Page 77 of Shattering Nash

She opened the door, holding it for Keely as she passed through.

Keely held up the bag with the shirt. “Thanks for the loan.”

“Anytime,” Charley said as they stepped on to the sidewalk. “Have a great…” She clamped her lips when a car slowed down passing them. There were three people inside, but she was solely focused on the driver, who stared her down. Charley’s heart raced, and she stilled, watching it slowly pass by.

Zeke.

One or two run-ins could’ve been deemed coincidence, but clearly he wasn’t just passing by.He’s following me.

“Fucking creeper,” Keely said, completely unaffected.

Meanwhile, Keely was on the verge of having a panic attack. She rubbed the center of her chest as her breath labored.

“Hey.” Keely grabbed her arm. “What’s wrong?”

Charley was completely prepared to brush it off. The last thing she wanted was to drag her best friend into her colossal mess of a life.

“You’re about to lie to me.”

Charley spun around, and Keely grasped her forearms. “I can tell. You’re gonna give me some bullshit story about how it’s nothing, and I shouldn’t worry.”

What the… How the heck did she know that?

“You’re my best friend, Charley. Don’t lie to me.”

Shit.Her shoulders sagged, and she drew in a breath. The car had made a right at the corner and disappeared from sight. For now.

“Remember that night when you came over to get ready for the X-Lounge?”

“Yeah.”

“And that guy that was there?”

Keely looked down the street then back to her. She shot out her arm. “Was that him? Is he following you?”

“I don’t know,” she muttered.

“Well, who the hell is he?”

Charley swallowed the knot in her throat, knowing once she told Keely, her friend would go into panic mode. “Cody’s dealer.”

“What?” Keely widened her eyes.

“That night when you came over, he was there because he says Cody was holding something for him, which I can only assume was drugs. He tore up his room but couldn’t find it. And I swear, when I moved, there was nothing there. But this is the second time I’ve seen him since then. I think he’s trying to scare me.”

It’s working.

“Have you told Nash?”

Charley was taken aback by the question.

“No,” Charley blurted.

“Why not? If this guy is threatening you, you should tell Nash.”

“And bring this guy into Nash’s life? No way. Keely, he’s a drug dealer. Nash is a businessman. I don’t want to jeopardize his job or reputation with this.”

“But if you’re together…”

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