Lib Novel Page 17
I grinned. “Sounds great.”
We left the apartment and made our way to my car—a beat-up little thing that had seen better days. I hadn’t driven it since before Nathan took me–a lifetime ago–but somehow it still coughed to life, and we headed towards a cafe that wasn’t too far from our apartment.
The drive was short, filled with Erika’s chatter about her latest fling and the antics of her coworkers. I tried to focus on her words rather than the gnawing guilt eating at me–not just over Tyler, over everything.
Definitely over Nathan.
Was there something wrong with me for feeling worse about hurting Nathan’s feelings than dismembering and burying Tyler Matthews?
…also a definite yes.
“Here we are,” I announced as I parked haphazardly beside the curb. The small coffee shop ahead was nothing special, but it was neutral territory, away from prying eyes and ears.
“Perfect,” Erika said, hopping out. “Nothing like caffeine to sort out whatever mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“Or bury it under a mountain of sugar and whipped cream,” I added with a weak grin.
“Exactly!” She linked her arm with mine as we walked in, the bell above the door jingling our arrival.
“Two lattes, extra shots, and all the toppings you’ve got,” Erika ordered, sliding onto a barstool with the ease of someone who’d done it a thousand times before.
“Coming right up,” the barista said with a smile, and Erika blushed as he winked at her.
“He was cute,” she whispered. “Like…definitely cute, right?”
I wasn’t paying attention to the barista. I was only thinking about Nathan.
“Abby, earth to Abby!” Erika’s voice snapped me back to reality.
“Sorry,” I murmured, forcing myself to focus on the moment and the friend who knew nothing of the darkness that was closing in around me. “Just thinking about what to do for Nathan.”
We retrieved our coffees after her name was called and sat down at the same table. I was half hoping that Erika had forgotten about my guy trouble when she cleared her throat and leaned forward, eyes wide and hungry for gossip. “So are you going to go into specifics or are you going to keep being cryptic about all this?” Erika leaned forward, her elbows on the table, her concern as clear as day. “Like…you two got in a fight, right?”
“I’m not trying to be cryptic. I’m just trying to untangle this myself,” I said. “He’s got trust issues, like I said.”
“That’s rough.” She grimaced sympathetically. “But also…well, vague.”
I couldn’t exactly tell her that the reason he had trust issues was because I’d hidden that I was an FBI agent from him and that I intended to take down his entire operation, so I made up a story right then and there.
“But there’s history there, you know? His ex did a number on him—lied about everything from her name to her past.”
“Damn, that’s cold.” Erika’s eyes widened. “No wonder the guy’s got walls higher than Alcatraz.”
I nodded, silently thankful she bought the story. It wasn’t entirely false—Nathan’s world was full of deceit and betrayal. She just didn’t need to know I was part of it.
I was the ex…and the girlfriend…and maybe the not-so-undercover cop.
“Anyway,” I tried to shift away from the topic, “I just need to figure out how to make things right.”
“Wait, how is the ex thing your fault?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink. “I mean, the ex thing is really shitty, but how does that affect you?”
“Well, like I said, he’s a complicated man. He freaked out over a little thing—“ Finding out I was an FBI agent and then killing my handler— “But with his past, I’m trying to give him some grace.”
“Aw, you’re so sweet,” she said. “So what are you going to do?”
“Maybe give him something he likes?” I ventured. “I mean, that seems like a good start.”
“Knowing what he likes is absolutely a good start,” Erika suggested, always the practical one.