Reaper's Wrath (Road to Salvation A Last Rider's Trilogy 2)

“I wasn’t aware of that.” Lawrence didn’t bat a lash at being corrected. “Then I don’t blame Kaden.”

He was full of crap. How could Lawrence not have known? It had been a source of gossip for a good week after Bruce had shown up to give Alec his work identification.

“The day he came in to turn his badge and I saw you talking to him, he didn’t tell you?” Ginny called him out on another untruth.

“No.” Lawrence shrugged at her. “I guess he was too embarrassed.”

“I guess so.” It was either partially agree with him or call him a liar. With the fib she told Kimmy about Gavin being attached, she couldn’t throw stones at him, much as she wanted to.

Lawrence condescendingly patted Kimmy’s hand that was laying on the table. “When you move in this weekend, all the confusion about rides won’t matter, anyway. We’ll be driving together all the time.”

The news that Kimmy was moving in with Lawrence came as a surprise. Her friend had two previous long-lasting relationships, and with both she had adamantly refused to move in with them.

“I thought we planned to move me next weekend. I haven’t told Nick yet.” Kimmy’s confusion was obvious.

When Lawrence shook his head at Kimmy as if her friend was a child, Ginny twisted her jacket button so hard it came off.

“You were supposed to tell him last week. What’s the holdup? He knows we’ve been dating two months. He’ll understand you wanting to move out of the apartment you share with him.”

Ginny stared worriedly at Kimmy’s demoralized countenance.

“I’ll talk to him at lunch.”

Lawrence shook his head at her, not content with Kimmy trying to make amends. “We’re having lunch with Darla to meet her fiancé. My sister is just as important as your brother.”

“I didn’t ….” Kimmy pressed her fingertips to her forehead. “Of course she is … It just slipped my mind. I’ll talk to Nick after work.”

Lawrence pulled her closer to his side. “You should ask Kaden if you can take a couple of weeks off so you can get some rest. I’m starting to worry about you. Your look tired, and you’re forgetting a lot of stuff lately.”

Ginny gripped the button so hard she felt the small holes denting the palm of her hand. Disliking the man more and more, she couldn’t help herself from butting in.

“I think you look great. I don’t think anyone else here would agree that you look tired. Cleve and Terrel nearly cried when you didn’t say hello when you walked past by them.”

Kimmy gave her a thankful glance. “Thank you. That makes me feel better.”

“That makes you feel better?” Lawrence removed his arm, stiffly pulling away from Kimmy. “My mistake that I cared enough to be worried about you. I’ll see you after the meeting.” Sliding out of the chair, he let them know he was clearly affronted.

Kimmy started to get up to go after him, but Ginny didn’t give her the opportunity. She would have tackled her to the ground before letting her apologize to that domineering man again.

“The meeting is starting.”

Kimmy settled back on the chair.

Kaden going over the instructions for the performance tomorrow night prevented any further talking. Ginny was so frightened at the dramatic change in her friend that she barely listened to Kaden’s words.

If looks could kill, the one that Lawrence had given her would have left her bleeding under the table. Ginny didn’t think Kimmy had seen it, and even if she had, Ginny doubted she would have called Lawrence on it. This was a Kimmy who Ginny didn’t recognize.

Kimmy might not have seen it, but Gavin had. He moved his position along the wall so he would be able to follow Lawrence’s progress through the room to the group of technicians congregating together farther away from the stage.

Unconsciously, Ginny’s lips curled in disgust when one laughed while looking toward Kimmy and used an elbow as if to congratulate him. She loathed men like them.

Their amusement at Kimmy’s expense was going to be short-lived. After the meeting, she was going to find Nick and have a talk with him.

Unable to watch the men any longer, Ginny started paying attention to what Kaden was telling the crew.

“Here is the set list for tomorrow night. I don’t want any glitches during the show like the last time,” he warned as his assistant began handing out a sheet of paper that held the order of the songs. Kaden didn’t belabor the point; each of the staff knew he expected the best, paid for the best, and if they couldn’t achieve the standards he wanted, they would find a pink slip in their email. “Notice I added the last song that Ginny and I have been working on. If the audience likes it, then we’ll stick with this list for the remaining time we have left. Which brings us to something the band and I have been wrestling with over the last few months.