Page 22 of Wicked Angel
But I could hardly convince JC to change his mind if I couldn’t find him. No one seemed to know where he’d disappeared to, and it took me most of the day to find out. When he finally resurfaced, he was here, in Vancouver. He’d flown out and called Noah when he landed, told him he was crashing at his place.
When I pulled into Noah’s driveway, the exterior lights and some interior lights were on. I knew JC was here. I revved the Hellcat’s roaring engine before I shut the car off, so he’d hear me coming.
He couldn’t hide forever.
“You want me to come with?” Lamar asked me from the passenger seat.
Yes.There was a small part of me that wanted Lamar, the human tank, to punch JC in the face so I didn’t have to bruise my hand doing it myself.
You’re not punching him,I told myself.No matter how much you want to.
“No. We’re just talking.”
Lamar gave me a look that said he’d be watching, just in case.
I’d barely gotten out of the car when my phone buzzed. My sister’s name,Shayla, flashed onscreen, and I stopped on my way up to the house.
Bad fucking timing. But in case it was important, I picked up. “Hey. How’d the audition go?” She’d texted me back this afternoon to confirm that her dance audition was today, but that was it.
“Johnny!” She squealed so loud in my ear, I had to move the phone away. “I got it! I got the gig!”
It took me a moment to process her words. It sounded like she was at a bar or a party or something. I heard the throb of music and her voice kept cutting in and out. “You got the video?”
“Yes!! Yes yes yes! I’m gonna dance in the Players’ videoooo!!”
“Shay, that’s—”
“I didn’t even get to hear the song, it’s like, top secret,” she gushed, “but I danced my ass off, I wore this pig costume, I did this strip thing, AND I KILLED IT! It was epic! They picked meeee!” She shrieked again, and I could definitely hear her friends in the background, talking and laughing over the music.
I smiled a bit, despite my own situation. “That’s great, Shay.”
“What?! I can’t hear you!”
“Where are you?”
“What?”
“Where. Are. You.”
“Champagne!”
“It’s open already?”
“No, it’s closed! They’re just setting up for the big opening party next weekend!”
“Shayla.”
“Yes?”
“My ear is bleeding.”
She laughed.
“I’m proud of you,” I half-shouted, to make sure she heard me.
“I’m so excited!”
“Shayla?”
