Blue Moon #3 (Story of Us Series - Into the Blue) - Sydney Jamesson Page 0,20

nod in reply. “I don’t have a choice. My back’s against the wall. Beth and me, we can’t go on like this indefinitely. I want her home—and in one piece.”

“I understand that, but aren’t you kinda rushing things. Have you thought it through? What’s Lester said?”

“Lester doesn’t know. Not yet.”

“And when he does … what’ll he say?”

I snigger at the thought of Lester’s undiluted response. “He’ll probably say, ‘Fuck that for a game of soldiers.’”

We’re nodding and grinning, but only for a couple of seconds…

With impeccable timing we cast our eyes in the direction of the door, catching sight of a certain Miss Miller—better known as Charlie—Beth’s very own firecracker of a friend.

Jake turns away, hoping she hasn’t spotted him or, more to the point—me. “Fuck,” he mumbles from behind his hand. “Brace yourself.”

“Did you know she’d just happen to be passing?” I ask, arching a brow curiously.

“No!” he asserts, causing furrows to appear above the bridge of his nose. “How the hell would I know she’d be here? Last I heard, she was in Brussels setting up some new department for her bank.”

Realising we have nowhere to hide and that slipping past her is impossible, we prepare to brazen it out.

She looks in our direction and turns away. Two sighs can be heard from our corner of the small café, but they are quickly swallowed up when she turns again. We’ve been seen, and there is no escape.

With a look of utter disbelief written across her face, she advances like an Exocet missile.

Fuck. It’s show time.

Jake stands and straightens his jacket. “Hi babe, fancy meeting you here.” He attempts to lean in for a kiss on the cheek.

Not a good idea.

She pushes him back with one hand and arches away. “Don’t fucking babe me!” The missile alters course, and turns in my direction. “And as for you.” She wafts her hand from left to right, as if directing traffic. “Here you are, two guys slumming, getting a bite to eat before hitting a club, are we?”

Sensing eyes upon us, Jake pulls back his seat for her. “Feel free, I’m gonna order more coffee…”

She rebukes his gesture. “No thanks. I think I’d rather stand, there’s no telling where you two have been. I wouldn’t want to catch anything.”

“What?” Jake is too stunned to respond. Rather than take her on in her irrational state, he shakes his head and leaves me to my fate; this weapon of mass destruction might just blow up in my face if I don’t disarm it.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, sit down, Charlie.” I stand and plonk her down in my chair. Now she has her back to the audience, and I’m positioned in front of her in Jake’s chair.

Like a petulant child, she folds her arms across her chest, screws her face up into a scowl and lets fly. “Are you going to tell me what the fuck’s going on?”

“With what?”

“With you and Beth, of course. I’ve tried time and time again to contact her. She’s not answering her phone or texts. I can’t get her on Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter. Nada! Where is she, Ayden?”

“She’s taking a holiday,” I answer feigning nonchalance.

She shakes her head. “No. I’m not buying it. Not while you’re out there with Jake getting your pissed-up faces all over social media. Have you any idea how Beth must be feeling seeing you behaving like this?”

“I do.”

“You do? You do?” she yells, causing me to tip my head away from her to avoid the blast. “Is that all you have to say for yourself? She’s carrying your children, for God’s sake. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“Look, Charlie…”

“Don’t ‘look, Charlie,’ me! I’m not some wet behind the ears, big-boobed, starry-eyed student straight out of university that you can sweet talk.” She moves, as if about to stand.

I reach for her arm. “You have to trust me. I know we’ve had our differences, but…”

“Trust you! Why would I trust you? I return to London to find that my best friend has disappeared and you’re out there fucking around. Unless you tell me everything, I’m going to the police. I mean it.” She looks down at my hand, still seething.

I remove it, slowly, and clear the table so I can lean on my elbow and convey my sincerity. “You don’t want to do that, Charlie.”

“And what will happen if I do, Ayden? Will I disappear too?” She tips her head to one side defiantly and nails me to the spot with a look that I