Page 43 of The Logic of Loyalty

The only thing that is going to make this night okay is to go home and drown myself in the soft, clean cotton scent of Paige.

“Trevor? Is that you?” I turn from Krista, still a little dazed in confusion, to see Bennett, one of Bobby’s buddies. He’s standing here with a leering grin on his face. Before I get a chance to speak, he turns to Krista, taking note of her proximity to my own. “Interesting.” His voice is pitched low, barely audible. He holds his hand up to her. “Bennett. And you are?”

She holds her hand out to shake his with the confidence she wears like a second skin. “Krista. I’m Trevor’s … friend.”

“Jesus,” I mumble. Even I can hear the suggestion in her voice. What fucking game is she playing right now? I recoil from her, putting more distance between us. I need to call Paige and explain this entire night to her.

“Trevor?” My name doesn’t come from either of the people in front of me. I turn around to see who else has joined this shit show, only for the frown affixed to my face to turn into a real smile.

“Nick Pylot! My man! How are you doing, brother?”

He comes in for a back-slapping, hand-shaking embrace and backs up to take me in. “You’re looking great, Trevor! How’s Paige? How’s the little one?”

I laugh at his exuberance. I’ve always liked Nick. He was a couple of grades below me in school, right between Bethany and me in age. The moment he left our little town, he started to make a name for himself.

“They’re fantastic. Paige took on a new little one in her nannying business, and she is also juggling her old one. She’s incredible with kids. Everyone wants Paige.” I ignore the double meaning in my last statement.

“Hell yeah. She’s a good one.” His eyes dart past me, and I see the moment he recognizes the woman standing directly behind me, latched to my arm again.

“Oh, Krista. Hey.” Nick’s warm exuberance has cooled visibly with the addition of her.

Isn’t he supposed to be the one who invited her tonight?

A few curious people around us are giving Nick double takes and beginning to whisper, but Krista ignores them. Her bright smile fills her face with her usual charm as she holds her hand out in expectation. The hesitancy of Nick’s response is clear to anyone watching, yet Krista doesn’t even flinch, moving her hand smoothly to my arm instead. I tense at the continued contact. I’ll tell her to stop later. It’s rude if I do so now. Too much attention.

“Hey, Nick. You remember the small people like us in all of your stardom, eh?” Her face turns to mine, deliberately pairing the two of us.

“Yep, sure do. Are you two here, uh, together?” He swings his finger between the two of us.

“Yes! Isn’t it so sweet of Trev to take me here tonight? He was worried about my safety, the big softy.” A low, intimate laugh fills the space, and I’m hit with another wave of apprehension. I look up into the wary gray eyes of Nick. The lights of the stage behind him suddenly brighten when the rest of the lights lower, preventing me from getting a clear read of his expression.

“Right. Well, enjoy the surprise concert … you two.” Then he’s turning his back to us and heading to the stage. I take a look at Krista and know this is a moment where I need to change the trajectory of my choices, or there will be no coming back from it. She is acting like this is expected, normal behavior, and it’s not cute or friendly. It’s targeted.

I shake loose from her hold and take off after Nick, practically knocking Krista down in my haste. The difference is, this time, I don’t stop to catch her.

“Nick! Hey! Wait up a sec!” He pauses, his form outlined by the lasers flashing on the stage—a clear indication that the concert is supposed to begin.

“Yeah, Trevor? What do you want?” His voice lacks the friendliness of before, and I flinch.

“It’s not what it looks like. I’m here because of a lot of reasons that I regret. I just need Krista”—I gesture behind me, only to glance back and see that she’s been pulled into a group of women who look close to her age—“to find her friends. Tell me I’m not a terrible person for leaving her here.”

“You’re not a terrible person for leaving her here.” His manner loses some of the ice from before when he looks me over anew. He seems to make a decision and leans in close enough for me to smell the alcohol on his breath. “Do you wanna hang backstage with the rest of the crew? Hide from the big, bad baddie?” Humor now laces his tone, relaxing my shoulders in a way that highlights how tense they were before.

“Can I borrow your phone?”

“Borrow Kyle’s. He’s the manager. You’re welcome to anything back here.” He turns away just to spin back around. “Hey, Trevor.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t let that woman near anything that’s important to you. She wrecks things. It’s what she does.” Then he’s gone, jogging onto the stage and snagging the guitar leaning against the wall waiting for him—for this moment.

I elbow my way to where I last saw Krista and see her already kissing some random in the crowd. Shaking my head, I tug at her hand, hating that I have to resort to this, but I can’t just abandon her completely. She turns away from him and widens her eyes at me.

“Trevor! I thought I saw you go backstage.” I look at the guy she’s with, but he’s turned toward the stage, and the light makes it impossible to see.

“Yeah. I’m going to go make a phone call. I can’t give you a ride tonight, but the car is unlocked if you left anything in there. I have the keys.” I practically have to shout in her ear as the crowd surges around us.

“Sure. Of course.” She pushes me toward the stage. “You go have fun backstage. I’ll see you at work on Monday.”