Diving Into Him (South of Forever, Book 1)

Chapter 3

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Jett snorted. "You've got to be kidding me." She glanced at Koty. He eyed Perry like an exterminator staring down a cockroach. She tapped her lip, considering her limited options. She needed a bassist, immediately. Even if Perry wasn't being dramatic, going head to head with King Riley would keep her motivated. It would be a fun challenge. She turned back to Perry. "We're going to be at Malden Street Studios tonight. Meet us there." Giving him the address, she marched through the front door.

"Whoa," Koty called after her as she jogged down the front steps. "Hold on." He caught up with her and shot her a perplexed look. "Why did you invite him?"

Pausing, she flipped open her notebook. "Why not?" She scanned the list of names. She still didn't know Boston well enough to tell who was closest to Perry's neighborhood. Pulling her phone out of the pocket of her leather jacket, she typed the address into her GPS.

"He's trouble." Koty touched her arm.

She tilted her head at him. "What do you mean?"

"He was cocked." His eyes bore into hers. "Do you really want to be around him?"

Frowning, she pocketed her phone. "He's an experienced bassist." She crossed her arms. "Why wouldn't I want him around?"

Koty took a deep breath. "Didn't you see his apartment?"

She sighed. "It was a real hole in the wall. What does that have to do with anything?"

"There were empty whiskey bottles all over the place." Koty ran a hand through his hair. "He's an alcoholic, Jett."

"How do you know that?" She narrowed her eyes. "You heard him. He got kicked out of his band."

Koty sighed. "He's living in a shit hole with no furniture, yet he can afford all of that booze. The place reeked of it."

Following the prompts from Jett's phone, they headed away from Perry's apartment. "What's your point?"

"My point is," he said, jogging to keep up with her, "being around him might trigger you."

She halted. Whirling on her heels, she nearly crashed into him. "Trigger me to do what?"

"I don't want you to start drinking again. You've been doing so well." He smiled.

She glared at him. "I'm not an idiot, Koty."

He lifted his hands. "I didn't say you were. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"I don't need you to babysit me." She pulled her cigarettes out of her pocket, plucked one from the pack with her teeth, and lit it.

His shoulders slumped. "I didn't say you did."

"How about you don't say anything at all?" She blinked away tears. "I know what I'm doing." She walked faster.

"That's not what I meant." He dropped behind. "Can you slow down?"

Ignoring him, she surged forward.

"Fine," he called. "I'll just see you at the studio later."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Jett walked faster. She forced herself to keep moving without looking over her shoulder. What he thought shouldn't matter. She had been sober for months. She wasn't going to fall off the wagon. She was stronger than that. She was a Costa. Her father had taught her better.

The thought of her father made her eyes sting even more. She hadn't seen him in almost a year. Guilt gnawed at her stomach. She hadn't so much as bothered to call him—not even when Simon 1056 dropped Perpetual Smile. She would catch up with him the second she got her life together, she decided. It had been too long.