Forbidden Harmony (Harmony Falls #3) - Elizabeth Kelly Page 0,48
of a phone and then Grace’s voice drifted out of the open kitchen window. “Hey, Kira. Yup, I know. Yes, I’ve already made the potato salad. Wait…what? She went where? To Willington? Seriously?”
He tuned Grace out as Gideon said, “I’ll go get your beer.”
“I can wait,” Preacher said. He’d had no appetite today and the idea of mixing beer with his churning stomach acid made him want to barf.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Gideon sipping at his beer, Preacher picking at some threads on the lawn chair.
“You gonna tell me what’s wrong or just sit there?” Gideon said.
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Bullshit,” Gideon said. “You don’t just take the afternoon off. What’s going on?”
Preacher glanced at the open window and lowered his voice. “Addison asked me to -”
“Gideon?” Grace stuck her head out the window. “Can you come in here and help me carry some stuff out? I’ve got the beers, but I’m gonna do some munchies for us too and I need you to grab the chips from the top shelf.”
“Sure.” Gideon stood. “Be right back.” He squeezed Preacher’s shoulder before disappearing into the house.
Preacher stared moodily at Tank. Fuck, what was he thinking? He couldn’t talk to Gideon about this. Addison would be embarrassed if people knew she’d asked him for sex lessons, and just the idea of causing her embarrassment made that churning stomach acid rise up and burn his throat.
“You’re kidding me.” Gideon’s voice drifted out of the kitchen window.
“I’m not,” Grace said. “She took the bus to Willington. Kira just told me when she called. Said she offered to drive her because she still doesn’t have a car, but Addison said she was fine to go alone.”
Preacher sat up straight when he heard Addison’s name.
“Why didn’t she just book an appointment with Preacher?” Gideon said.
“I don’t know,” Grace said after a slight hesitation. “Maybe he was all booked up.”
“Yeah but to go to Willington just for a piercing? What’s she getting pierced anyway?”
Preacher jumped out of the lawn chair and headed for the door. He stalked down the hallway and stood in the doorway of the kitchen.
“She didn’t say. I’m assuming her belly button.” Grace poured chips into a bowl.
“That doesn’t seem like Addison,” Gideon said. “Is it just me or has she been acting weird the last little while?”
“It’s been tough for her since she and Harrison broke up,” Grace said. “She had her life all planned out and now -”
“What piercing shop did she go to?”
Grace and Gideon turned at the sound of his voice.
“What’s wrong?” Gideon said.
“What shop did she go to?” Preacher stared hard at Grace who gave him a thoughtful look.
“I don’t know the name of the shop, but Addison told Kira it was on Peach Street.”
“I have to go.” He turned and strode out of the kitchen, slamming the front door behind him.
* * *
The usual forty minute drive to Willington took him twenty. His bike roared down Peach Street and he parked in front of Paul’s Piercing Palace before shutting off his bike. He yanked off his helmet, threw it on the seat of his bike and stalked toward the door. If anyone in that goddamn place had their hands anywhere near Addison’s pussy, he’d cut them off and shove them up their own goddamn ass.
He whipped open the door. There was no sign of Addison and he stomped up to reception. “Where is she?”
“I’m sorry?” The woman, she was short with bright blue hair and multiple piercings on her face, stared nervously at him.
“Addison Moore. Where is she?”
The woman just shook her head, but her gaze darted to a door to their left. He glared at her and marched toward the door.
“Mister, you can’t go in there!”
He ignored the receptionist and pulled open the door. Addison was sitting on the piercing bed talking to a bearded man. She was fully clothed, thank God, and she gave him a startled look when he walked into the room.
“Preacher? What are you doing here?”
“Taking you home.”
He lifted her off the bed and set her on her feet, holding her arm in a tight grip as she glared up at him. “Let me go.”
“No. We’re leaving, Addison.”
“I’m a grown woman. You can’t tell me what to do!”
“Like fucking hell, I can’t,” he growled.
In desperation, she stared at the piercer who stood up. Preacher stared him down and said, “She’s my woman and you’re not piercing her. Is that a problem?”