“Dearest, you think I didn’t know that?”
Her jaw dropped. “What?”
“I suspected it from the start. It wasn’t an easy thing for me at first. As your mother, how could I go along with you committing any kind of crime? Particularly when I knew you were doing it to keep us afloat.” Remorse painted Tula’s expression. “Sweet child, there was a part of me that felt horrible for not stepping in.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“He needed you.”
Avily blinked. “Want to run that by me again?”
“What Leena did—it eviscerated his soul. I saw it in his eyes. Saw it in the way he closed himself off from the rest of the world shortly after everything happened. Then he went the opposite direction and immersed himself in all known vices. He was on a bender headed straight for self-destruction.”
She hadn’t seen any of that. Just went to show how proficient he’d always been at lowering those shutters with her. “I still don’t understand why you think he needed me.”
“Baby, Jerrick might put up this tough front of being solitary, but I’ve never known anyone who needs someone more than him. Someone to pull him out of himself, give him purpose. Someone who’ll shine a light into all those dark, lonely corners that inhabit his soul.” Tula patted Avi’s cheek. “He needs you. He always has.”
“Trust me, Mama, he doesn’t,” she said flatly. Great, just when she’d finally started to hammer it into her own stubborn brain that she had no future with Jerrick, along came her mother, equally delusional.
Yeah, definitely like daughter like mother.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sitting like a bump on a log in Avi’s apartment all damn day was doing nothing to improve his shitty mood. Deciding the risk of getting doubly aggravated by some kissy-faced Amora Moon attendees would be worth a breath of air and a much-needed brew, Jerrick slung on his jacket and thumped down the stairway. The sound of chatter drifted into the back hallway. Judging from the volume, Avi was experiencing a nice rush. Which meant she’d skin him alive if he ventured out there.
Grumping under his breath, he detoured into the alleyway. No point taking the Air Racer. By the time he fought traffic and then located a parking spot, he could already be on his tenth ale. Not that he was shooting for that number.
Fifteen sounded better, to his way of thinking. It’d been a damn long time since he’d tied one on. Tonight would be a hell of a good opportunity to rectify that. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he headed toward the alley’s exit.
Out on the street, festival-goers were congregated around a mini chapel that’d been erected on the corner of the intersection. Raucous cheers erupted from the crowd when the newly joined bride and groom honored the spectators with a passionate clinch. Jerrick rolled his eyes. Fucking corny. He had half a mind to walk up on the dais and shake some living sense into the couple.
Why? Because they’re blissfully happy and you’re not, you fucking putz?
Sounded about right.
Awarding the wedding party a wide berth, he elbowed his way through the masses of people and ducked into the first bar he came to—and promptly began to march his ass back through the door when he spotted Lex gobbling a club sandwich at the window booth.
Of course Tarker spotted him. “Jerrick!” Lettuce hanging out of his mouth, Lex flagged him down.
Why did I leave the fucking apartment? Repeatedly pounding that admonishment into his brain, Jerrick did an about-face and reluctantly strode to Lex’s booth. Feeling uncomfortably like a cornered mongrel seconds from gnawing off his own leg to escape the deadly trap he’d landed himself in, Jerrick cautiously slid across from Lex.
“You know…”
He winced, steeling himself for whatever family recollection Lex had in store for him.
“…this sandwich is tasty,” Lex finished.
Jerrick allowed his shoulders to relax, and he stretched his legs, settling in.
“Not nearly as delicious as the ones my cousin Horacio made that time we all went picnicking in Galdore Swamp. Don’t ask me why we spent an entire day in a dreary swamp with biting insects during the middle of a heat wave with no bathroom facilities anywhere.”
He didn’t ask. Lex filled him in anyway during forty of the longest minutes of Jerrick’s life.
Right around the time Lex got to ruminating on why anyone would settle for one-ply toilet paper when they could have two, and Jerrick officially decided he’d either drink himself to death within the next five seconds or bite the bullet and return to the apartment, the server approached with Jerrick’s second beer.
Option one it is. Biting the bullet, Jerrick snagged the brew and took a lengthy gulp.
“I’ve been meaning to ask how things are progressing at Club Rapture. Any leads on the scientist?”
Grimacing, he glanced away from Lex sputtering bread crumbs everywhere. “Better than expected. Turns out Casper was the sub of the woman running the place.”
Lex’s eyes widened behind his enormous spectacles. “No kidding.”
“If all goes as planned, tomorrow night I’ll be well on my way to wrapping this whole fucking nightmare up.” Then he could focus on his next course of action—bringing down a world of hurt on the assholes who’d threatened Avi.
“I wonder if she led him around on a leash. Like in that flyer.”
“Who?”
Lex gaped at him like he should have been able to instantly follow the man’s whiplash train of thought. “Casper. I wonder if he wore a leash and collar. Do you suppose it would chafe your neck? It would have to. I remember one time my fifth cousin, Previn, got a big boil on his neck.”
Concerned Lex was seconds away from using the word oozing, Jerrick inched toward the end of the booth. “Sorry, Tarker, but I just remembered I forgot to feed the cat.”
“I don’t remember seeing a cat at your place.”
“It’s one of those chameleon felines. Blends with the furniture.” Jerrick booked for the exit before Lex could launch into a diatribe about his Great Aunt Snicklepoop’s geriatric chameleon cat.
The walk back to The Fairest Rose was a trying one. While he’d been holed up in the bar, the entire planet had descended on the sidewalks of Tul’dea. After checking on the status of his Racer, he headed upstairs and passed some time testing his skills on a few of the locks in the apartment. When Avi entered an hour later, he was still attempting to break his record with the hairpin he’d found in the top drawer of the bathroom cabinet.
She arched an eyebrow. “What, you haven’t moved on to a toothpick?”
“Already nailed that one in the first go.”
“You’re a scary fairy, Jer.”
Grunting, he tossed the hairpin aside. “Hope you don’t need that for your date tonight, since I bent it to hell.”
She smiled acidly. “Sorry to disappoint you, but your nefarious attempt at hairdo sabotage was all for naught. I’m going for the loose and flirty look for this evening’s festivities.”
Loose and flirty? That didn’t sound fucking good. “You’re better keeping your hair up. Breeze could blow through and catch a stray spark from a flickering candle. Next thing you know, your whole head is in flames.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You’ve put a lot of thought into that. I commend your ingenuity, but I think I’ll stick with my original hairdo plan.”
“I’m telling you, babe. Candle mishaps are the leading cause of date disasters. Don’t be another casualty.”
Lips twitching, she gave him a middle-finger salute and hustled down the hall.