I pushed myself up. Nowhere near awake, I rubbed my knuckles in my eyes to help me find my bearings. “You’re leaving?”
“Just for a quick appointment. Shouldn’t take more than two hours, three tops.”
“Where? What time is it?”
“It’s almost nine. We’ll go get something to eat when I get back, yeah?”
“Nine?”
We didn’t go to sleep until almost five! And what sort of appointment could he possibly have at this time?
“Are you okay? Are you going to see a doctor or something?”
He laughed, and I woke up a little more.
“Naw. Nothin’ like that. I’ll be back soon.” He took my face in his hands—he smelled like he had just stepped out of the shower—and pressed his lips to mine. “I’ll show you when I get back. Just go back to sleep.”
“I think I will. Why won’t you tell me where you’re going?”
“What? Don’t you trust me?”
I glared at him. “Of course I do. I just want to know why you won’t tell me.”
“Well then, how would I surprise you when I get back?”
I flopped back down and snuggled into the bed. “You’re getting a tattoo.”
He busted out laughing. “I’ll be quick.” He smacked my ass and left.
My phone just would not shut up!
Cranky, I dragged my ass out of bed and stomped my way over to my bag. Wrenching it up off the floor, I dug into the small front pocket and retrieved the offending object.
“What?” I snapped.
“Good fucking morning to you, too!” Lili snapped back. “Lounge in ten minutes, bitch.”
“I’m going to be back in bed in ten minutes!”
“The hell you are! Lounge! Ten minutes!”
Grumbling, I tossed the phone on the bed and headed to the bathroom. In seven minutes, I had peed, showered, dressed in my favorite baggy jeans and Zoso shirt, shoved my hair into a black loose-knit hat and my feet into my black Chucks.
Alys and Lili were at the bar, each with an alcoholic beverage before them.
“Hair of the dog?” I asked sarcastically as I plopped my ass in the empty stool next to Alys. Fuck it. I ordered a Bloody Mary for breakfast.
“What happened last night?” Alys asked.
Her voice was so concerned and sweet that I felt my nastiness melt.
“Which part?” I took a sip, and man, that was the best Bloody Mary I’d ever tasted.
“The part when Phil threw Devon into a wall,” snipped Lili, keeping her voice low so it wouldn’t carry.
Heaving a sigh, I said, “I didn’t know it was Devon when I started dancing with him. When I did, I tried to make my escape, but…” I told them as much as I could without spilling the beans on Phil.
“X told me what happened to Camryn,” Alys said softly, her eyes darting around, making sure no one could overhear. “And I filled Lili in on it.”
I nodded.
“I don’t believe it,” Lili stated.
Alys looked at her, incredulous. “You think Phil and X would lie about that?”
“No, but I think Camryn would. I asked around. Tara told me Camryn does makeup for Cornered Cannibal. Makes you wonder, right?”
“You think she beat herself up?” Alys asked heatedly.
“No, but Devon isn’t the only one in that band with a rep for liking it rough. Jürgen has been known to get real heavy-handed with some of the groupies. And she’s a makeup artist. She refused to go to the cops.”
Jürgen was the enormous Danish lead singer for Cornered Cannibal. He was about the same size as Phil, except with more muscle, and he wasn’t half as attractive.
I nodded, and Alys looked at me in surprise.
“There’s something off about that chick,” I explained. “If you were her, would you be showing up at places where you knew the man who had raped and beaten you was hanging out and having a good time? Let alone, still work for them. And why would he try so hard to see Phil, if he had raped and beaten the chick Phil was dating? It doesn’t make sense to me.” I wondered if Phil even knew she still did makeup for them.
“I didn’t think about it like that.”
“That’s because you believe the best in everyone,” said Lili. “You take everything at face value, Alys. I’m telling you, there’s something up with that chick.”
“Are you sure you guys just don’t want to believe the worst of one of our heroes?”
Devon might have issues and demons like any other human, perhaps more than others. But no, I don’t believe he did that. He loves Phil. I saw that. He wouldn’t do something