Page 34 of Wicked Shadows
After finding there were no flights available until the following afternoon, he lay on his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The pictures in magazines and on television of Elle with other men over the prior three years had been bad enough, even though he knew she was his. But seeing her earlier was different. It wasn’t a movie promotion or a platonic date to a premiere. She’d moved on without him, and as much as he wanted to wait at her apartment for her, he knew himself too well.
His personal cell woke him from a restless sleep. At first, he thought he’d let it roll to voice mail, but a glance at the name on the screen made him scramble to answer it instead.
“Hello.”
“Devon? I swore I wouldn’t do this when you didn’t show up, but I can’t move on without having this talk with you. Tell me it’s over. Tell me you don’t want me. Tell me I don’t mean anything to you,” Elle demanded through slightly slurred words.
His mind yelled at him to tell her what she wanted so she’d finally be happy without him. But his heart was selfish and couldn’t lie to her. Wouldn’t lie to her. “I can’t tell you any of those things, Elle.”
Her watery reply drove a searing hot knife through his heart. “You don’t want me, but you don’t want anyone else to have me either. Is that it?”
“No, that’s not it at all. In fact, if you’re finished with your date for the night, why don’t you come on over to my hotel room and I’ll show you how much I don’t want you.”
“How did you know about my date?”
“Because I’m fucking here and watched you walk into the restaurant on the arm of another man.” His teeth were clenched together as he spoke, and the muscles in his jaw jumped in anger. “And I have called you, repeatedly, but you haven’t answered any of them.”
“Why were you late?”
“Because my friend’s fiancée was in the hospital, fighting for her life, and I couldn’t just leave them. Wrapping up the job took a little longer than I thought it would, but then I told you that was a possibility when I was here last time.”
“My phone was mysteriously misplaced when I woke up on day fifteen. My assistant ordered a new phone, with a new number, and none of my existing contacts would download to my new phone for some odd reason. I tore Beth’s room apart tonight until I found my old phone. Where are you?”
“Already on my way to you.”
