He looked ridiculous but peaceful at the same time. His clothes were wrinkled and mussed, his shirt halfway up his stomach. Lying on his side, he had his hands tucked under the scruff on his cheek and his feet hung over the edge.
White-blond hair sticking up in every direction, he looked a little like a hungover cherub. All he needed was a little extra padding, and he’d have been a shoo-in.
Sidestepping a young couple shooting Eden disgusted looks as they sped through the lobby, I moved over to my friend, put two fingers on his shoulder, and pushed. “Eden? Hey, bud. It’s time to wake up.”
He didn’t stir at first. It took three more tries before a low, pained sound tore out of him. His green eyes blinked open, the whites bloodshot and the lids swollen.
“Where am I?” he muttered.
I winced when his breath punched into my nostrils. “Lobby. You must have fallen asleep here.”
“Oh, yeah.” Reaching over his head, he stretched out and yawned loudly as he rolled to his back. “I couldn’t find my room. I put my key in every door except for mine, I think.”
“I figured that was what happened. Want to come up to my room? I’ve got food up there already.” I’d ordered a feast from room service, but Sofia and I hadn’t gotten round to eating much of it. “There’s bacon.”
Eden pushed himself into a sitting position, gripping his head between his hands. “Dude, I’m so fucking hungover. Bacon sounds great, though. Lead me to it.”
I laughed, which earned me a glare and a whimper from my friend. Deciding to take mercy on him, I kept quiet on the way up to my room and even drew the curtains again once we got inside.
“What happened to you last night?” He frowned, stumbling to the sitting area where the room-service dishes were spread out on the coffee table. “I remember you saying something about a girl, and then you were gone.”
I blinked at him. “Seriously? You weren’t even slurring when I left.”
“Maybe not.” He shrugged. “My memory feels like a black hole. Where’d you go? I thought you’d come back when you were done.”
“Yeah, well, uh…” I didn’t stutter often. Dropping into the seat across from him, I looked up to find him staring at me with wide eyes. “Something happened last night.”
“What was it?” he asked slowly, planting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. “What did you do?”
“I might have hooked up with Charles’ daughter.” What little color had been left in Eden’s face drained from it. I put my hands up, turning my palms out. “I didn’t know it was her until after. After the first time anyway.”
His skin went from sallow and clammy to having a definite greenish tinge to it. Both of his knees started bouncing. “That’s it for us then, I guess. We’re going to be Navy janitors at best when he finds out about this.”
“He won’t find out about it,” I assured him, plucking a piece of cold bacon off a plate and popping it into my mouth. The greasy saltiness of the meat coated my tongue and momentarily distracted me from the immensity of the problem. “She gave me her word.”
“She gave you her word?” he parroted, his brows shooting up. “How long have you known this girl, and now you’re taking her word for something like this?”
I turned my wrist and glanced down at the bright orange face of my dive watch. “I met her about thirteen hours ago, give or take a couple, but I trust her with this.”
Eden chewed on the inside of his cheek before he sighed. “You’re not going to see her again, right?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I want to.”
His jaw practically hit the floor. “Are you serious? Do you have any idea what Charles will do to you when he finds out?”
“Rip off my balls and feed them to the new recruits?” I suggested, bringing my knees closer together instinctively.
Eden gave me a pointed look. “He’d do that just for starters. Charles will ruin you for this, Linc. Not even you could escape it.”
“I don’t know,” I mused. “She’s an adult. She made her own choices. Trust me. She’s no wilting wallflower. It wasn’t like it came from my side only.”
“Do you think that would matter to him?” He laughed humorlessly. “Somehow, I don’t.”
I lifted my shoulders, turning my head to look out over the bay in the distance. “If I’m being totally honest, she might be worth it, man.”
“Are you kidding me?” I saw him shoot to his feet in my periphery, his head shaking hard and fast. “I’m going to bed. I can’t handle any more drama right now.”
“Get some sleep,” I said, resting my head back on the chair as I watched clouds floating past my window.
There might be a storm on the way. I tried my best not to take it as an ominous sign of what was about to happen in my life.
You don’t even believe in signs, Linc. Get your head out of your ass.
Eden echoed the sentiment before my door slammed shut, and I sighed. Maybe I should take my own advice to him and get some sleep. It was pretty much the only thing I wanted to do that wouldn’t get me into any more trouble than I already was.
Chapter 10
Sofia
When I was fifteen, I discovered I could get into our house without my father knowing. At the time, the discovery hadn’t meant all that much.
In the years that had passed since, however, I’d found many occasions on which to put my route to the test. This morning was no different.
Our living-room window was almost always open. It was a wide bay window and even had a soft landing with the day bed built into the alcove.
I also had an excellent vantage point from outside it, since I could see most of our lower story. The dining room flowed into our TV room, and beyond
