Page 103 of Coveted By Cupid

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

CUPID

Today sucks ass. Running the club while I’m worried sick with Vanessa out of my sight is giving me enough indigestion to burn down a city block. The mandatory text updates from Cookie and Crypt every fifteen minutes are spread out far too long for my liking, and I’m internally chewing myself out for having not demanded they contact me every five minutes instead.

I’m on edge, listening to the clock on the wall of my office ticking away at a constant percussion, not nearly fast enough. The waiting is killing me, making me more agitated.

After I finish logistics with our buyer for Friday over the phone, I’m unable to stand another second apart from my woman and grab my keys off my desk.

I’m coming, Butterfly.

When I open my office door, I jump back. “GAAAHHH! Dammit, Crypt! You need to stop surprising me.”

Crypt stands in the hallway outside my office, his fist raised as if he were mid-knock when I opened my door.

“Uh, I did nothing,” he says, confused, with a raised eyebrow, or what I think is a raised eyebrow. It’s hard to always see his eye with his hair covering half of his face most of the time.

I run a hand over my tired mug. “You don’t need to. You’re scary enough as is.”

Suddenly registering my Butterfly is home, I ask, “Where’s my ole lady?”

“In your apartment. Cookie is standing watch.”

Relieved my Butterfly is back, I push past him, hustling toward the stairs with Crypt following right on my heels.

“How is she? Was her day good? Did you have any trouble?” I ask, making my way down the hall towards the back of the building to the stairs. I don’t look back at him, too eager to get back to Vanessa.

“Good. Fine. And yes,” he answers.

Caught off guard, I stop at the base of the staircase. “Yes? What do you mean? You texted all was good the whole damn day.”

“Psyche said it was nothing to worry about.”

The tightness in Crypt’s voice tells me he feels conflicted. “But you disagree?”

“I’ve had time to work through what bothered me about the exchange, and I’m reporting it to you now.”

“Very well. When did you run into trouble, and what was it?”

“A woman approached us outside the building of Vanessa’s first class. She seemed upset and relieved to see Psyche.”

“Upset and relieved?” I shake my head at my brother, not understanding. “Those are two opposite emotions.”

“I’m aware,” he says. “Her behavior was odd, and that’s why I paid attention.”

“Good. What did you observe?”

“Psyche doesn’t like her. She told her to get lost.”

Interesting. Granted, my woman has got a bit of an edge to her, but she doesn’t come across as someone who would be rude without good reasoning. “Why?”

“It seems the woman was someone who came between Psyche and her ex.”

My eyebrows shoot to my hairline. “You’re telling me the other woman approached Vanessa?”

“Yes, and this woman was insistent they go see Psyche’s ex.”

The fuck now?! “She wanted to take Vanessa to see the cheating jackwagon? Why?”