He gave me the longest sigh in the history of sighs. “And if I have?”
And strangling my own father… back on the table. “Just… curious?” Or worried, so ridiculously worried there was a sword jabbed into the exact spot where my heart should be.
“Mmmmm.” He turned a page, then another, picked up his phone and sent off a text and then, “Oh.” Finally. “She wanted to borrow a car to go run some errand, so I loaned her the Jeep. She refused the Lambo and all the rest of—”
“SHIT!” I yelled, and then I was out of there, sprinting toward my car, getting in, and using my Find My Friends app, tapping it angrily to get her location.
She was somewhere downtown.
I zoomed in.
Not good enough.
My engine didn’t roar to life, but I’d like to imagine it did as I told the car to dial Sergio and waited.
“Yo.” He laughed.
“Shit, how is my dad always this against me?” I gripped the steering wheel with ferocity. Damn, was he a teen? Just texting everyone he knew that I’d said “yo” and laughed behind my back?
“He was literally texting me… probably mid-conversation.”
I groaned, and there it was. “Fine, just tell me where Annie is?”
“It might cost you.”
“I’m good for it.”
“Babysitting—”
“Kartini is old enough to watch herself.” I left out the part about her partying ways recently for good reason. I wanted to LIVE.
He sighed. “Fine, babysitting at a distance.”
“Done. I’ll kill anyone who touches her.”
“Wow, even better.” He chuckled. “Give me a minute, we have trackers on everyone… wanna know the nickname for her?”
“No.” I grit my teeth. “Not really.”
“Bunny,” he said, obviously not listening. “You know because you’re like the stupid wild animal that just realized he needs to chase.”
I clenched my teeth. “LOCATION.”
More maniacal laughter from my uncle. “She’s at a jeweler downtown, off second, sending her location now, but don’t worry, looks like King’s right—”
I hung up.
He could yell later.
What the hell was she doing without protection?
A gun?
Especially after last night?
The car refused to go as fast as I needed it to. Minutes later, I was pulling into a parking spot next to the store.
The red Jeep was parked out front. Thank God.
Seconds after I turned off the engine, she was walking out with a small white bag and a smile on her face.
I saw nothing but that face.
Showing me she was okay.
Making me angry because I hadn’t thought she was.
“The FUCK!” I bellowed, rushing over to her, grabbing her by the arms, causing the package to fall to the ground. “Why did you leave? Why?”
Her body trembled a bit. “I was getting a surprise… for you.”
My entire body deflated as every ounce of adrenaline surged through my blood. “Annie…”
“I wanted to surprise you.” Her small smile nearly killed me.
“Fuck.” I lowered my head and then pulled her into my arms. “I thought— I don’t know what I thought, maybe I thought too much, but you’re safe? Right? You’re okay.” Suddenly I pulled back, cupping her face as if to inspect for blood when a throat cleared behind me.
I didn’t let her go.
But I knew that throat clear.
“Junior.” I gulped, refusing to turn around. “You also doing some shopping?”
“Smart girl asked us to go with her,” a female voice said.
Shit. “Serena.”
“Ding ding ding!” She laughed.
“Is he okay? He looks rough, man.” Maksim’s voice.
“I know, I think he’s a vampire now; he’s up at night and sleeps during the day,” King said wistfully, then sighed. “lost to us…”
With a growl, I looked over my shoulder. “Really? All of you are shopping at the exact same time?”
King grinned. “Well, my FRIEND—” He made sure to say it loud just in case the deaf couldn’t hear. “—Annie, the one you’re holding, knew it was probably best to go out with company so she texted and we all met her down here.” He lifted a black bag and shook it. “Got myself a sick pair of briefs. Wanna see?”
I pulled my hands away from her face and cleared my throat. “I was um… showering…”
Junior started to slow clap. “Awww, little buddy, I’ve never been so proud, so hygiene is important to you? And to think this last year, I thought it was just this annoying thing you had to do in order to keep people in your company without killing them dead? My mistake.”
Serena snorted out a laugh behind her hand.
I glared. “Very funny.”
King just shrugged. “I mean… if it’s true, is it really funny?”
“Do you really want to die?” Maksim said under his breath.
I shook my head and looked around the group. “So what? Are we Christmas shopping?”
“Yup!” Junior grabbed Serena’s hand. “There’s peppermint mocha, shit tons of coupons, and enough Santa to make you want to kill yourself, welcome to the fold!”
I turned to Annie and offered my arm. “I guess I have no other choice.”