Page 83

Nick’s phone was ringing.

Who is calling me at 8:00am on New Year’s Day…

He ignored it, rolling over in bed, still a little drunk.

It had been a bad week. Between the whole debacle with John and Linette, Laney’s OD, and his constant terror that the prick Laney was dating was going to tip Cary off that he’d been seeing his sister, Nick had been drinking too much and sleeping like shit for days.

His phone rang again, and he pulled a pillow over his ears.

It was obvious that Shane – Nick couldn’t even think his name without a sneer – was whipped for Laney. If he hadn’t been able to tell from the sucker punch at the rave, it was glaringly obvious from his face when he’d heard Laney was in the hospital. Still, seeing the guy on the floor outside her hospital room… As sickly jealous as Nick was that he and Laney were obviously together, he’d never seen a man look so thoroughly broken as Shane did that day.

Cary had been a close second.

Nick hadn’t liked it, seeing Cary and Laney together. Shane, he understood – he loathed it, but he got it – but Cary… It wasn’t right and made Nick’s skin crawl a little. The way he looked at her…

And Sarita! Puffing herself up like Laney was competition or something… The whole thing was just... wrong.

Nick had always cut down the snow he kept on him for friends. He had his own ‘pure’ stash, sharing the watered down version with buddies or Laney. It had never occurred to him to tell her, to explain that not only did he give her less volume but that it was also already a lower dose…

He felt guilty but was also angry. It was Linette’s shit that messed her up. Not Nick’s.

His phone rang again, this time without stopping, and he threw back his covers and padded into the kitchen.

“WHAT?” he shouted into the receiver.

“Nick, it’s Laney…”

“Laney?” Nick shook his head, trying to clear the alcohol fuzz. “Laney, are you okay? I was at the hospital, I’ve been wanting to call you…”

“No time,” she said. “You need to leave.”

“What? No, look, Laney, I miss you, okay? I really miss you, and I know you said not to call you anymore but – ”

“ Nick!” she said in a harsh voice. “You need to leave your apartment. Now. And get gone, for… a while.”

“Why,” Nick asked, his heartbeat starting to race.

“Cary knows that we were partying together.”

Nick felt all the blood drain out of his face. “Does he know that we were…”

“No,” Laney said, “but at this point I don’t think that even matters. You need to go.”

“How long do I have?” Nick asked.

“Jerry’s talking some sense into him, but honestly Nick? I don’t know. He could let it go for today, maybe tomorrow, but he won’t let it go forever. He needs a villain, for this story, and you’re it.”

”What about Linette?” Nick argued, the panic rising.

“She’s being… dealt with. But he’ll come for you. This is the only warning you’re going to get. I’d suggest you take it.”

“Laney… I’m so sorry. I’m really sorry, about the coke. Okay? But… I love you. I do. I love you and I want to make this right – ”

“The only way to make this right, Nick, is for you to leave.”

“Come with me,” Nick begged urgently. “Let’s just disappear, together. Please, Laney. I really do love you…”

“I love someone else, Nick. I mean, not right at this exact moment …” her voice was almost sarcastic, and he imagined the asshole Other Guy sitting there with her on the other end of the phone. “But I do love him. I'm sorry. I don’t want to see you get hurt. Please, look after yourself.”

And then she hung up.

As he threw some things in a suitcase, he felt his anger ballooning into a Macy’s parade-sized inflatable monster. It was Shane who did this. He knew it in his bones.

I’m going to kill him, Nick thought. I’m going to come back here, and I’m going to find him, and I’m going to fucking kill him.