Page 250 of Bossy Hero

“Cool. And since she’s seeing you again, she must trust you. Unless you’re suddenly getting a vibe shift from her. Do you think she’s afraid to be alone with us? I don’t get that impression at all.”

He scoffs. “Of course Ashley trusts me. It ain’t that, man.”

“Then why do you need to ply her with booze? I already feel some sparks with her friend, dude. We don’t need to get them drunk. And frankly, it’s creepy as hell that you think we do.”

He spits on the ground. “It’s not about the booze.” As his frustration steeps, he smacks his lips together. “I want to take them out dancing. It’s romantic.”

I expel a mocking breath, making apshsound. “Get the fuck out of here with that bullshit.”

He doesn’t give two shits about romance. He’s the poster child forhit it and quit it.

The riotous lump in my chest works its way up my throat. I swallow forcefully around it.

Something isverywrong here.

Robbie grits his teeth and flails his hand in my direction, physically dismissing me. Once more, he checks his pager, then cranes his neck to see in the store. “They’re gonna be out any minute.Dammit.”

The tension in my gut and chest expands throughout my body. Even my legs are vibrating with a confusing ache, and the pulse in my throat pounds so violently I have to smack my hand over it.

There’s got to be a reason why my instincts are in overdrive. I should call Daniel to ensure he’s all right.

I make a step toward the car to retrieve my mobile phone.

Robbie springs three quick steps forward. “What are you doing? We can’t go to your house yet.”

“I need to make a phone call to check on—” My words cut off as my gut coils into a ball. My palm goes to my stomach to quell the sting.

The intensity of my gut instinct has far surpassed bad juju levels tonight. There’s a whole fucking forest ofwhat the fucktrees taking root inside me.

“Why the fuck can’t I go home?”

He flings his straight arm in the direction of the store. “The girls. Are you leaving us here? What the fuck, man?”

For a solid five seconds, I study him more carefully than I’ve ever studied him. I’ve never felt compelled to look beneath the surface before.

I sure as hell do now.

He’s crawling out of his skin. More frantic lip-licking. His eyes dart around aimlessly, looking anywhere but at me. His entire frame visibly trembles as he shifts his body weight from side to side.

I put my hands on his arms to steady him. “Robbie, what the fuck are you on?”

“Nah. You know I don’t fuck around with that shit.” He shakes his head in an arc, timid at first, then more emphatically. “Nah, man. I’m good. It’s fine. You want to go to your house. That’s cool. My bad, dog. Let me hold your phone real quick.”

“Hold my phone?”

He motions toward the pager clipped to his jeans pocket. “Need to call someone back before we go to your place.”

The surge of discomfort pulsating through my body becomes so severe that I must physically shudder and shake myself out of it.

Everything inside me is telling me to check on Daniel.

I refuse to ignore it for another second.

Holding out my palm to Robbie, I seethe, “Hang on. I need to use it first.”

I slide into the driver’s seat and call my house. It rings until the answering machine picks up. “Daniel, it’s me. Pick up the phone. It’s me. I’m on my way home now. Pick up if you can hear this.Answer meee. I need to know if you’re okay. Come on, Daniel. Pick up.”

My heart thrashes while I wait for him to answer. He never does.

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