Page 126 of Lawton

I shrugged. "Maybe." It's not like the thing was hard to get.

But there was something else that I couldn’t ignore. I reached across the table and picked up Chloe's cell phone. Knowing what I'd find, I slid my finger across the screen. Just like a few minutes earlier, there it was, the picture of me. Naked on my back. Full-frontal.

I studied the thing, looking for clues. In it, I was asleep. Well, most of me was asleep, anyway. One part was wide awake, fully erect in the morning light.

I tried to be objective. It was a good shot. Nice composition. Probably worth a decent chunk of change.

How nice for her.

I scanned the photo's background, trying to figure out when exactly she'd taken it. I wasn't in bed. I was on that gold rug near fireplace. The fire was burned down to embers, barely glowing a few feet behind me.

I thought of the last few weeks, sorting through all the times and places. And then it hit me. I blinked long and hard. Since meeting Chloe, I'd been naked on that rug exactly once – on the very first night we'd slept together.

I made a sound of disgust. She hadn't wasted any time, had she?

My knuckles were white, but my hands were steady. With cold deliberation, I ran a finger across the screen, skimming through her other photos.

I saw some blurry images of Chucky, along with a few random shots that made no sense – a car dashboard, part of some sidewalk, a checkout lane at the grocery store.

Whatever the theme was, I didn't get it. But then again, I didn't get a lot of things. I shoved the phone into my pocket and turned away, heading for the front door.

Bishop fell in beside me. "Where are you going?"

"Where do you think?" I said. "To get some answers."

"Don't," he said. "Not yet."

I whirled on him. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"No." His voice was calm. "Just listen. I haven't finished talking to those guys."

"Talking to them?" I made a scoffing sound. "Yeah, well, I'll be talking to them, too." My jaw clenched. "Later."

Besides, I already knew most of what they'd told him. Shit, I even had the proof, thanks to a quick video Bishop had taken with his phone. They'd admitted everything, that it was big setup, courtesy of the girl I thought I knew. I swallowed. The girl I thought I loved.

"Listen," Bishop said, talking in his "be-reasonable" voice. "She goes to work in maybe an hour, right? Just keep cool 'til then. We'll figure it out, come up with a plan, and deal with it later."

"Yeah?" My voice was cold. "Why not now?"

"Because," he said, "you might not have the whole story. And even if you do, you'll handle it better when she's away at work."

He gave me a long, serious look. "You're not thinking right. But in a few hours, you will."

He was wrong. The way I felt now, I'd never be thinking right again.

But about the other stuff, he knew what he was saying. In a few hours, I'd have the full story. And then, I'd have the chance to deal with it.

All I had to do now was act normal for maybe an hour, until she left for work. Could I do it?

I sure as hell hoped so, because the way I felt now, I wasn't so sure.

Chapter 54

Back at my house, I found Chloe sitting on the sofa where I'd left her. When I walked into the room, she looked up and gave me a smile. "You're back."

I tried to mimic her smile, but my mouth wouldn't do it. So instead, I crossed the room and sat next to her, like I'd done earlier. Trying to act normal, I draped an arm over her shoulder and managed to mumble, "Sorry that took so long."

She hesitated. "Is everything okay?"