Lead Me Home (Fight for Me #3)(20)

Lillith slid onto one of the swiveling stools.

“So, what were you doing with Ollie this morning?” Lillith asked, point blank.

Did I really think she’d let it go?

I sucked in a breath, already knowing the riot my response was going to cause.

But there was no hiding this.

“Someone broke into my apartment last night.”

Rynna’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my God.”

Lillith flew to her feet. “What?” she demanded while Rynna moved toward me, her hand reaching to grip my forearm, her eyes searching as she whispered, “Are you okay?”

I knew that wasn’t going to go over well. But I did my best to downplay it, to shake off just how truly shaken up I was.

Shrugging a shoulder, I leaned against the counter and did my best to sound convincing.

“Seth was the one who responded to the call. He thinks it was just kids running around being punks the way they love to be. They’re lucky I didn’t catch them. A little ass kickin’ would have ensued. Or maybe I would have grabbed them by the ear and dragged them back to their mamas the way my grandma used to do when I was getting unruly. Death by humiliation. I’m pretty sure that’s all they need to teach them a lesson. I mean, seriously? Doesn’t the world have enough douchebags? Here I’d been crossing my fingers it might skip this new generation.”

“This isn’t funny, Nikki.” A shiver rocked Lillith’s entire body as if she’d just been slammed with visions of every single horrible thing that could have happened. “Kids aren’t the same as they used to be.”

As if I hadn’t noticed the downward spiral of decency.

Distress rolled the length of her throat. “They can be dangerous and mean, and they don’t think twice about taking someone out if they think it will get them something they want or cover something up to keep them out of trouble.”

I deflated.

Because it wasn’t a joke.

Not at all.

Deep down in my gut, I knew I’d been targeted. That it was personal, the way Ollie had said.

Brenna and Kyle’s faces flashed through my mind.

They were worth it, and I’d learned a long time ago that fighting for what was right wasn’t always easy.

I rubbed my palms over my arms. “I know. And I promise I’m not being careless. Which is why I went to Ollie’s place.”

I could fight with the man about going back to his loft until I was blue in the face. But the truth of the matter was, I was thankful. Thankful that he’d somehow known I needed him.

Rynna moved back to the counter. She pressed brew on the coffee machine before she turned around and propped her hip on the counter. “So, you called Ollie, and he came running?”

“Something like that.”

Lily’s brow arched. “What do you mean, something like that?”

I sighed.

It wasn’t like I was surprised that she’d insist on pushing the issue.

I searched for an explanation that wouldn’t cause an uproar. “He . . . he’d stopped by just as I was getting home after the meeting, so he was there when I discovered it.”

Surprise and speculation slashed a bunch of lines across her forehead. I could almost see the cogs turning in that analytical brain of hers. “He just happened to stop by?”

An uncomfortable chuckle rumbled in my chest. “He said he was worried . . . you know . . . since you went and told him I’d bailed on you for drinks when you knew I just needed to study,” I tossed out.

The traitor.

She probably thought she was doing me a favor.

The problem was, she didn’t have the first clue she was throwing me to the wolves.

Her brows lifted. “Um . . . maybe I was worried, too. Since when do you pass up an awesome bottle of wine on my balcony with your best friend?”

“Since I decided to do something with my life.”

“Hey, managing Pepper’s is doing something with your life,” Rynna pouted through a tease.

A light chuckle rumbled out. “Of course, it is.” Turning back to Lily, I cleared my throat. “Correction. Since I decided to do something different with my life.”

Lily pursed her lips “Uh-huh. Okay. So, you’re busy. I get it. That still doesn’t explain Ollie showing up at your place. Are you sure there isn’t anything you want to tell us?” she pushed.

I shook my head. “There’s nothing to tell.”

“You have to admit, things have been super weird between the two of you for the last year.”

She pointed at me to stop me from speaking when my mouth started to flap with another flimsy excuse.

Because things had been incredibly weird between Ollie and me over the last year.

Worse than ever.

I just hadn’t thought she’d noticed.

“Yeah. He showed up, stayed while I dealt with the cops, and then kind of demanded I go home with him since my door was busted in. He said it wasn’t safe for me to stay alone.”

“Since when do you do anything someone tells you to do?”

Since an overbearing, brute of a man decided he wanted to be my defender.

“Have you met Ollie?” I figured that answer would suffice.

“A sleepover at Ollie’s. Sounds to me like you’re begging for trouble.” Rynna’s observation blazed into the air. “There isn’t a whole lot that is simple when it comes to that man.”