Home is not a Place

39• I was Lonely

DRAKE

The ride home was quiet, even though Ethan, Tony, and I sat together in a row on the plane. Tony was on the end of the row and conversed with strangers the whole time, and Ethan sat in the middle and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep, while I remained awkwardly bored staring out the window and down at the puffy clouds below.

When we touched down, we all had a long talk with Jerome about how the mission went sideways, and when I mentioned something about Vanessa, Jerome's eyebrows furrowed. He said, "Are you saying Vanessa being on the team is an issue?"

Ethan and Tony both glared at me like I was satan, and I tried to recover the best I could. If not for them, for Vanessa because no matter how much I don't like her, I don't blame her.

"No, sir." I replied shortly with a hand raking through my hair. "I mean, it was partly all of our faults..."

Jerome didn't seem to be having it. He shook his head. "I can't put you all in danger. If adding her to the team was a mistake, just tell me."

Ethan stepped up and took the floor. "No, sir. It wasn't her fault. If I would've—"

Jerome raised his hand, Ethan halting his speech immediately. Jerome said, "I want to hear about it from Felix when he gets back and is well enough to make a judgement call. He should be able to tell us if she was part of the reason he was shot."

Ethan opened his mouth to say more, but I knew he was going to dig himself a big hole, so I cut him off, saying, "You're right. Felix is the best person to make this call."

When silence greeted us, I cleared my throat. "Do you have a mission for us?"

"I do." He replied, handing over a case file.

And that's where we are now. We're at a night club, each of us posted in different places in the building.

We're eyeing a lone shark who is dancing up on a lady at the moment. He is huge—but still not as big as me. A t-shirt wraps around his biceps, casual jeans resting on his bottom half. His jacket is what catches my attention. On it, a gang logo resides, and he wears it loud and proud.

I grumble to myself as I take a sip of liquor and sit back on a bench in the corner. My cover isn't the best—I probably stick out like a sore thumb.

Tony is busy talking to a whole group of ladies who seem to love him dearly, and Ethan is chatting with a nearby bartender about his life—all lies of course.

My seat vibrates, the wall shakes, and my brain becomes jumbled as music thunders from speakers. Lights shine here and there, illuminating the place in bits and flashes. Darkness crawls at the seams of the place, and it seems only I notice this.

And I see darkness in the loan shark's preying eyes as he stares down at the woman dancing before him.

I sigh, but then I notice he is turning his head. Oh, God. To look my way?

I spot the nearest working woman and motion her over. She comes to me without hesitation, her lustrous green eyes scanning my body like it's her dinner. I smile at her, pretending to want her.

Oh, it's so easy to fool her. Just like I've fooled almost everyone I know from one time or another.

I lean back as she sits beside me and scoots real close, just enough to reveal most of her breast. Her hand dances on my jeans, her tongue flickering as she speaks to me.

I talk to her, using her as a cover, and as soon as I know the loan shark's eyes are off me, I look up.

I glance up only to find that the loan shark is out of sight, and so is the woman he was dancing with.