Page 37

Chapter Thirty-Six

M arlee wasn’t winning a Golden Globe anytime soon. Her attempt to comfort Eva and I by stating she had a headache was ridiculously over-performed. My skin crawled with the need to follow her to bed and ask her more questions. Press her for answers on what exactly had happened in the five minutes I was gone. But after going behind her back last time, I was trying to follow her lead and that meant trusting her when she said she was fine. Even when I knew she wasn’t.

Her breathing was steady when I came to bed last night so I’d pulled her to me and cocooned her in my arms as I did every other night she was here, wondering what the hell happened. Eva said the transformation was instantaneous. One second she was washing the dishes, the next her face lost all colour and it was as though she saw a ghost.

And now, despite trying to busy myself at the club, I couldn’t concentrate for shit because this morning she said she still had a headache .

I knew I couldn’t go in guns blazing and demand she tell me because there was the chance she did have a fucking headache – a bullshit small chance if I was being realistic but a chance all the same.

Although, my gut told me there was more to it and the fear that she would find herself in trouble and try to manage things on her own was palpable.

I gave her the space she wanted last night and didn’t push her this morning but the damn phone stared at me all night enticing me to just check for myself. I couldn’t breach her privacy again though, which was why I was now pacing the floor of the club waiting for both Andy and Wayne to arrive.

I was stumped. I’d read over the information on Lucas more times than I could count and still had no idea what I was missing. Nothing made sense. He was a decrepit, desperate piece of shit, but I couldn’t argue with the fact none of the phones he owned showed contact with Marlee. I wanted to call her, tell her to come home from work and stay with me until she was able to open up and talk. Even just to hear her voice. She still hadn’t replied to my earlier message wishing her a good day though so she wasn’t going to answer my calls.

Either she was busy or I’d unknowingly messed up.

When the door to Nexus finally opened to Andy with Arna and Felicity hot on his heels, I threw my hands in the air.

“I didn’t realise I invited the entire city?” I was never one to mince my words but Andy only grinned in response.

“Sorry, bro. There was no other option. I’ll keep her calm,” he had the decency to at least look contrite.

“You’re dreaming if you think you can call him because you’re worried about my best-friend and not tell me.” Her hands were flailing as she stamped her foot punctuating her point. Andy shrugged apologetically in my direction, before smiling at her adoringly. For fuck sake .

“I thought you were going to keep her calm?” It was clear that Andy bloody loved the fire in her and wasn’t about to do anything other than enjoy the show.

“There is no keeping her calm,” Flick said from one of the bar stools.

“Oh, sweetie. If you think this is anger you have no fucking idea. Now tell me what’s going on because I spoke to her this morning and she seemed fine. So what have you done?”

Throwing her handbag down, she walked behind the bar and began making herself at home as Felicity jumped from her spot and followed. She made a fair point and I couldn’t even muster the energy to argue when I knew how much she cared about Marlee. But I also had no idea what was wrong or where to even start.

“Well, I guess–”

Wayne appeared with two bags of food interrupting what I was going to say and I wiped my hands down my face as he placed it on the bar. He moved to shake hands with Andy and nodded in the direction of where the women were preparing God knows what.

“What’s so important that I couldn’t finish my training session? By the looks of things, I’m going to say Marlee hasn’t replied to one of your messages,” he said good-humouredly.

Andy, who was already shovelling food down his throat, laughed around a mouthful of chips,“She left you with blue balls or something?” I did my best not to lose my shit at these clowns who were testing my already thin patience.

“I don’t actually know what’s wrong. But something isn’t right!”

My hands slapped the bar in front of me, causing Arna to jump and spill some of the drink she was handing Felicity.

“Geez, Seb, relax,” she said, wiping liquid from her wrist.

“Something is fucking wrong, okay!” I snapped, my voice denoting my stress. “If you could all just listen instead of telling me shit I don’t need to know, maybe we could determine what that actually is!” Arna flinched, my restraint wavering.

“What the heck is wrong with you? She’s okay. She literally texted me as she was walking into work this morning to see if I wanted to go for a drink tonight. And we definitely didn’t discuss any cases of blue balls,” Arna was clearly frustrated but she didn’t understand.

“I think everyone needs to calm down,” Wayne said, moving to stand next to me, “tell us what happened.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “She met my mum last night and everything was great, like, dinner went well and she was her regular self winning over my family. But then I walked Mum out of the building and when I came back she was as white as a ghost. Eva was there too and said she was normal one minute and then lost all colour in her face. I asked her what was wrong but she said she was fine and had a headache. Which I’m fairly sure was bullshit.”

“So you didn’t speak to her after she went to bed?” Felicity asked. “Like even this morning?”

“I mean we spoke about general things but not really. She said she still had a headache but would be okay and I didn’t want to push, after…” I left the rest unsaid, assuming they would all already know about our argument.

“Did you deal with that doorman of yours or could he still be harassing her?” I asked Andy.

“Of course I managed that little fucker. Unless he has a death wish, he’s leaving her alone. He isn’t in our building anymore anyway,” his voice portrayed his agitation that I would even ask.

“Correct,” Arna confirmed with a nod. “Andy threatened to leave the building which meant Adam lost his job and we have had a basket of muffins delivered to the door each day for a week,” Arna was grinning as she threw a cherry into her mouth.

“Arns, what about the headphones?” Flick said to Arna.

“What headphones?” I asked.

Arna sighed. “Marlee is going to kill me when she knows I told you this, but the reason she freaked a little last night is because of Evangeline.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, needing her to speak quicker.

“So your sister wears green headphones, right? And they have a little sticker on the side which is of a mint leaf?”

“Yeah, I don’t understand the relevance.”

“The day Marlee left Lucas,” Felicity interjected, “she caught the bus to Arna and Andy’s house.”

“And there was another woman on the bus that day and she was wearing green headphones with a mint leaf sticker on the side,” Arna continued.

“So obviously when Marls saw Eva with them it threw her back to that day which is why she freaked out,” Flick added.

“It’s a crazy coincidence but that is why she said she had a headache. She didn’t want to ruin your time with your sister but it freaked her out a little,” Arna finished.

I was reeling at the idea Eva was there on that bus, that very same day. I knew when it must have been as it was the only time Evangeline had come to visit me without calling first. Mum had pissed her off, she was overwhelmed with assignments and needed a breather. I’d been annoyed that she was on the fucking bus, during a damn storm too, but knowing it was the exact same day and time as Marlee was fleeing her ex made me feel a bit better about it. Neither of them were alone even if they didn’t realise.

No wonder she was so shaken seeing the headphones and why Eva had no idea what caused her to freak out. It was no surprise they wouldn’t remember each other. Two strangers on the same bus, both in some state of emotional distress.

And I’d let her go to bed without checking on her, trying to respect her wishes, when she would have been terrified and needed me.

The drive to get to her this very second was suffocating. To hold her and tell her I understood and was sorry for not knowing. Not realising. That she wasn’t alone and she could tell me anything.

“Yeah, okay,” I said quietly, “sorry I called you all down here. I just thought Lucas had messaged her again and I really got in my own head.”

“Couldn’t have,” Wayne said. “I’ve had the boys watching him and monitoring his phone still,” he grimaced apologetically knowing this wasn’t something I’d requested.

“Wait!” Arna interjected, her hands in the air. “She did get a message last night! From an unknown number again! I forgot. Oh my god. I’m sorry, I told her to tell you but clearly she was playing the fucking martyr again. Fuck. What if it wasn’t just seeing Eva?” She asked more towards Flick than anyone else.

“What the fuck did it say?” Even the validation of being right that something was seriously wrong didn’t quell the rising panic.

“I don’t know,” she muttered as she drained her glass nervously. “Something about how she replaced him with her new family, and something about them getting rid of you if she didn’t do it herself.” Her eyes went wide as she seemed to realise the severity of what she was actually saying and she stopped moving, frozen in place as she slapped her hand to her mouth.

“Ahh, that kinda seems like something we should know straight away,” Andy did his best to be firm, but her eyes filling with tears was definitely softening his resolve and he pulled her into him for a hug.

“What the actual fuck!” A rage unlike anything I had ever experienced seeped from my pores, making the room thick with tension.

“Someone threatened us both and she didn’t even tell me. And you didn’t even tell him,” I snapped, flicking my hand in Andy’s direction, “and now she’s at work and who knows if they’ve gotten to her already.” I was rambling, a ball of yarn running down a hill. My chest was on fire, my hands itching to move, punch, hurt, but first, I needed to get to her. Keep her with me until we sorted this fucking mess.

Barking orders like nobody’s business, I grabbed my car keys.

“Wayne, call the boys and get them to pay Lucas a visit. I don’t give a fuck how they get it out of him, but I want to know what the fuck is going on. I’m going to pick Marlee up from work. Until we find out who it is for certain she is not leaving my side.”

Arna’s voice was soft, apologetic even. “Seb, I’m going to take a look through this okay,” she pointed towards the envelope Wayne had retrieved from my office, “I know I haven’t spoken to Lucas in a while, but I did spend time with him in the beginning. Maybe I can find something to help.”

I nodded before racing through the club and out to my car. My only thought was about getting to Marlee as quickly as I could.