Page 124 of The Drummer

“Shit.” I catch the familiar silhouette of my fake ex-girlfriend turned stalker laughing with her friends on the other side of the restaurant.

Tonight was supposed to be about celebration and relaxation. The staff at 49th& Finch have been beyond accommodating since we arrived—until they seated Jana and friends in my direct line of sight.

“Oh, man. Sorry, Case. You want to leave?” Luke says, following my gaze.

Yes.

But we’ve been promising Callie a visit to our favorite hangout in this city for a while, and I’m not letting Jana ruin yet another experience for her.

“Nah, it’s fine. Maybe she won’t see us.”

Luke’s snort echoes the doubt in my head. “Jana Furmali? That woman has a freaking radar for you.”

I shoot him a hard look. “Yeah. And thanks for inviting her to your little get-together, by the way. She practically tackled me.”

His eyes narrow on me in irritation. “Of course I didn’t invite her. She must have come with Davis and Kane.”

Davis and Kane… Those social leeches aren’t exactly besties of ours either, but there’s no point having this argument now.

I pick at the stitching in the cloth napkin, forcing away thoughts of our last few volatile encounters. Things are only going to get worse once Orin goes public with the truth about our highly publicized “romance.”

A soft hand plucks mine from the napkin, and some of the tension falls away. I can’t guess how Callie is going to take the news about my fake romance, but the longer I go without saying something, the harder it will be. Maybe tonight. Or…

She tugs gently to draw my attention. I twist a quick smile. I can’t come clean to Callie here. Not in front of the guys with the object of my torment within visual range.

“Sorry,” I mumble. “She’s just…”

Bitter. Vindictive.

“Persistent,” Eli interjects.

It’s the perfect out.

“Yeah, persistent,” I confirm. “We went out a couple times a few months ago and she will not let go. I told her it wasn’t going to happen.”

It’s not really a lie. Neither is anything I’ve said about the woman. What it became is exactly what it looks like. It’s just how it started that hasn’t been entirely transparent.

“I picked up on that at the party,” Callie says, and a cold feeling washes through me. When my gaze jumps to her, her expression softens with understanding. “I’m not worried,” she says, squeezing my hand.

I don’t know what to do with her understanding response. In our scheming world of jealousy and exploitation, we’re not used to being given the benefit of the doubt. I can’t help but brush my lips on hers.

“Dude, she just saw you,” Sweeny hisses.

I breathe a curse when Jana’s gaze locks on me. To my horror, she pushes up from her chair and starts in our direction.

Callie must read my panic, because when I ask her to let me kiss her again, she seems more than happy to play along. And based on her vigorous acting, I’m guessing she’s enjoying staking her claim as well. Maybe if Jana sees I’m serious about someone else, she’ll finally move on.

“Hey, guys! So good to see you!” Jana says, forcing Callie and me apart.

I can tell by the bite in her tone this is not going to go well for me.

“Jana, how’s it going?” Sweeny says blandly.

“Great! Good.” Her sharp stare cuts into me. “Casey, how have you been?”

Somehow I manage a twist of the lips. “Fine.”

Callie grips my fingers, and I hold up our joined hands for Jana to see. “Hey, did you get a chance to meet my girlfriend Callie at Luke’s place last week?”

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