Page 9 of A Little Jaded
My best friend’s eyes widen. “You sure it’s a good idea?”
No.
But not doing anything feels even more wrong.
Jaw clenched, I tell him, “She needs help. I know she does.”
With a sigh, he scratches along his jaw and shifts in his seat. “I’m sure she does, but…”
“What is it?” I demand.
He stays quiet and stares at his half-empty drink,probably debating on whether or not he wants to answer me when we both know I’m already amped up from the arena. When his gaze flicks to mine, I realize he has more balls than I give him credit for because he isn’t backing down.
“Listen,” he starts, “I know you’ve always had a God complex, but maybe it’s best for you to sit this one out.”
Sit this one out? He didn’t see the bruises. Didn’t see the fire in her eyes or how she flinched when I reached for her. And he expects me to do nothing? To let her fend for herself? To leave her alone with an asshole like Drake?
“I’m not going to?—”
“If she refused to hire you, what makes you think she’s okay with you using her abusive boyfriend to track her down?” he argues. “It might make things worse for her.”
Fuck. He’s right. If Drake finds out I’m using him to track down his girlfriend before I have a chance to protect her, he might take it out on Raine. It’s the last thing either of us wants. But not doing anything feels about as pleasant as having my balls dipped in a vat of acid. So where the hell does it leave me?
Without a word, I down the rest of my drink and set the empty bottle on the table in front of us. It doesn’t drown out the voice inside my head or the image of what was beneath Raine’s sunglasses.
I’ve gotta do something.
I have to.
CHAPTER FOUR
EVERETT
Ilasted four days. Four days until I couldn’t take it anymore, and I started putting out some feelers before caving and asking my little sister to do some internet sleuthing.
Drake Haitt is the son of Sue Haitt and Bradley Ackerman, though they were never married. His dad played for some league in Canada and was known for being a hothead. Like father, like son. He knocked Sue up on one of his visits to the US. Based on an interview from a couple of years ago, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say his relationship with his dad is less than perfect. His mom passed away about six months ago, and ever since, he’s been even more of an ass on the ice.
Drake signed with the Springfield Titans during his senior year of high school and has been dating Raine Anders for almost two years. Raine works at a tattoo shop named Eternal and is under an apprenticeship with Lucian Boone, though most of the time, she answers the phone.
I turn my ignition off and climb out of the vehicle, heading into the gray brick building. Despite the dim lighting,the tattoo shop is busy. Rock music blasts from the speakers, and the large room is layered with half-walls, creating a maze and an ounce of privacy for the customers receiving tattoos. No Raine, though. Or at least not that I can see from the front of the building.
Dammit. I half expected her to be at the reception desk, but it’s occupied by a pretty blonde in a black tank top with a phone pinned between her ear and shoulder as she types at the computer.
What now?
Hands tucked into my pockets, I rock back on my heels, not ready to give up and leave.
When the pretty blonde sees me, she smiles and hangs up the phone. “Hi. How can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Raine,” I reply. “Is she working tonight?”
The blonde nods. “You’re in luck. I’m covering the phone while she takes her break. I think she’s creating some sketches, though. She’s right back there.” The blonde points to her left toward a cubicle space in the back.
Rising onto the balls of my feet, I look for the same small-framed woman from the game but only catch a glimpse of brown hair hunched over something. “Mind if I go and talk with her?”
The blonde lifts a fully-tatted shoulder. “Sure thing.”
“Thanks.”