Read Online Singed by Kaylea Cross - Free Book Online Page B

One forkful from finishing, his phone rang.
    “Aren’t you the popular one tonight,” Hunter remarked as Gage put the thing to his ear.
    Gage held up his middle finger as he answered the unknown number. “Wallace.”
    “Gage?”
    He stilled and frowned. The male voice was familiar somehow but he couldn’t place it. “Yeah. Who’s this?”
    “It’s Wayne. Claire’s dad.” The urgency in his voice lit up Gage’s inner warning system.
    He was up and out of the chair heading for the quiet of the living room without conscious thought. Wayne had never called him before. Ever. “Hi there. How are you?”
    “I’m…not good. I didn’t know who else to call.” The man’s voice cracked, sending Gage’s pulse up a notch.
    Claire was fine, still out with her friends, or Dunphy would’ve called. “What’s wrong?”
    A shaky sigh answered him. “I can’t get hold of Claire but she told me you were in town. Are you still?”
    “Yeah, what do you need?”
    “Just… Can you meet me at her place? I need to talk with her and it would help to have you here when I do.” He was near tears, the ragged edge to his voice making the hair on Gage’s nape prickle. “I’ll tell you everything when you get here.”
    “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Gage hung up and raced back into the kitchen to grab his keys. Hunter and Ellis were on their feet.
    “What’s up? Do you need us?” Hunter asked.
    He shook his head. “Not yet. That was Claire’s dad. He wants me to meet him at her place. I’ll call you once I know what the hell’s going on.”
    Whatever it was, it was bad. On the way out to the SUV he tried Claire’s cell but it went straight to voicemail. He texted Dunphy to blow his cover, go in there and tell Claire to call her father. Dunphy texted back thirty seconds later that she’d already left the restaurant and he was following her. Gage hoped she was going home. As for him, he was going to make sure he found out what was happening before she got there.

 
    Chapter Five
    “Thanks for dragging me out tonight,” Claire said as she hugged her best friend.
    Mel squeezed her in return, her answering laugh warm and bright as a sunbeam. “You’re welcome. It’s been way too long since we’ve gone out. I knew you needed it.”
    “I did, more than I realized. I used to be fun, dammit! Wait, I’m still fun, right?” She pulled back to eye her friend.
    “Definitely,” Mel said, then looked at Zahra, who was at the curb pulling her long black hair into a clip at the base of her neck. “She’s still entertaining, yeah?”
    “Very much so,” Zahra agreed, hazel eyes dancing with humor. “Who knew?”
    “Oh, come on, you always suspected I was fun to hang out with,” Claire told her.
    She shrugged. “Yeah, I did, but consider the source. I’m a linguist, so not really known for lighting the night up, you know?”
    “Well I kind of like that about you.” Claire turned her attention back to Mel, who’d spent half the evening digging for details about Gage and the other regaling tales of her own recent dating disasters. “God it felt good to laugh like that. Been a while.”
    “That’s what I’m here for—to provide you with comic relief about my horror show dating experiences when life gets you down.”
    Chuckling, Claire nudged her with her shoulder. “I appreciate the sacrifice. Where the hell do you meet these guys, anyway?”
    Mel made a face, her nose wrinkling in distaste. “In all the wrong places, apparently.”
    “Oh no, that’s all me,” Zahra cut in. “And thus, I’ve sworn off dating for at least the next six months. I’ve decided to upgrade from my apartment, rent a house and adopt a bunch of rescue cats. If I can’t find a decent man I want to be with, I can at least turn into a crazy cat lady in peace and quiet.”
    “You liar. I saw the way you and Dunphy were eyeing each other today when you thought no one was looking.” Claire arched an eyebrow, daring her to deny