Page 140 of Don't Let Me Go (Don't Let Me 2)

She hooks her arm into the crook of Colt’s elbow and rests her head on his shoulder. “He didn’t want to stress you out.”

“Why would it stress me out?” I stand up and pull Colt into an awkward hug since the bastard’s still sitting. “I’m so happy for you, Colt!”

His chest rumbles with amusement as he hugs me back. “Thanks, Blake.”

“So when did they reach out to you?” I pull away from him and return to my seat. “I know Theo’s been dying to hear from some of the teams.”

Colt frowns and looks at Theo, whose eyes are practically bulging from his skull.

“I, uh,” Colt clears his throat. “I don’t know?”

“Sorry I’m late,” Kate apologizes, interrupting our conversation.

She isn’t. The waitress has barely delivered our drinks, and we haven’t even ordered our meals yet, let alone the fact Macklin’s still a no-show. The girl looks like a jittery ball of nerves with a side of exhaustion. Not quite sure how she’s able to pull off two contradictory emotions, but she’s doing it in spades. Her hair is a mess, and her shirt is slightly skewed as she unzips her jacket and collapses into the chair across from me like a sack of potatoes while bouncing her leg up and down beneath the table like the Energizer Bunny.

“You’re totally fine,” Ash replies.

“Actually, scratch that,” I interject. My gaze narrows, and I study her carefully as I sit back in my chair. “Are you totally fine?”

She rolls her eyes and reaches for the glass of wine in front of Mia. Once she swallows half its contents, she sets it back on the table without bothering to apologize for stealing Mia’s drink.

“Sure. What’s mine is yours,” Mia jests.

But it’s as if Kate doesn’t even hear her. She’s too busy chewing on her thumbnail.

“Okay, seriously. What’s wrong?” Mia demands.

“I ran into Wes,” Kate mutters.

With a grimace, I exchange worried glances with Ash and Mia as Ash prods, “And?”

“And he was on a date with someone else.” She sniffles, then clears her throat. “I got to serve him and his new…girl for the last forty-five minutes. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly comfortable.”

“Yikes,” I mutter.

Leaning toward me, Theo keeps his voice low and asks, “Who’s Wes? What’d I miss?”

Mia asks another question, but I don’t hear what it is as I answer Theo, “I’ll tell you later.”

“At least he tipped me well,” Kate mentions, her tone laced with acid. “The jerk owes me that much.”

Her fidgeting grows more frantic, her eyelids fluttering as she stares at the white linen napkin in front of her.

“You…sure you’re okay?” I prod.

But she doesn’t answer.

“You guys,” I whisper, my gaze darting around the table as a rush of adrenaline floods my system.

Something’s wrong.

“Kate? Honey?” Ash tries to get her attention. She touches Kate’s arm, her worry heightening and matching my own.

“Shit,” I whisper.

“What’s going on?” Theo asks. He can feel the tension swirling the same way my roommates and I can.

“Kate?” Colt demands sharply, as if he hopes a stern voice will be enough to snap Kate out of whatever she’s going through.

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