Matt placed the phone in my hand, but kept hold. “You sure?”
“Let go, Matt.” He hesitated a few seconds then released his phone.
Ethan still held me, his hand having slid down to my waist.
“You want this gig, take your hands off before I make you,” Matt said, glaring at Ethan. “She’s drunk, man.”
I put the phone to my ear as Ethan put both hands up and sat back.
“Stop calling.” It was said in a mumbled slur.
“You’re drunk.”
This is why I knew I shouldn’t talk to him. It was like his voice curled me into him—tight. All this work trying to drink him out of my mind and he plowed back full force with a few words.
“Emily. It’s two in the morning.”
“I’m ... stamping you ... out.”
“Excuse me?”
“The stamp. I have to get rid of it.” I knew my words were mumbled with the cosmos at full effect.
“Is Kat with you?”
I looked around. “Nope. Just Ethan.”
Silence.
“Ethan? From Strikeback?”
I turned to Ethan. “You from Shrrikeback?” My words came out very slurred, but it sounded like he understood me.
“Yeah, Princess. My band.” He smiled and winked.
“He says yep.”
“Did I just here him call you Princess?”
Ummm.
“Give him the phone. Now.” Oh, he sounded angry. What I needed was another drink. I passed Ethan Matt’s phone. “He wants to talk to you.” I stood then stumbled to where Brett was cleaning off the bar. It took me three tries to get onto the bar stool.
Brett nodded toward Ethan chuckling. “I can hear Sculpt shouting from here. He just told Ethan he’s going to kick his ass when he gets back.”
“Oh God, no. He ... he can’t do that.” I didn’t want Logan fighting anyone. I knew he hated it and ... Logan had gone to Mexico to fight for his father—to save me.
I nearly fell onto my ass when I went scrambling back to Ethan and grabbed the phone from him. Logan was still shouting something about his woman.
“Logan. Logan ... Stop yelling.”
He went quiet then, “Eme.” He sighed. “I’m glad you’re out with your girls. But ... you need to go home. I need you to be safe, baby.” I heard him swear as something crashed. Someone yelled in the background, maybe Ream or Crisis.
“Logan?”
“If anything happened to you ... I just—damn it, I need you to be safe.”
God, he sounded so worried. I didn’t understand what the big deal was and right now my head was pounding and I couldn’t think straight.
I sank into the chair, my head in my hands. “I can’t erase you. I tried, but I can’t.”
“You can’t erase what’s engraved.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled.
“Give the phone to Matt, baby.”
“Okay.” I passed it to Matt, and he kissed my brow before striding away, phone to his ear.
Kat was walking toward me, her brows raised at something over my left shoulder. She looked surprised and a little worried. I spun around, well I stumbled around, and had to grab the chair for balance.
“Oh look, trouble just walked in and is sucking the fun right out from between my legs,” Georgie said as she followed Kat’s gaze.
Kat looked at me then back at Deck. “You think he’ll have a cosmo with us?”
Georgie picked up the remainder of her cocktail and chugged back half of it. “Can you really see Deck sipping on a cosmo? Besides, you see that wrinkle between his brows? Yep ... right pissed, like turnip-up-the-butt kind of mad.”
I was either too drunk or too emotional after Logan’s words to say anything. I slipped down into the chair closest to me, my ass cheek half off cause I kind of missed. Deck was making his way toward us, and his scowl was the kind that would have most running. I’d have hid under the table if I thought it would do any good.
Not sure why Deck’s eyes were on me, as if I’d just brought hell down on him. I picked up my cosmo and slurped the last of it, making a loud sucking noise. Matt suddenly was at my side, and he snatched the drink from my hand and slammed it down none to gently on the other side of the table.
“I’m not happy,” Deck said. Was Deck ever happy? I mean, really, he rarely spoke, and when he did it was serious.
“I am. Fantastic night,” Georgie said smirking. “Cosmo, Deck? Might make you smile.”
His eyes darted to Georgie, and she cocked her hip and held up her nearly empty drink. He grabbed it, chugged the contents back then tossed it on the table. “You see me smiling, Georgie?”
“Nope,” Kat said and laughed.
Deck wasn’t laughing. He was pissed. I was thinking either Logan called him, or Matt. Not sure why; I mean, we were out having fun and were a little drunk, but girls did that, and it was fun, and we were allowed to have fun.
“You get why I’m here?”
Georgie, Kat and I looked at one another and giggled while we shook our heads. Georgie was the only one smashed or stupid or brave enough to answer.
“You’re hoping I’m drunk enough to take me home and f**k me all night long in every orifice possible?” Georgie said.
“Jesus, Georgie.” Matt groaned.
Deck’s brow lowered, and his hands clenched. “I’m not doing this shit every f**kin’ night, Georgie. You need to get your crap together.”