I looked around the bar scanning the women. Luckily, the place wasn’t packed but it was relatively busy. Busy enough to mean, if this was true, Hector had been busy.
Again, I looked at Natalie and breathed, “You’re joking.”
She shook her head and I tried to read her face. She didn’t look like she was being catty, just… real.
Natalie went on, “You look like a fairy princess who lives in an enchanted castle not exactly a Lincoln’s regular. We girls have to stick together, I’m just givin’ you the head’s up.”
It was my turn to shake my head. “He’s changed. He’s different now.”
“Yeah? He f**ked me six weeks ago. No joke, it was so good, I remember when, where and every second of it. I’m not complainin’ but just so you know, I called him three times and he didn’t return a single call.”
The bartender put my beers on the bar just as I grabbed onto the edge to hold myself up.
Six weeks ago was when I walked into Nightingale Investigations Offices right before I got raped.
And Hector had been in Natalie’s bed.
Or, worse, she’d been in his!
She interrupted my crazed thoughts by putting her hand on mine on the bar.
“Listen, Sadie, I’m sorry. You look freaked. I gotta say, I been watchin’ and he looks into you, way into you. Never seen him like that with anyone so maybe I’m wrong. Put it in the back of your mind. All I’m sayin’ is, be careful.”
Then she was gone.
I was so busy trying not to hyperventilate it took the bartender several tries to get my attention. I told him to put it on our tab, grabbed the beer bottles by their necks and, on shaky legs, I carried them to the table.
I saw Luke’s eyes on me and I avoided them, scooted behind Hector and, taking great care, like it was a priceless artifact, I tucked my wallet, which Hector had set on my purse, inside.
“Everything okay, Sadie?” Luke asked and my eyes flew to him.
“Fine, great, wonderful,” I lied, nabbed my beer and took a long swallow.
I felt Hector’s eyes on me but I turned my attention to tracing the label on my bottle with my thumb and trying not to let my hand shake.
“Mamita, look at me.”
My eyes lifted to Hector.
His brows went together.
“You’re not fine,” he said.
From my peripheral vision I saw Ava and Luke look at each other but I was too busy lying again to Hector to take much notice. “I think painting the living room just hit me, what with all the food and beer. All of a sudden, I’m tired.”
“I’m going to the bathroom. Sadie, do you need to go to the bathroom?” Ava asked suddenly.
I shook my head, too freaked out to catch her hint.
Hector’s hand went to the back pocket of his jeans.
“We’ll get you home,” he said.
My head jerked to him.
“No!” I cried, his narrowed eyes came to me and I made an effort to calm down. “No. You’re having fun, everyone’s having fun. I just got more beer. We’ll drink them and go.”
Ava looked at Luke, slid off her stool and headed to the bathroom. Hector pulled out his wallet and came of his stool too.