Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 353

Karl

The clock ticks on infuriatingly as I sit in the silent hotel room. Tick, tick, tick. God, I want to rip that thing out of the wall.

My fingers, needing some kind of distraction, pick at the loose threads on the bed sheets. But all the while, my eyes are only fixed on one thing: my phone. It sits silently on the bedside table, unmoving. It’s a constant reminder that she’s not calling me. And maybe she doesn’t intend to.

I left the flowers at Damon’s estate last night, and still no word from Abby. Part of me wonders if she even received the flowers at all, but…

No. Damon promised, and he seemed completely sincere.

I just need to wait. Abby will call; I’m sure of it.

Still, I’ve been telling myself that I just need to wait for over twelve hours now; but my waiting has proven nothing. I thought that Abby would at least send me a text after receiving the flowers, but she hasn’t said a word.

At one point in the middle of the night last night, when I couldn’t sleep and kept tossing and turning, I reached for my phone out of instinct to call her—only to remember that the last time I checked, she had me blocked.

So I can’t contact her. I really do just need to wait; maybe even forever, but I sincerely hope it won’t come to that.

“We should eat. It’s been a while, and you’re getting weak.”

My wolf’s voice suddenly splits through my whirling thoughts, and along with it comes the sound of a low, well-timed growl rumbling in my stomach.

I let out a sigh and scrub my hand through my hair. My wolf is right; I haven’t eaten since yesterday, and I barely even ate anything then. The thought of eating without Abby feels sickening, but I can’t keep going on like this.

“Fine.” I let out a huff and stand abruptly, leaving my meticulous thread-picking in the past. Grabbing my phone and my jacket, I stride out the door.

The cold air nips at me as I step out into the hotel courtyard. I stand there, looking around for a moment, before a sign catches my eye; the hotel bar and grill. Seems easy enough, and this way, I won’t be going far if Abby needs me.

…

I slide up onto the cracked leather barstool. The air smells faintly of cigars and wood smoke, and the soft clinking of glasses fills the space. Behind the bar, there’s a small TV playing some sports game, which I couldn’t be less interested in at the moment.

“Good afternoon, sir,” the bartender, a man about my age with a curled-up mustache, says as he cleans a glass from behind the bar. “What can I do for you?”

“What’s on the menu?” I ask.

“Well, we’ve got burgers, soup—”

“I’ll take a burger. And a whiskey, neat.”

The bartender nods. “Coming right up.”

A few minutes later, the bartender is sliding a glass of whiskey and a plate containing a juicy cheeseburger and a generous pile of fries toward me. I take the whiskey first, choking down a gulp before I get started on the burger.

My wolf was right, I realize as I bite hungrily into the red meat. I didn’t realize how weak I felt earlier.

As I eat, staring emptily at the television, the bartender leans on the bar nearby and clears his throat. “You from out of town?”

I swallow and shoot him a curious look; I didn’t hear him over the sound of my whirling thoughts. “Pardon?”

“I just asked if you’re from out of town,” he says, nodding his head toward the door.

“Oh, uh… yeah, I am,” I say.

“Where are you from?”

“Far,” I answer vaguely.

The bartender smirks and nods. “A man of mystery. I can respect that.” He pauses then, taking a sip of his own beer. “Are you visiting for the Prince’s gala?”

I pause just as I’m about to take another bite of my burger and furrow my brow. “No. Just visiting. Why, is the gala a big deal around here?”

The bartender snorts. “Of course it is,” he says. “It’s an annual bash. Huge party. Open invitation, too.”

“Open… invitation?”

“Yep. Security’s tight, but there’s no guest list. The whole town likes to attend. Plenty from out of town as well. If you’re around, you should come.”

“Hmm…” My wolf hums with interest in the back of my mind. “Intriguing…”

I sit up a little straighter at the mention of this gala, setting my burger back down on my plate. Intriguing indeed; if it’s public, and if Abby will be there, I can’t help but wonder if it might be a prime opportunity to talk to her.

“So, when you say security is tight,” I say, trying to act casual, “what does that mean exactly?”

The bartender shoots me a knowing smirk from behind his mustache and takes another swig of his beer. “Why? Are you planning on causing some trouble or something?” he asks with a chuckle.

“No.” I laugh and shake my head. “Just curious, that’s all. I’ll be in town for a few more days without much to do, so a party sounds interesting. But I like to keep my affairs low key, so…”

“I see.” The bartender nods and thinks for a moment before continuing. “It’s pretty simple, really. Causing a ruckus will get you kicked out in a heartbeat, but other than that, it’s—”

“Do they check ID’s at the door?”

The bartender gives me a strange look at my question. I stifle a wince, realizing that I may have raised a red flag. Maybe I was too forward. But still, he continues, seemingly unperturbed.

“I, uh… no, I don’t think so,” he says thoughtfully. “Just at the bar, that’s all. I mean, so many people are coming in and out that I don’t think checking every single ID is on their agenda. If they did do that, it would take hours to get in.”

I nod slowly at his words. That was all the information I needed. “Cool. Thanks,” I say, before returning to my burger.

The bartender straightens and turns to walk away. “No problem. Just don’t get yourself in trouble, mystery man from out of town,” he calls over his shoulder before disappearing into a back room.

As I continue to eat my burger and watch the sports game on the television, a slight smile twitches at the corners of my lips. It’s as if the flavors suddenly become more intense, the sound of the TV grows in volume, and the clinking of glasses seems like music to my ears.

“We should go,” my wolf says, although I was already thinking just that myself. “It’ll be a good chance to talk to Abby. Maybe if we can just get her alone, show her that we love her…”

“Of course I’m going.” I take the last bite of my burger, finish off my whiskey, and slap some dollar bills down on the table before standing and striding out the door with a cool confidence that I haven’t felt in days. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”