to be drunk in an alleyway than for a woman.

Fuck.

I try to call Ivy, but it goes straight to voicemail.

I’m swerving wildly in and out between cars as I try to call Hawke. He doesn’t answer, which means he’s probably fucking someone right now. I curse.

Five minutes later, I pull over to the curb of the location she sent me. I can’t see any sign of either of them.Fuck. Red fills my vision as I storm toward the alleyway and round the corner. A wave of relief passes through me as I catch sight of long honey-blonde hair.

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