Her cheeks flush and I watch as Slade’s grin stretches wider across his face. I laugh to myself, meeting his eye while leaning back in my seat to enjoy the show.
“I, ummm…ahh…”
Fuck, she’s not kidding. She really is awkward about this.
Damian leans in closer, more than ready to be a part of this conversation as Nessa’s eyes flick around the table, begging someone to jump in and help her.
“You like him right?” Slade continues. “Or is it all about getting your freak on?”
“Seriously?” she grumbles, looking at me as though I have the power to make him knock it off.
Slade leans in closer, capturing Nessa’s gaze and holding it hostage. “Ever heard of the rusty trombone?” he laughs, making me choke on my own breath. “Damian’s been dying to give it a go. He told me he wants to try it with you.”
My jaw drops as Damian’s fist rocks into Slade’s arm. “Fuck off, man.”
“Wait, what?” Nessa questions, looking around the table and finishing on me. “What the fuck is a rusty trombone?”
I shake my head, not wanting to be the one to explain. “I am so not about to explain that one to you. Google it, but if we’re being honest, he seems like more of a Mississippi Birdbath kind of guy to me.”
Slade and Damian look at each other before bringing their gawking stares back to me. “You know what this shit is?” Damian asks, narrowing his eyes at me.
“Of course, I do,” I laugh. “I grew up with Blake. He would sit at the breakfast bar laughing about it and showing me pictures while I was trying to down my cereal. I had to stop eating bananas for a while.”
Slade shakes his head, deep in thought. “You know, if we’re really going to be honest, I think Damian’s more inclined to surprise a chick with the Charizard.”
“Wait,” I say as Damian slams his hand down on the table, laughing so hard that he chokes on his own spit “What’s that? I don’t know that one.”
Nessa’s brows furrow as she pulls out her phone and starts typing while constantly looking up at the boys. She brings up the search page and when she sucks in a sharp breath, I lean over and take the phone from her hand.
I clear my voice and start reading. “The act of lighting a girls bush on fire and putting it out with your come while flailing your arms in the air and yelling ‘You don’t have enough badges to train me!’”
The boys howl like hyenas as Nessa gets up from her seat and casually walks around the table. Within seconds, she has Damian in a chokehold. “If you ever try any of this shit on me, I’m going to shove my hand so far down your throat that I’ll be fucking your asshole from the inside, got it”
Damian laughs and grabs Nessa, throwing her down on the table and spanking her ass in the process. “As much as I’d love for you to fuck my asshole from inside my throat, I can’t light your pubes on fire because you got none.”
She grins, loving the feel of his hand on her ass. “Consider it a warning, Wilder.”
He squeezes her ass but whatever idiotic comeback he was going to throw at her is cut short when my phone vibrates loudly against the cafeteria table. I look down at it and my eyes instantly widen.
I scramble for the phone, struggling to hit accept in my excitement.
When the phone finally hits my ear, I rush out a breathy “Hello.”
“Hello, is this Skylah Daniels?”
“Yes,” I rush out.
“Skylah, this is Officer Lucock from the Aston Creek police Department.”
“Holy shit,” I say, sucking in a breath. This is the call I’ve been waiting for all day. “Was he arrested? Is this shit really over?”
“Actually…” he says, regrettably. “That’s why I’m calling. Our men stormed both his office and his home this morning and Lucien Valentine is nowhere to be found. It’s believed he knew of his arrest warrant and ran.”
My eyes snap up to Slade’s. “What? What do you mean he ran?”
“We couldn’t find him, Skylah. We’ve checked all his known locations. It’s as though he’s just disappeared off the face of the earth which is why I’m calling you.”
“I don’t understand,” I whisper as Slade watches me, refusing to take his eyes off me for even a second.
“We need you to be extra cautious, Skylah. This man is a danger to you and we believe he could be heading your way. We’re going to be sending a patrol car to sit outside your home. He’s also going to keep an eye on Daniella Cruz as she’s just up the street from you, we’ll also have surveillance at the hospital. We need to know if there are any other locations he might be hiding out?”