Page 101 of The Trade

With the dawn comes a semblance of sobriety, enough to get my hungover self out of bed by nine. A shower helps, washing away last night’s regrets, scrubbing clean the past month’s mistakes until my skin is nearly raw. Cleaned up and dressed, I head straight to Jade’s place.

If she tells me to get lost . . . if she says that this is over for good, then I’ll have no choice but to respect that. But I’m not throwing in the towel just yet. Not until she gives the final verdict.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady the adrenaline coursing through me. I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans, and with shaky resolve, I knock on her front door.

Shannon answers almost instantly.

“Oh, West,” she says, disappointment clouding her face. “Good morning.”

“Hey, Shan,” I say, my voice tense, words shooting out like bullets. My gaze slips past her, scanning the apartment for Jade. “Could you maybe ask Jade if she’ll see me? If she’s up for it.”

Her brows knit together, a soft sigh escaping her. “She’s, uh—she’s not home, West,” she says, shifting uncomfortably on her feet. “I sort of assumed she’d be with you.”

My heart jolts. “She didn’t tell you about our breakup?”

She presses her lips into a flat line. “She did.”

Disoriented, I struggle to find my footing in this conversation. “Okay, then,” I manage, my voice heavy with confusion. “I guess I’ll give it another shot later.”

“No, you don’t understand ...” She trails off, a shadow crossing her face. “Jade didn’t spend the night here.”

“What do you mean? She didn’t come back home last night?”

“No, she came home,” she quickly clarifies. “But she didn’t stay. She said she couldn’t bear it here.”

The world seems to tilt on its axis. “God.” My hand skates across my forehead, pressing into the tension lines. “This is all on me.”

“No, it’s on me,” she says, her eyes darkening with a sorrow I hadn’t seen before. “I messed up big-time.”

With a bitter chuckle, I stand a little straighter, my back going rigid. “Well, welcome to the club. What did you do?”

She seems to shrink, her eyes dropping to the floor. “I’d rather not get into it.”

“Then can you at least tell me where she stayed last night?”

“I have no clue,” she says, her voice dropping to an uneasy whisper. “She turned her phone off. Radio silence since then.”

I swear under my breath. “She’s ... she’s safe, right?”

“Jade can handle herself,” she says, yet her voice carries a tremor. “But, yeah, I can’t help but worry.”

I draw in another slow, steadying breath, my mind tumbling into a dark place. Had she picked up a stranger from a bar? Or, worse, was she lying somewhere hurt and alone? My chest aches at the possibilities.

“Should we do something?” I ask, frustration gnawing at my edges.

Her eyes flit toward the living room. “Want to come in? Maybe wait for her?”

I stiffen, shaking my head. “It’s probably best if we don’t ambush her.”

“You’re right. I can always try—”

Her words are cut short by a derisive scoff. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

I whirl around, coming face-to-face with Jade. She’s strung out, twisted curls falling out of her loose ponytail. She’s wearing mismatched pajamas, and her eyes tell a tale of a sleepless night, red-rimmed and shadowed. Yet, even in this disheveled state, she remains the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

Her gaze is a storm, her steps purposeful as she maneuvers around me, entering her apartment like a force of nature.

“Jade,” Shannon breathes out, relief evident. “We were so worried about you.”

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