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Her disappointment is written all over her face, and I chuckle.
“Pretty much, yeah. First out of necessity, but then also to spend more time together.”
And then we move on, just like that. Ruby fills me on everything I’ve missed at school and parties. I’m sure she embellishes a story or two, but I don’t even care. An hour later, my stomach hurts from all the laughter.
Tyler’s been sitting with us during his downtime, addinghis own juicy details to the latest school gossip whenever he can. It feels good to spend some time with my friends, although I can’t deny I already miss Phoenix like crazy.
Baby steps.
When Ruby finishes her drink, Tyler takes the empty cup and asks, “You want another one?”
She looks at her phone screen and back at him. “Are you still driving me to rehearsals?”
“Yeah. Shelly should be here any second to take over.” He points toward the front door, just as his colleague walks in. “Ah, there she is. Perfect timing.”
Ruby’s gaze swings to me. “Since Tyler’s playing chauffeur, I can stay another half an hour. Should we have one more?”
I nod and reach for my phone. “Sounds good. I’ll text Phoenix to let him know I’ll be ready in thirty minutes.”
Tyler returns with our drinks a few minutes later and slides in next to Ruby. “I’m officially done for the day. What did I miss?”
My bladder uses that moment to yell at me, and I groan. “I’ll be right back. Bathroom break.”
Tyler whispers something in Ruby’s ear, and I get up. Their hushed voices follow me all the way to the hallway in the corner, only cutting off when I step into the women’s restroom.
I take care of business and wash my hands when heeled footsteps sound outside the door. It opens a split second later, just as I turn to grab some hand towels, and something sharp pierces my neck.
“I’m so sorry, Evie,” are the last words I hear before someone catches me, and everything turns dark.
Chapter 37
Phoenix
When I walk into the café, I don’t see Eve anywhere. Ruby stands in the back, waving me over.
I glance past her into the hallway. The bathrooms are back here, as well as some storage rooms. “Where is she? Is she in the bathroom?”
My voice drips with frustration, although I know it’s not Ruby’s fault that I just got off the phone with my dad. He chewed me out for taking a vacation and said I’d never be successful with that lazy attitude. I never wanted to tell him to fuck off as much as I did just now. But as usual, he hung up before I could get a reply in. It’s always the same with him, and I’m sick of it.
Ruby shakes her head, glancing around the almost empty café while she toys with the hem of her shirt.
Unease trickles down my neck, and when her gaze finally meets mine, I stiffen.
Something isn’t right.
“What’s going on, Ruby?”
She blinks up at me once, twice, and whispers, “Something’s wrong with Evie, and I need you to come with me right now, okay? But you need to stay calm.”
My stomach churns, and I lean into her space. “Where the fuck is she?”
I have to clench my hands at my sides. It’s that or grabbing Ruby and shaking her until she tells me what’s going on. But I know I couldn’t be gentle, so I’d rather avoid that scenario, although I’m quickly getting to the point where I’m not sure I care.
Ruby jabs her thumb over her shoulder. “Out back. Come on.”
She doesn’t wait for my reaction, just spins on her heels, walks down the hallway toward the emergency exit, and pushes it open. Light filters in, momentarily blinding me until I follow her out, and my eyes adjust.
A quick look around makes one thing abundantly clear: no Eve.