I’d been in the blackest of moods when Jackie showed up, but now her presence felt like a relief. It had been so long since I’d been alone with anyone other than Zed, that it was almost like I’d forgotten how to talk to my friends. Jackie was the perfect companion; I still didn’t tell her anything about the so-called “danger” that I was in with Zed, but she knew almost everything else. As far as she knew, I’d met him at the club and taken him home for a steamy affair. If she saw all of the coffee in the trash, she had the good sense not to ask.
“It’s so good to see you,” I said, on my second glass of wine. “I’ve missed hanging out so much.”
“You got a good dicking,” Jackie said with a grin. “Don’t apologize for that. I’m glad you were able to have some fun.”
“I’m not sure it’s worth this,” I pointed out numbly. “I feel like absolute shit.”
“Don’t. Breakups suck, but at least you didn’t really know him. What did he go to jail for?”
I blushed. “Possession,” I told her after a long pause. “But I don’t know of what.”
She wrinkled her cute, little, upturned nose. “Probably best not to ask,” she advised. “So, you wanna come to this party tonight?”
“I don’t think so. I’d be too nervous.”
“You just walk around and make money,” she said with a grin. “It’s fun sometimes.”
“I bet all of your clients would love to hear you say that,” I teased. “I’m not good at faking it like you are.”
She yawned. “It is a skill,” she admitted. “The first time was no fun for me, nor the second. But these parties are a cakewalk. After this, I don’t have to work for a week. So we can hang out and do lots of girly stuff. How’s your work schedule?”
I pulled out my phone. “I have a break from school for a couple of days, but I have shifts at Dawning Center.”
Jackie groaned. “Ugh, Lily, you and those kids,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’d get so sick of those brats.”
I frowned. “They’re not brats,” I protested. Jackie raised her eyebrow, and I burst out laughing. “Okay, well most of them are good,” I amended. “And some of the dads are really sexy.”
Jackie wrinkled her nose. “I don’t really see anything sexy about men with kids. The attention is all on the kid, all the time. What about you? Don’t you want someone devoted to you?”
My mind flashed to Zed and his constant supervision over the past few weeks. “Not really. I’d actually like to be with someone who had a life of their own.”
Jackie’s lips curved into a smile. “Maybe you’re more mature than I thought,” she admitted grudgingly. “I admire that about you.”
I flopped onto my back on the couch. It smelled like Zed, and I turned my head so I wouldn’t get sucked into a whirlwind of nostalgia. But it was too late, and I couldn’t stop thinking about him for a moment… His giant body, the way he handled me like I weighed nothing.
I felt so light and airy and protected in his arms; it was such an incredible feeling. And his scent… the spicy, masculine musk of him covered everything I owned now. It was like a constant reminder of how much he’d wormed his way into my life. I couldn’t believe that I’d thought I was falling in love with him. In lust, maybe, but not love. There was no way I could love someone who would just ice me out like that.
“Hello, earth to Lily,” Jackie called out. I snapped out of my reverie and blinked at her.
“Sorry,” I muttered, blushing. “I can’t stop thinking about that guy.”
“So think about someone new,” Jackie said with a dazzling grin. “Tell me more about some of those hot dads at your work.”
“Well, there’s one,” I said, biting my lip. “I used to think he was really sexy, but after meeting Zed, he just seems like such a milquetoast.”
Jackie shrugged. “That happens sometimes, but you’ve told me that Zed is kind of an asshole. If you don’t want men to treat you like assholes, you can’t date asshole men.”
I nodded. “But how do I know?”
Jackie wrinkled her nose. “Little things,” she said slowly. “Watch and see if he takes care of you. Watch how narcissistic he is. You don’t want anyone who cares about themselves more than you, you hear that?”
I shook my head. “I know, but what if, like, Mark turns out to be addicted to porn? Or goes to hookers?”
Jackie glared at me, and I blushed. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “I didn’t mean you. But come on, how do I know all the time? Some people are really good at keeping secrets.”
The mention of secrets again brought Zed—and all of his intrigue—back to my mind. Without waiting for Jackie to answer, I waved my hand around in the air. “Forget I said anything. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Sure. How’s school going?”
I was about to answer her when my cell phone started buzzing in my lap. Eagerly, I turned it around and looked at the caller ID. It wasn’t Zed; it just said Unknown. Frowning, I held the phone up to Jackie. “Have you ever seen this?”
“Yeah,” she said, biting her fingernail. “My grandmother has a private line, and when she used to call me, it always showed up like that.”
Frowning, I answered the phone. “Hello?”
There was a sound on the other end that sounded like deep breathing. “You’re not safe, little girl.”
A chill of fear shot down my back. It felt like ice. “What?”
“You’re not safe,” the voice whispered again. “Just because McIntyre dumped you, you’re not safe.”
“What’s going on?” Jackie hissed in my ear. I ignored her. The blood was pounding in my ears, and I thought my heart was going to bounce out of my chest.
“Did you hear me?” the voice on the phone asked me in a silky voice. I swallowed.
“Yes,” I squeaked out.
“Repeat what I’ve told you,” the sinister voice said.
“I’m not safe because McIntyre dumped me,” I said in a wobbly voice. Jackie’s face went from one of confusion to one of horror, and I immediately looked away. The voice on the other end of the line laughed hysterically and then hung up. I blinked back tears for what felt like the hundredth time that day.
“Lily, what the fuck is going on?” Jackie asked, glaring at me. “What just happened?”
“You need to leave,” I said in a shaky voice. “I’ll call you later, okay? I can’t talk about it right now.” Because I don’t know anything, I finished in my head. Jackie stared at me.
“Are you out of your mind? I have half a mind to call someone and get them here with a gun, Lily!”
“Nothing’s going to happen,” I said with a false smile. “I’m sure it was just a prank.”
“Lying isn’t going to get you anywhere,” Jackie said flatly. “And I want you to come with me, if I leave.”
I looked around my apartment. Suddenly, going to Jackie’s didn’t seem like the worst idea in the world.
“Okay.” I nodded. “But let me make a call first.”
Jackie watched in silence as I dialed the non-emergency number for the police.
“Hello? May I help you?”
“Hi,” I said shakily. “I was threatened over the phone, and I’m worried that I might not be safe.”
There was a pause. “Can you tell me more about what’s going on?”
I looked at Jackie, not wanting to say anything in front of her. Hell, I knew I shouldn’t mention Zed at all. It would be much, much too dangerous.
“I don’t know,” I finally said.
“Honey, if you can’t tell me what’s going on, we can’t help you,” the dispatcher said, not unkindly. “If you can share a little more information with me, I can send someone out there to help you.”
I shook my head. “I can’t,” I squeaked out. “I really don’t know anything else.”
“If you can think of anything, you just go ahead and call us back, you hear?”
I nodded even though they couldn’t see me. “Right.” The dispatcher hung up, and I rolled my eyes.
“Cops?”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “Let me pack a bag and then we can go.”
“Actually, Lily, I’m not going home,” Jackie looked guilty. “I’m going straight to that party. But you can totally come if you want! It might even be fun. And it’ll get you out of the house.”
I frowned. “Thanks, but I just want to be alone, I think. I’ll call you if anything else comes up.”
“Okay,” Jackie said. We hugged, and she put her coat on. “Call me later anyway. I want to make sure that you’re safe, if possible.”
When she was gone, I went back into my bedroom and lay down. The call kept playing over and over in my head. Who had called me? And how did they know about Zed and me? And how did they get my phone number? At this rate, I had more questions than answers, and it seemed like things got worse with each passing day.