Dump and Chase (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 1)

“Oh, praise God.”

I take the pills even with my mom nagging in my head that I shouldn’t take strange pills. Sorry, Mom. I’ve done worse. But the real question is, where the hell am I? I put down the glass and reach for my phone. I open it to find no texts or even calls. That’s so weird; my mom should be losing her mind since I forgot to text her. I open her thread to find someone has already texted her.

Me: I love you and I am safe. Promise.

Well, that’s good to know. Maybe I’m at Wes’s? I go to get out of the bed, but then my phone rings. I look down to see it’s Amelia.

“Hello?” I ask in a hushed whisper since I don’t want anyone to know I’m awake.

“Why are we whispering?” she whispers, and I close my eyes to shield them from the sunlight.

“I don’t know where I am.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I went out last night, got shitfaced, and now I don’t know where I am. I’m in someone’s bed, and my panties are still in place.”

“You live a sketchy life, Shelli Grace Adler.”

I scoff. “No, I just don’t think things through.”

“Who did you go out with?”

“The guys…and Aiden.”

She tsks at me. “Are you at Aiden’s? Are you sure your panties are in place?”

I nod as I lift my skirt again. “Totally, and I don’t feel like I had sex. Oh my God, I sound like such a whore. I am never drinking again.”

“I agree with that statement.”

“So, I do sound like a whore?”

“Well, maybe not a whore, but definitely someone who doesn’t make terribly thought-out decisions.”

“I’m not Posey!” I snap, and she laughs. “God, I can’t believe I don’t know where I am.”

“What in the world were you doing? Why did you get so drunk?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I was trying to impress Aiden. He told me to slow down, and I wanted him to be impressed with my drinking skills.”

“You know how ridiculous that sounds, right?”

“I am aware, thank you.” I hear movement behind the door. “Someone is here.”

“Probably the person who lives there,” she says dryly.

“I’ll call you later.”

“Please do, so I know you’re alive. Plus, I’d love to know whose house you’re at. The suspense is killing me.”

“You and me both, sister,” I say before I hang up quickly. I move my hands through my hair and pull it up into a bun with the hair tie at my wrist. I hope I look okay. Not like a hungover, drunken mess. Oh! There is a bathroom. I head toward it, and I notice that a towel and a toothbrush have been laid out. Yeah, this has to be Wes’s place. Only he would go out of his way to make sure I’m comfortable. We did the same for him when he would come to stay with us when we were younger. A little grin sits on my face. That’s really nice of him. I brush my teeth and then clean my face free of my makeup. Once I look presentable, I head out and then to the bedroom door.

I pull it open just as someone knocks on it.

That someone being Aiden.

“Oh!”

He jumps in surprise as he takes a step back. His gaze moves along my body so damn slowly before he says, “I was coming to check on you.”

“Oh, I’m good,” I say quickly, and of course, I’m practically knocked on my ass by how hot he is. He’s wearing some basketball shorts and a fitted purple Assassins tee. His hair is in a high ponytail, and he has the sexiest five-o’clock shadow on his angular jaw. “Why are you here?”

His brows quirk. “I live here.”

“Oh,” I say slowly as I look around. Everything is in boxes, but in the corner is a sleek black piano that I remember from New York. Yup, this isn’t Wes’s place. “You brought me here?”

“I didn’t want to take you home and wake your parents.”

I nod. “Did you text my mom?”

“Yeah, and you really should put a password on your phone.”

“Yeah, I’m lazy,” I say softly as I twist my fingers together. I didn’t expect this from him. He made it very clear he didn’t want anything to do with me last night. No matter how hard I flirted, he rejected me left and right. I don’t know why he brought me home or even cared to leave me water or aspirin. Heat and something else flush through me in abundance as I gaze up into his face. His lips are parted, his eyes kind, and it reminds me of when we were younger. When he used to be the oldest of everyone, making sure we were okay. He was always nice when he didn’t have to be. Really, I shouldn’t be surprised he was the one to take me home. Yet I am, especially after everything that’s happened. “Um, thanks for taking care of me.”