“What’s going on?” Mel asks after dragging me all the way to the staff room. I walk into the laundry room, happy to see my things are still there, nice and dry.
“So,” I say, picking up my clothes and shoes and stuffing them into a bag when I hear her shuffle into the small space behind me. “Do you have any relatives in Blackwood?”
I wait, peeking into the corners and behind the shelves, like I’ve lost something, just to avoid looking back at her.
“Of course. I was born here,” she says. Her hands are on her hips when I finally turn around. Her eyes studying my every move.
“Okay. That’s good.” I exhale, taking her hand in mine and guiding her back into the main area, before sitting her down on a chair. “Can you stay with them? After work tonight?”
“What? Why?”
“I think someone broke into our apartment.” I squeeze her hand. “Like ninety per cent certain it was ours. Someone was waiting on our floor and considering the front door was unlocked, I doubt they had difficulty unlocking the apartmentdoor. I mean, they could have been waiting for the neighbour across the hall—”
“That apartment is empty,” Mel cuts in, white as a sheet. “Why do you think they were there and what did they want? Was it me? You?”
“Honestly, Mel? I have no clue. Maybe they were the bus station guard’s friends? Whatever it is, the apartment is not safe, and I need you to stay somewhere else.”
“Okay. We could go to my parents tonight, then figure something out later.”
I squeeze her hand, my heart filling with a sensation I’ve never felt before. Someone wants me to be safe. Someone needs me.
“Not tonight, babe. I’ve got somewhere safe I can stay and if they’re after me, I don’t want you anywhere near me.”
“You’re right. I don’t want you to be in danger, either. Maybe instead of my parents, I should call my cheating ex,” she muses, making me laugh.
“That’s the spirit. We’ll touch base tomorrow and figure out our next step. For now, it’s probably best if you say you’ve got a headache and need to leave early, then get someone to drive you to your parents. Or your ex,” I add with a smile while inwardly cringing at the fact I’ve becomethatperson. The one who says things like ‘touch base’ and ‘circle back to this topic at a later date’.
“Cheating scumbag.” She nods. “Maybe we should tell Luca, or Dante?”
“No!” I exclaim.
“Okay, I got it.” She grins. “No hot boss involvement.”
“He’s not…” I don’t like to lie, so I roll my eyes instead.
“A boss?” Mel burst into laughter.
“Fine, so he’s a ten, but his personality makes him a two.”
She purses her lips, trying to control herself. “Oh, youmean, the brooding, the charm and the way his eyes follow you hungrily?”
“Yup, like a bear stalking the prey it’s about to pounce on and eat.”
She falls over laughing, holding onto her stomach as she giggles uncontrollably. It’s a sight—the snorts, the flushed face, the delirious look in her eyes and the mascara running down her cheeks. At this point, I doubt anyone will question whether she should go home. She gulps in a lungful of air. “I bet.”Laugh, laugh. “He wants to pounce on you.”Laugh, laugh, laugh. “And eat your puss—”
“Mel!” I cover her mouth with my hand, my eyes huge.
“Meow!” she screeches from behind my hand, still giggling.
“He does not!”
She starts making purring noises that come out more like a moped that gave up on life, but I know her game.
“I’m gonna tell Luca you have a crush on him.” I resort to the only blackmail I have in my arsenal.
She instantly freezes as her eyes narrow to slits. “I’ll tell Dante you said his abs were lickable.”
I gasp. “I was drunk!”