Page 58 of His Pretty Little Lies
“Yeah, maybe don’t go around saying that right now,” I tell her.
“Let’s see how far it’s gone.” Laurie hurries around her desk, turning on her computer. We step back to give her room. She logs into the system. “I remember her name and the date she came in. It stuck with me.” We watch as she searches for a Penelope Parker.
“Oh my God,” Laurie whispers loudly when nothing comes up. She quickly reaches into the drawer, grabbing one of the notebooks and flipping through it. When she finds the page, she turns it to show us. Kinsley takes it. I pull out my phone and snap a picture of it.
“You’re giving me the information.” There’s no missing the surprise in Kinsley’s voice that her mom is handing it over.
“You’re a bright girl, Kinsley. You’re curious, as I am; we’re just curious about different things. Giving you this is the least I can do.” She glances at me. “And I suppose you’ll get to see if this Jax is what he’s claiming to be to you.” This doesn’t even put a dent in making up for being absent from Kinsley’s life, but at least it’s a start in the right direction.
“Thank you,” Kinsley tells her.
“I would like to be kept updated, and I’ll do the same if anything comes through our ER again.” Kinsley glances at me.
“That’s a good idea,” I tell her as her phone starts to go off.
“I have to get back to the ER.” Laurie stands. “Be careful. I do love you.” Kinsley nods, her eyes filling with unshed tears. Laurie's attention turns to me. “Don’t hurt her. I know the Marinos aren’t all bad. I have worked in this hospital for a long time.” Aka, she knows shit.
“I’ll protect her with my life.”
“Thank you.” She gives Kinsley one last look before she hurries out of her office.
“That wasn’t what I expected.” She turns to face me.
“I think she likes me.” I smirk, making Kinsley burst into laughter. “So we’ll move your stuff in.” That only makes her laugh harder. Not sure why that's so funny, but she’s not saying no. I’ll take it.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
KINSLEY
There is a giant weight that has been lifted off my shoulders. I shouldn’t be so chipper right now, but I’m riding a small high. That all went really well. Better than I could have hoped for. But it does go to show how little I know my mother if I couldn’t have guessed how she’d respond, but I have this glimmer of hope that things could change for us.
“Where are we?” I ask as we pull up to a fenced gate. It starts to open on its own. We’re in another warehouse district, this one across town. It’s also a lot nicer and clearly in use, unlike the last one.
“We need to figure out who this girl is and where to find her.” Jax pulls through the gate and down toward a warehouse.
“And we do that here?”
“This is our turf,” he tells me.
“I thought the whole city and possibly state was your turf?” I laugh.
“I meant the Marino next gen. Mac calls this place ‘Incognito.’”
“Oh, like a club?”
“I suppose.” He shrugs. There is a giant bay door that opens. Jax drives up the ramp inside, where there are a few other carsparked, as well as motorcycles. Those fast ones, I think they call them crotch rockets. “It’s our home away from home.”
Jax hops out, coming around to open the door for me. “I’ll introduce you.” He slides his hand into mine, linking our fingers, guiding me deeper into the warehouse.
“Oh wow,” I say when we enter a bigger space. It is entirely open concept, arranged more like a spacious living room or perhaps resembling a loft. The main area has a handful of desks with computers and another area with a massive television and couches and chairs. Off to one side is a simple kitchen.
Damon stands when he sees us. Naomi glances up from the tablet in her hand. There are two others. I recognize Eros. I have seen him in passing before, and I can only guess that the redhead is Mac, the daughter of Marks and Ronan. That red hair gives her away. I find her the most intriguing. She's the one they always reach out to for information, which makes her badass in my mind.
“I filled them in on everything,” Damon tells us. Have I entered a secret society or an arm of the FBI? That’s the vibe I’m getting from this space. When I think the Marinos can’t get more interesting, they continue to surprise me.
“Hi.” I give a small wave with my free hand. Eros' empty expression doesn’t change, nor does he respond. Okay, guess he’s not the talkative type.
“It’s about time I got to meet you.” Mac stands, coming over toward me. “I’m Mac.”
