Page 89 of Black Jack (Advantage Play 5)

“Hello?” he croaks, his voice rusty from sleep.

“Where is she?” I growl.

“She’s gone––”

“Bullshit. Let me talk to her.”

“She’s gone, Jack. And she wants to stay hidden for the time being. Can you just…can you give her some space? It’s the middle of the night––”

Grinding my teeth, I hang up the phone before rushing toward my car with my keys in hand. The drive to Wallace Embry’s house doesn’t take long, but every mile feels like ten. Like I’m driving in slow motion. Like there’s a timer counting down, and if I don’t get there fast enough, then she won’t forgive me. And I won’t be able to save her from sacrificing herself for my sorry ass.

My knuckles tighten in protest as I pound against Embry’s front door. If he doesn’t hurry, I’m gonna get my ass thrown in prison for disturbing the peace, but I don’t give a shit anymore. I just need to see her.

“Open up,” I yell.

A furious Embry answers a few seconds later in a pair of light blue striped pajamas that I have no doubt Melissa purchased for him. With his arms crossed over his chest, he leans his shoulder against the doorjamb and looks me up and down like a pissed off security guard.

“She’s not here,” he announces.

“Bullshit.”

“She isn’t.”

“I don’t believe you. Bianca!” I yell, trying to look around Embry’s massive frame. “Bianca, are you in there?”

“Will you shut the hell up?” Embry seethes. “It’s three in the morning.”

“Then you should probably let me inside so we can chat,” I return.

Going chest-to-chest with Embry, I glance around him and find a pair of warm blue eyes peeking back at me from the back of the hall.

“Melissa?” I call out. “Is she here? I need to talk to her. Please––”

“You’re on thin ice right now, Connelly,” Embry growls.

“Melissa, please,” I beg. “I screwed up. Bad. I need to talk to her. I need to apologize. I––”

Embry pushes me back a step. “I’m serious, Connelly––”

“I saw the way you looked at her,” Melissa interrupts him. Her bathrobe flutters around her calves as she pulls it closer to her chest. With a teacup in hand, she glides toward me like a guardian angel who’s willing to go to bat for my pathetic ass, and I’ve never been more grateful.

Embry sighs and moves out of the entrance without waiting for her command. Giving him a warm smile, she touches his arm and rests her head against his shoulder.

“How did you know she’d be here?” Melissa asks me. Her expression is soft and inviting, the exact opposite of her other half who’s busy glaring daggers at me. If only I gave a shit.

The toy bag hangs at my side as I shift my weight between my feet and hold her gaze, surprised when she doesn’t let me in.

It seems Bianca has inherited two guard dogs instead of one.

“I figured that if your husband came home to give you an update on Bianca, you’d insist she come stay with you so that you could both keep an eye on her. I’d bet she threw a fit, and told you that she could take care of herself, but you didn’t listen.”

“You know her well.” Melissa smiles before I watch it fade away. “But I’m afraid today seemed to break her spirit in a way that will take time to heal. Bianca’s strong. She just needs some space to piece herself back together again.”

“Wise words,” I mutter. “But I’m afraid that if I give her space, she’ll come to her senses and won’t ever give me another chance. She doesn’t have to piece herself back together by herself even though I did a shitty job of showing that to her. I just…can I talk to her? Please?”

She rocks back on her heels then nods. “I’ll go ask her and see what she says. Wait here.”

Melissa heads up the stairs while I watch helplessly from the porch.

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