Because I Can (Necklace Trilogy 2)

The door chimes and I’m hopeful the man has returned. Instead, I turn around to find a woman and a little boy standing there. A weird mix of disappointment and relief stabs at me. Almost as if my gut is telling me this man is not a man I want to see again. I glance at Jessie. “I’ll call you Monday,” I say, waving at her and heading toward the door.

I step outside and a drizzle of light rain is falling, and while the chill in the air is real, it has nothing to do with the tingling sensation on my neck. As if I’m being watched. I scan the area, left, right, across the street, but no one stands out. Maybe I’m paranoid, but I don’t like how this feels. I quickly cut left and head down the street, when the rain is officially rain, not a drizzle. One of my favorite coffee shops is a few doors down, and I hurry in through the heavy wooden door, warmth, and coziness, enveloping me. Just being inside the familiar place has me breathing out in relief. I think I’ll stay a bit. Maybe I’ll have Dash meet me here and walk home with him. Then again, he’s a celebrity, and his face is not in any shape to be photographed.

Hurrying to the counter, I order a coffee, before reaching for my wallet. And reach again. My search becomes far more frantic, and the realization hits me. I have my driver’s license and one credit card because that’s what fits in my smaller purse, which I favor when walking about, or most certainly, for the club. I left my wallet on the nightstand. And of course, this little coffee shop does not take the card I have with me.

My cheeks heat and I quickly apologize to the clerk who thankfully is not familiar enough to know me, before backing away from the counter. I have to retrieve my wallet. That’s necessary, and sooner than later. After a moment of consideration, I grab my phone and call an Uber. The car is only five minutes away, but I wait inside until it arrives. The rain is now falling hard and fast, and I run to the car. Once I’m inside I begin a text to Dash: I’m going to my place—I stop myself with the realization that my place is now his place. I delete the message. Telling Dash I’m going to Tyler’s house while he’s having words with Tyler is not a good idea. But I’m also not all that kosher with being at that house alone after last night’s break-in.

I lean forward to talk to the Uber driver. “Can I pay you to wait for me at the house and take me someplace after? I just need to grab my wallet at the first stop. I left it there.”

The woman is mid-fifties, red-headed and friendly as can be. “Of course, honey. You just tell me what to do.”

She chats with me for the short drive, telling me about her daughter, who like the entire city, aspires to be a country singer. When we arrive at the house, I hurry to the front door, key in the security code, and enter the house. A chill runs down my spine and while part of that is the fact that the heat is turned low, last night’s break-in is clearly weighing on my mind. Eager to just get in and out of here, I hurry through the house, scanning for trouble that surely is not here, before I enter the bedroom. Sitting on the edge of the bed that is still unmade from the time I was here, I realize that I really should have cleaned up a bit before I left. Or I need to clean up. Last night, wasn’t exactly the time for such things.

For now, I have a driver waiting on me, and surely Dash will be home soon. I sit on the edge of the bed and pull out the drawer. My wallet isn’t there. I know I left it here, but the back of the drawer is quite low, and it might have fallen behind it. I pull it out and a leather book falls out. Of course, my wallet does not. Where the heck is my wallet?

I grab the notebook and set it on the bed, returning the drawer to its rightful place and then search all around the bed for my wallet. It’s not here.

My cellphone rings and I sit back down on the mattress and glance at the caller ID to find Dash’s number. I quickly answer. “Hey. Everything okay?”

“It is what it is,” he says, dryly. “I’m headed home. You want coffee?”

“Actually, I’m not there. I’m at Tyler’s house.”

There’s a beat of silence. “What the hell is going on, Allie?”