doesn’t know those!” I glanced at Dad, who, after picking up his camera from the floor and checking to see if it still worked, looked like he was moments away from telling me to go upstairs and change every single one of my passwords before Rafe got there. “God, Pen, do you know Harrison’s phone number?”
She fixed me with a deadly look. “I can’t believe you just asked me that. And here,” she held out her phone. “I have his number in mine.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang, saving me from having to call Rafe. But even as Chloe rushed to open the door, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of awfulness. Maybe I wasn’t doing this girlfriend thing right. I should know his number, shouldn’t I? If I failed at something as simple as that, then what else was I doing wrong?
As Rafe came into the room, I squeezed my eyes shut—
BAM! I jolted awake with a startled gasp. Next to me, Philip let out a string of curses as his father stormed into the room, his face dark with anger.
“ This is where she’s been the whole time? In your bed , Philip?” he demanded.
“Shit, Dad, what the hell is wrong with you?” Philip muttered, scrubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “Is HQ on fire? Is there a h orde of demons running around Eighteenth Street?”
“What the hell is wrong with me?” Charles echoed. “I’ve just spent the last half hour searching for the Soul Healer after Nina came to my office to tell me she wasn’t in her room!” Behind him, Nina peeked around the doorway, ducking back when she caught me staring.
“Aww, did you miss me, Mister Director?” I asked sarcastically, annoyed that he had interrupted my sleep. But really, another dream about Rafe? Was my subconscious trying to kill me? Maybe that’s why I kept goading Charles, barely even paying attention to what I was saying. “Or are you just pissed about finding me in your son’s bed?”
He took a step toward me—no, not a step, more like a lunge, but then he checked himself, faltering at the last moment. That didn’t stop Philip from propelling himself off the bed and landing between the two of us. I swallowed a gasp, my heart racing as I realized how close I had come to being pummeled.
“Dad. Stop.” Philip held out a hand, palm out, toward his father. His body was tense, like he expected Charles to attack him. “Calm down, all right?”
Charles let out a long, slow breath. Staring at me over his son’s shoulder, he said, “Bring her to my office in twenty minutes. Not a minute later, Philip.” He turned on his heel and stormed out.
I exchanged a look with Philip. “Your dad is seriously deranged. No offense.” I hid my shaking fingers under the covers. I didn’t want Philip to see how freaked out I was.
“You didn’t need to add that ‘no offense’ part,” he replied dryly. “Believe me, I know.”
“Um?” We both turned to see Nina still lingering in the hallway. “Gabi… ella?”
“Just Gabi,” I said, wondering what she wanted. Why hadn’t she followed Charles like the obedient little puppy she was?
Okay, maybe that was a little too harsh.
She smiled, looking more like the girl I had fir st met, the one who had shouted “YAY!” a billion times as she skipped down the hallway. “Come back to your room; I got you some new clothes, and breakfast, too!”
My stomach gurgled at the mention of food. “Cake?”
“Huh?” She wrinkled her nose. “For breakfast?”
Oh boy. This girl needed to learn the proper way to live life, and it was up to me to show her. Sliding off the bed, I hooked arms with her. “Nina, any time is cake time.”
Chapter Eighteen
Twenty minutes later (okay, no, it was more like a half hour because I wasn’t rushing for stupid Director Jerkface) I had showered, eaten (cereal and juice—where was my coffee!), and dressed in the new clothes Nina had bought for me (another comfy sweater and jeans), and was now on my way to meet Charles in his
She fixed me with a deadly look. “I can’t believe you just asked me that. And here,” she held out her phone. “I have his number in mine.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang, saving me from having to call Rafe. But even as Chloe rushed to open the door, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of awfulness. Maybe I wasn’t doing this girlfriend thing right. I should know his number, shouldn’t I? If I failed at something as simple as that, then what else was I doing wrong?
As Rafe came into the room, I squeezed my eyes shut—
BAM! I jolted awake with a startled gasp. Next to me, Philip let out a string of curses as his father stormed into the room, his face dark with anger.
“ This is where she’s been the whole time? In your bed , Philip?” he demanded.
“Shit, Dad, what the hell is wrong with you?” Philip muttered, scrubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “Is HQ on fire? Is there a h orde of demons running around Eighteenth Street?”
“What the hell is wrong with me?” Charles echoed. “I’ve just spent the last half hour searching for the Soul Healer after Nina came to my office to tell me she wasn’t in her room!” Behind him, Nina peeked around the doorway, ducking back when she caught me staring.
“Aww, did you miss me, Mister Director?” I asked sarcastically, annoyed that he had interrupted my sleep. But really, another dream about Rafe? Was my subconscious trying to kill me? Maybe that’s why I kept goading Charles, barely even paying attention to what I was saying. “Or are you just pissed about finding me in your son’s bed?”
He took a step toward me—no, not a step, more like a lunge, but then he checked himself, faltering at the last moment. That didn’t stop Philip from propelling himself off the bed and landing between the two of us. I swallowed a gasp, my heart racing as I realized how close I had come to being pummeled.
“Dad. Stop.” Philip held out a hand, palm out, toward his father. His body was tense, like he expected Charles to attack him. “Calm down, all right?”
Charles let out a long, slow breath. Staring at me over his son’s shoulder, he said, “Bring her to my office in twenty minutes. Not a minute later, Philip.” He turned on his heel and stormed out.
I exchanged a look with Philip. “Your dad is seriously deranged. No offense.” I hid my shaking fingers under the covers. I didn’t want Philip to see how freaked out I was.
“You didn’t need to add that ‘no offense’ part,” he replied dryly. “Believe me, I know.”
“Um?” We both turned to see Nina still lingering in the hallway. “Gabi… ella?”
“Just Gabi,” I said, wondering what she wanted. Why hadn’t she followed Charles like the obedient little puppy she was?
Okay, maybe that was a little too harsh.
She smiled, looking more like the girl I had fir st met, the one who had shouted “YAY!” a billion times as she skipped down the hallway. “Come back to your room; I got you some new clothes, and breakfast, too!”
My stomach gurgled at the mention of food. “Cake?”
“Huh?” She wrinkled her nose. “For breakfast?”
Oh boy. This girl needed to learn the proper way to live life, and it was up to me to show her. Sliding off the bed, I hooked arms with her. “Nina, any time is cake time.”
Chapter Eighteen
Twenty minutes later (okay, no, it was more like a half hour because I wasn’t rushing for stupid Director Jerkface) I had showered, eaten (cereal and juice—where was my coffee!), and dressed in the new clothes Nina had bought for me (another comfy sweater and jeans), and was now on my way to meet Charles in his
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