Provoke

Chapter Twenty-Four

Leeta

I must have fallen asleep again.

I sat up, my head still dizzy, but much less so than earlier. Is Mace still here? The sun was shining through the curtains. What time was it? I reached for my phone, which I’d left sitting on my bedside table.

Shit—after noon. How the hell had I slept for so long? Throwing the covers back, I stepped out of bed and reached for my robe, throwing it over my tank and panties. I shivered.

I made it out of the living room without feeling like I was going to fall over, so that was a good start. Fuck. My head was pounding. I felt like I had the biggest hangover. I put on some coffee and threw some bread in the toaster. I wasn’t actually hungry—in fact, the thought of eating made me feel sick—but I knew I had to get something in my stomach. Especially if I was going to be following Mace today.

It was then I noticed the note on the table I picked it up.

Leet, I’ve just gone out to do a few things. I'll come and see you before I go. Call me if you need me. I'll have my phone with me, love Mace.

I stretched my arms across the bench, thinking, while I waited for the coffee.

What I was about to do could quite possibly be one of the stupidest things I'd ever done. But what other choice did I have?

I fingered my phone, hesitating, before picking it up and dialling. My heart raced as it rang once, then twice, then three times. I was just about to hang up when he answered.

“Leeta?”

“Yeah, Ben, it's me…” Maybe this was a really bad idea.

“Did you want something?” he asked. “I mean, it's good to hear from you but after the other day…”

With my back against the cupboard, I slid down until I was sitting on the kitchen floor. Burying my face in my hands, I groaned. This was such a bad idea.

“Are you there? What's going on? Do you need me to come over?” he asked, sounding worried.

“God, no, don’t come over.” I sighed, realizing there was no way around not telling him the whole story. “Remember what I told you the other day? About my boyfriend?”

“That he was cheating on you,” Ben said, his voice dark.

I sighed. “Look there’s more to it than that. I can't go into much detail, there's not enough time. But I need your help.”

“Whatever you need. But are you sure? I mean, the guy cheated on you…”

“His sister was raped. Mace has tracked down the guys he thinks are responsible. But I'm so scared. I'm scared he’s going to front up there alone and try and handle this himself. Will you come with me?” I asked, my voice small.

“Of course. Of course I will, you just tell me when and I'll swing past and pick you up.”

“Thank you,” I said, relieved. “I'll text you, okay?”

I don't know if I felt relieved, but I definitely felt better about the whole situation. I had a plan—it might not be very good one, but it was a plan nonetheless.