Page 90 of Brittle Heart

My head spins to look at her. “I don’t regret it,” I almost shout. “It was the best damn kiss I’ve ever had.”

She shakes her head disapprovingly. “Well, that’s not what your face said.”

I stand, pushing my chair back. “Which bar does she work at? Do you know?” I ask. “I need to talk to her.”

Clay and Sophia both stand as well. “She only said it’s in Harlem.” Sophia scratches the back of her head.

“Just text or call her,” Clay says.

“I swear I am going to punch both of you. You don’t just text after something like this,” Sophia points out.

Clay places a hand on my shoulder. “Looks like we’ll be going on a bar-hopping adventure tonight to check some liquor licenses.” He winks at me.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE

Josh

After the eighth bar in Harlem, Carolina is still nowhere to be found.

“Fuck!” I shout, tugging at my hair. “It’s already past one. What if she’s finished her shift? Why didn’t we ever ask her where she works?”

Clay exhales sharply. “Because we’re total idiots, remember? That’s why we’re doing this in the first place.”

“What’s the next spot? We’re continuing, right?”

“Of course we are.” He checks his phone and says, “Next up is that dive called Donny’s.”

I grimace. “Let’s hope we don’t catch an STD just by walking in.”

Clay chuckles as we head over, and thankfully, the drive is short. With each passing minute we don’t find her, my nerves rise to a new level.

He opens the grimy door for us. As we enter, I scan the poorly lit bar through the crowd of rowdy, drunk patrons and spot Carolina standing next to a tall blonde girl.

“Wa… sh out, the cops’re here!” a customer slurs loudly.

Both Carolina and the blonde turn their heads our way. Shock spreads across Carolina’s face before she swiftly turns and disappears through a door behind the bar.

“Yep, you fucked up.” Clay laughs beside me. “I’ll chat with the blonde. You go find our girl.”

I give him a sour look for referring to Carolina as ‘our’ girl but head toward the bar anyway. I wait until Clay starts flashing his dazzling smile at the blonde, who’s already giggling, and I slip through the door Carolina just used.

I find myself in a kitchen where two guys are staring at me.

“Carolina?” I ask. The bigger of the two guys nods in the direction of another door. I thank him and navigate my way through it to find her standing with her back to me in a corridor, her forehead resting against a locker.

“Carolina…” I begin, but she jumps, whipping around to face me.

“What are you doing here?” She hisses, surprise flashing in her eyes.

I close the distance between us, stopping when we’re just a few feet apart. “We’re doing rounds to check the liquor licenses of the bars in Harlem,” I say, and her face falls slightly.Is she disappointed?“Yeah…” I nod, looking directly into her eyes. “It’s a good cover, but it took us nine bars to find you.”

Her gaze widens in surprise. “Why?” she asks, her voice a whisper.

Carolina’s eyes start to well with tears, and a single one trails down her cheek. I reach out and gently wipe it away with my thumb as I step closer. She leans back against the locker, nowhere to go.

“Because that kiss meant everything to me. I need another one. I need a thousand more. And I still think that wouldn’t be enough,” I tell her, my gaze fixed on hers.

Her breath hitches as I gently tilt her chin upward and slowly close the distance between us. Our lips meet, the kiss tender at first, as I give her time to relax into my touch. Her hands move to rest on my hips, and I move my hand from her chin to cup her neck.

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