Three Little Mistakes (Blindfold Club 3)

When I nodded, her voice was strong. “Then you can still love Joseph. You can get past this. You’re going to need to, because now is when I ask for the favor.”

I felt weak and emotionally drained, and lowered back to sit. “What is it?”

“Joseph’s sick.”

It stung and knocked me back. My brain couldn’t interpret. “What? Sick how?”

“Sick,” she said, the word weighed. “He thinks maybe it’s just a physical reaction to losing you. He won’t go to the doctor. He’s really fucking stubborn.”

The room emptied of air. I dug my nails painfully into my thighs, needing something to hold onto. No, he couldn’t be. He’d been cancer free for twenty years.

Nothing lasts forever.

“I’ve been trying to convince him, but I’m getting fucking nowhere.” The couch shifted as she sat beside me. “Joseph doesn’t take orders from anyone.”

My eyes burned with unshed tears but I tilted my head back to drain them away. “You think he will from me?”

“I do.” Payton’s expression hinted at her concern. “He loves you. I think he’ll do anything you tell him to, even if he’s scared. And maybe he won’t listen at first, Noemi, but you still gotta try. Please?”

Of course I was upset with what he’d kept from me, and Payton was wrong in her belief that he loved me, but this trumped everything else. “Yes.”

She looked relieved.

I climbed to my shaky feet and reached for my jacket. I didn’t want to waste any time. “Will you drive me?”

Payton launched to her feet, not missing a beat. “Let’s go.”

chapter

THIRTY-ONE

I rode in Payton’s Jaguar and tried not to think about where the money to buy it had come from. We passed Joseph’s Porsche in the parking garage as she searched for a spot, and the overpriced car put flutters in my belly.

He was inside his apartment.

And he was sick. The interior of her luxury car seemed impossibly small and I couldn’t find any air to breathe. I followed slowly behind her through the garage as we made our way to the elevator, stalling. I needed to organize my thoughts.

The inside of the elevator felt worse than her Jaguar, and shrank with every floor we climbed. Sensible Noemi was angry. Just because he’s sick, doesn’t make what he did okay. Think about the brand.

The other side, the one Joseph had brought to life, was anxious to see him again. She was desperate to get another fix. My heart clogged my throat when Payton knocked on his front door.

“It’s Payton,” she said loudly.

Footsteps pounded closer and the door swung open, revealing a shirtless Joseph, unshaven and hair disheveled. I swallowed hard. His eyes were sunken and he looked tired. His angry expression was directed at her. “Give it a fucking rest, I already—”

His mouth snapped shut as his gaze found mine.

“I told her.” She announced it like it wasn’t a big deal. “I told her about Mr. Red, too. I figure you’re already pissed, and she needed to know.”

Joseph’s dark eyes went wide, and his gaze swung back to her. “What the fuck, Payton?”

Her face turned hard. “Don’t give me any shit. If the roles were reversed, you would have done exactly the same, and I told you, I don’t like lies. Stop being a pussy and go see the doctor.” Her head turned to me. “You want me to wait for you?”

“No.” It was hard not to keep looking at him. “I’ll grab a cab.”

“The fuck you will,” he snapped, probably overly sensitive about the accident. His face softened and turned apologetic. “I’ll drive you home when you want.”

My voice was hesitant. “Oh, okay.”