Page 85 of Kick the Candle (Knight Games 2)
"That depends. Does it involve watching you awkwardly avoid your 'friend' for fear even the funeral dress won't ward off the hormones?"
I flipped him the finger. "No. I need you to look for Rick while you're out hunting."
"Look where? We've already looked everywhere. We've been looking all week!" Poe protested.
"Come on, Poe! You've got a freakin' birds eye view. Look around and try to find him. He's been gone too long. I'm worried. I'm even having dreams about him."
Poe stopped. "What kind of dreams?"
"None of your business."
"Your connection runs deep. Maybe he was sending you a message."
I spread my hands. "He said to trust him."
"Well, there you go."
"You're not getting out of this, Poe. I need to know he's okay."
"All right, all right. I'll search for him."
"Thank you."
I retrieved my black leather bag from beside the dresser and patted the top of my shoulder. "I'll give you a ride to the door." He jumped up to perch over the buttons of my dress.
"Are you sure you want to go to this party?" Poe asked.
"Of course. Why?"
"You only have mascara on one eye."
* * * * *
Thirty minutes later, fully mascaraed yet sufficiently frumpy, I arrived at Valentine's. A large sign on the door said the restaurant was closed to the public to accommodate a private party and judging by the packed parking lot and the thumping bass spilling out into the night, one hell of a party it was. I entered and fought the crowd to the bar. I recognized some of the faces from the hospital and yelled a curt "hello" over the music to be polite. Michelle was right where she said she'd be, getting up close and personal with an Appletini.
"Thanks for coming. You look great!" I said, giving her a quick hug.
She returned my embrace. "You're late. You missed the speech by the staff welcoming Logan back. And OMG you actually wore that dress. You look like a librarian." A slight slur in the middle of 'librarian' told me the Appletini wasn't Michelle's first drink.
"Thanks."
"Never mind. Pull up a seat and tell me all your troubles. The last time I talked to you, you sounded like hell."
The bar stools on either side of her were taken, but that didn't stop Michelle. She jostled the arm of a vertically challenged redhead on her left who was quietly staring into his beer. He seemed shy and somewhat nerdy in green pants and a gold vest.
"Hey, the lady needs your seat," Michelle demanded.
I pulled her arm back gently. "No, Michelle, I'll stand, really."
"Oh, okay, sorry," the man said nervously. When he jumped down, I noticed he was barely taller than the stool. Nice. We'd just ousted a little person, minding his own business, from his seat at the bar and relegated him to the crowd where he'd likely never be able to get the bartender's attention. When he flipped a tip up to the bartender, my heart sank.
"Wait, sir, you don't have to go." I grabbed his shoulder. A shock wave traveled up my arm, and I released him like a hot rock.
He widened his eyes at me, then disappeared into the crowd. Shit. What was that?
"That was weird," Michelle said. "Maybe the dress scared him away. Well, never mind it all, Dustin here will take care of you."
I pursed my lips and plopped down on the empty stool. The bartender came over to request my drink order, and I realized it was Dustin Lynch, Logan's assistant manager. I guess now that Logan was managing Valentine's he was bartending. "Oh, hey Dustin. Red wine, STAT."
