Page 37 of Gin & Jewels

“Okay. Do you know where it is?”

“I do.”

I walked away from the table, not sure what to do. What if I was right and everything Brad was doing was to get closer to me so I would open up? But if he were undercover, would he tell me his friends were cops? I didn’t think he would, but then I didn’t know him. We’d only beenfriendsfor a couple of days.

After I used the bathroom, I washed my hands and then stared into the mirror. What if Brad lied about everything? I was really starting to like him, and that kiss … fuck, that kiss was everything, but now I didn’t know what to think. Could I trust Brad? I didn’t know if I could trust anyone.

A knock on the door snapped me out of my daze. Not wanting to hog the bathroom any longer, I opened the door to find Brad was standing there.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I swallowed. “I’m not feeling well.”

He wrapped me in a hug, and I tensed. “Maybe we should have started with just one drink on your first night of drinking.”

“Maybe.”

“Do you want to go home?” He pulled his head back and looked down at me.

“Yes, but I can get an Uber or something.”

“I’ll drive you.”

“I can’t let you leave your friend’s wedding,” I stated. “They haven’t cut the cake yet.”

“Well, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with you leaving in a stranger’s car.”

“I’ll be fine. I promise.”

“Princess, I’m a gentleman. There’s no way I’m letting that happen.”

I wasn’t sure if I could be around him any longer. What if it was a trick somehow? What if the wedding wasn’t real? Every possible thing was going through my fuzzy head.

“Come on,” he continued. “Let’s go say goodbye, and then I’ll drive you home.”

“Okay.”

“DOYOU know who the fuck that was?” Micky yelled as soon as the door closed behind him. We were the only ones home because our other roommates were out doing whatever it was they were doing.

The guy did look familiar. “Who?”

“The guy I shot!”

I balked. “The jewelry store wannabe hero?”

“Yeah, that’s the only guy I’ve ever shot.”

“Technically, you shot me, not him, fucker.”

“Whatever. Why the fuck is Cassie hanging around with him?”

I took a deep breath. “I don’t know.”

“What if he’s a cop?”

I started to walk toward the kitchen for a beer as I spoke. “And you think Cassie is spilling the beans?”

“Maybe.”