“How long ago was this?”
“We were gettin’ ready to leave. Her curfew is midnight. So, an hour and a half at most.”
Layne was sitting on the bed, his socks on, he was pulling on his boots.
“She ever out of your sight?” he asked.
“What?”
“Keira, at the party, was she ever out of your sight?”
“Yes,” Jasper answered. “Once. She went to the bathroom right before she started acting funny.”
“The beer, was it bottles, cans, keg?”
“Keg,” Jasper replied.
“You get her beers or did someone else?”
“Uh… me, mostly, I think. I don’t know.”
“It’s important, Bud, did anyone give her a drink?”
Jasper was silent. Then he bit out, “Shit!”
“Someone got her a drink?” Layne pushed.
“No, I don’t know, maybe. Some people were doin’ shots, Dad, but Keirry and me weren’t, at least she wasn’t when she was with me. But now I get it, she’s not passed out, someone gave her a drink and they slipped her something.”
“That’s what I’m thinkin’,” Layne said, he was up and moving toward the door, Rocky right with him. “Where are you?”
“In the parking lot of Shanghai Salon, in the back.”
“Roc and me’ll be there in ten. Hang tight and do not leave her.”
“Gotcha,” Jasper muttered and disconnected.
Layne flipped his phone shut as he moved down the stairs.
“Keira’s been slipped something?” Rocky asked his back.
He made it to the bottom and went to his coat on the armchair, nabbing it, he shrugged it on.
“Yeah, they were at a party, drinkin’ beer,” Layne answered as he turned to see she was at the bar, grabbing the coat she’d thrown on a stool in front of it. “He says she’s totally out.”
Rocky’s eyes came to him, she was pulling on her coat. “Vi and Cal are gonna freak,” she noted softly.
Vi and Cal had been through enough. They were gonna freak, absolutely.
Layne walked to the bar and tagged his keys. “On your phone, sweetcheeks, they’re probably worried. Tell them Keira’s safe, she was slipped something at a party, Jasper’s been takin’ care of her and we’ll get her home within half an hour.”
Rocky nodded, grabbed her purse and dug for her cell as they walked out, Layne locked up and they both hoofed it to the Suburban.
Rocky called Vi and Cal in the car and, listening to her, he knew she got Cal and further he knew she got an unhappy Cal. Layne drove to Shanghai Salon then around it, finding the Charger parked in the dimly lit back. He parked close and got out as Jasper and Rocky got out, Rocky going directly to the passenger seat of the Charger, Layne leaving her to it and going to his boy.
“We’re gonna take her home,” Layne said to his son without preamble. “You’re drivin’ Keira, I got your back. You own up to the beer and take what Cal dishes out.” Jasper nodded and Layne asked, “You know who would do this to her?” Jasper shook his head. “You know anyone who does this shit?” Jasper shook his head again. “Anyone at the party actin’ funny, watchful?”
“Nope,” Jasper replied then went on honestly. “But I wouldn’t really know, Dad. We were havin’ fun. I wasn’t payin’ much attention.”
Layne nodded. “She got admirers?”
“Yeah,” Jasper answered. “She’s hot.”
“Any one of those give you a bad vibe?” Layne asked.
“All of ‘em, Dad, she’s my babe. Not big on her havin’ admirers.”
Jesus, uncanny, Jasper was so fucking like him.
“All right, you think about that shit on your way to Violet and Cal because Cal’s gonna be askin’ these same questions and it’s gonna go better for you, you have answers.”
Jasper nodded and Rocky walked up to them.
“In the car, Bud, let’s go,” Layne ordered and was about to move away but stopped when he saw Rocky’s hand reach out, she grabbed Jasper’s and gave it a visible squeeze. Jasper looked to her, his son’s face a mixture of extremely pissed off and seriously anxious and her squeeze did nothing to alleviate this. Raquel saw that but still, she gave him a sweet, understanding smile, another hand squeeze with a shake then she let his hand go and walked silently to the passenger seat of the Suburban.
*
The buzzing started, it was loud, and it didn’t stop.
Layne’s eyes opened as Rocky came up to an elbow at his side.
“Jesus, fuck, what the fuck is that?” Layne mumbled, moving his head on the pillow to look at her.
“Someone’s at the gate,” Rocky mumbled back. “You can get them on the phone.”
Layne turned to the nightstand, saw it was six forty-three and he felt his jaw get tight.
He nabbed the phone and put it to his ear, “Yeah?”
“Figured you’d be there,” Gabby snapped back. “Let me in.”
Fuck.
“Gabby, it’s early. We’re not doin’ this,” Layne told her.
“Let… me… in or I swear to God, swear to God, Tanner, I’ll sit out here all fucking day and I won’t do it quiet,” Gabby bit out.
She’d do that. Gabrielle in a snit, she’d do anything.
Layne’s eyes went to Rocky and he asked, “It’s Gabby. How do I let her in?”
He watched Rocky’s eyes get big then she answered, “Hit three.”
Layne hit three, put the phone down then rolled from bed.
“What’s she doing here?” Rocky asked as he heard her rolling out behind him.
Layne grabbed his jeans off the floor and turned to her. She’d confiscated his t-shirt last night after they got home from talking Cal down from kicking the shit out of Jasper. He’d pulled the shirt off and barely got it over his head when she yanked it out of his hand, pulled it on and collapsed into bed.
“Stay up here, sweetcheeks, I’ll deal with her,” Layne ordered instead of answering her question and Rocky locked eyes with him.
“Why’d you let her in?”