Page 82 of Trigger

Weleft my apartment and climbed down the stairs as I reminded myself of the plan:in and out. We would stay there for half an hour, and then we wouldleave.

“Hello,”Vic said merrily when Tye opened the door, handing him a bottle of DomPerignon. “Welcome, Tye. We’re glad to have you in the neighborhood.”

“Thanks,sweetheart,” he said before looking at me. “Carter.”

“Thorsen,”I said, passing by him.

Ignoringhim was one thing, but the Hawaiian shirt with the starfish imprint he put on?Honestly, where was he finding those?

Shellyran up to us, flushed in the face. “Carter! Wanna get wasted?”

“God,yes,” I replied honestly, looking around the crowded room. “Wow, everyone came,huh?”

Shellyled us to the table filled with booze, cookies, snacks, and homemade food.

“Theword got around,” she said, handing me a shot of what looked like scotch. “EvenChief Bibb showed up. Vic, wine for you?”

“Yes,please.”

Shellyand I drank up, while Vic eyed her wine with a frown, probably because itwasn’t the price range she had been accustomed to.

“Hey,who brought the outdoor two-seater?” I said, stepping out on the balcony.

“ChiefBibb,” Shelly replied. “The king-size bed in the bedroom, too. His cousin madeit.”

Ichuckled because Chief Bibb was super stingy, so it was a nice surprise. Then Ifelt goosebumps springing over my back even before I heard a low voice behindme.

“Carter,can we talk?”

Evenif he didn’t say anything, I would know it was him just by my body’s reaction.

“No.”

“Please.”

“Ihave nothing to say to you.”

Heopened his mouth to speak when Bruce showed up.

“Tye,please get inside before Adam breaks the TV. He’s in one of his moods.”

“TV isnot working,” Tye growled, rushing inside. “I told him that.”

Afterhe’d left, I spotted a half-empty bottle of scotch next to the railing. Ireached for it and took a sip, only to notice my balcony on the floor above me.I remembered how Tye brought the fertilizer the other day and kept the orchidsalive. It made me realize that our argument, if you could even call it that,was pure idiocracy. He did what he did in Nirvana with the best of intentions.Holding a grudge against him was just stupid, because… I missed him. I missedhis appalling dressing style, his stupid humor, his damn flirting—all of it. Imissed him like hell. And the more I drank, the more I was willing to admit itto myself.

Whenit started to rain, I came back inside, dizzy from all the scotch that I drank.Shelly and Bruce were on their phones, while Vicky sat on the armchair next tothem, deep asleep.

“Toomuch vodka,” Shelly explained. “She didn’t like the wine, so she switched tovodka, claiming that the alcohol in it killed the taste.”

“Hey,Vic,” I murmured, caressing her hand. “Do you want to go home?”

“Lether sleep it off in the bedroom.” The low baritone behind me said. “Don’t gojust yet.”

His suddenappearance made my heart skip a beat.

“Bed,”Vic muttered, burping. “God, yes. I would kill for a bed right now.”

“Okay,”I said with a sigh. “Let’s get you to bed then.”

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