Page 43 of I'm Not in Love (I Promise)

“Of course, you bloody idiot. It’s my fault you almost died.” He unwraps his sandwich and takes a bite, keeping his eyes low. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

“Fuck ups happen,” I say, squeezing his shoulder. “Next time we plan better, that’s all.”

“At least we have Blake now,” Jasper says. “She patched me up nice.”

That’s my woman.

“She did do a good job,” Leon says. “Everything going okay with her?” They both stare me down. It’s not like I fuck up that much. Some women haven’tlovedsome of my tendencies. But that just meant they weren’t the one.

“Everything’s great. She’ll be by this week to check up on Jas. I actually have a favor to ask though.” He chews a bite of his sandwich slowly while a smug grin starts to form.

“What is it? You need help setting up cameras in her house? Didn’t Jasper do that already?”

Jasper’s distracted on his phone and doesn’t hear his name mentioned. “It’s not that. I need help finding someone. I tried last night with the information that I have but came up short.”

He crosses his arms over his chest and leans back. “So what you’re saying is… you need help from the master?”

“I refuse to call you that,” I huff.

He chuckles, all arrogant and obnoxious. This is why Jasper’s my favorite. For today. Until he pisses me off too.

“I’m just messing with you. Grab my computer. I’ll find whoever it is.”

It takes Leon less than ten minutes to find our guy. I hate to admit it, but he is the master. He won’t hear it from my lips, though.

“Why did you need to find this guy?” he asks while I take down all the information on my phone. Jasper’s ears perk up too.

“He hurt Blake and I’m gonna make him regret it.” There’s no beating around the bush. That’s what it is, plain and simple. You hurt what’s mine and you face the consequences.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Leon says. “Shouldn’t you be watching the club today?”

“I forgot to tell you, I got in touch with that PI, Ray. He’s in. I gave him a brief update on the phone but told him you’d get in touch from a more secure device.”

“That’s good,” Jasper says. “I know he didn’t find much at first but maybe he’s gotten better.”

“I suppose it can’t hurt. Just try not to get too distracted. We need you.” Leon’s smug expression turns serious and I nod.

“Don’t worry, finding Bailey is still my top priority. She’s my little sister too, in every way that matters.” Saying it out loud makes a nice, fat pang of guilt grow heavy in my gut. It’s selfish to want time with Blake when I should keep my focus on Bailey. I know that. But she came out of left field and I can’t let her go. I refuse to. She’s under my skin, running through my veins, squeezing my heart until I’m weak. When I’m not near her, I physically ache. It’s not a choice anymore. I have to be with Blake. If we need to make accommodations to our plans then so be it.

Jasper stands and slowly stretches his shoulders with a groan. “So, who are we killing today?”

Lucky for me,Trevor lives a few towns north in the next county. If I had to travel far that wouldn’t be ideal, not when I had plans with Blake tonight.

“So this Trevor guy was friends with Blake’s brother when they were teenagers and he…” Jasper gestures with his hands rather than saying his thoughts out loud.

“Groomed her and assaulted her. You can say it, Jas. Letting it out will help you when we see his greasy face.” I grip the wheel like I’m pulling a trigger. “I’m gonna need you to keep me calm. You know I can get carried away.”

“Bro, you should have brought Leon. You know I’ve never been the ‘calm down’ friend. I met Blake once and that’s enough for me to want to end this piece of shit. Hell, even if Blake wasa complete stranger, I’d still take pleasure in watching the light seep out of his eyes.” Jasper cracks his neck, then his knuckles one by one. He’s right, I should have made Leon come. The two of us unchecked will result in major fuckery.

“Simmer down, killer. I know you’ve been cooped up but we need to be smart. We’re going into a high school, can’t just fucking murder a guy there.”

“What if Leon jams the security cameras? Then can we?” He sounds like a little kid asking for a cookie.

I massage my aching temple and groan. “Christ, I don’t know… maybe? Call him and see if he’s free to help.”

How did I suddenly become the responsible one in this situation?

We pull up to Blake’s old high school. Turns out the Trevor I found during my own search—Mr. Janitor Of The Year—isthe guy I was looking for. Interesting that he’s still sticking around fourteen year old girls.

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