Page 37 of It Runs in the Family

Chapter Eleven

The first thing I noticed was a sharp pounding that reverberated through my head like a jack hammer.

“Iris!” someone shouted, their voice muffled. “I know you’re in there! Open up!”

I forced my eyes open, and a new pain shot through my eyeballs at the bright light streaming through the windows. I was in my bedroom, splayed out in my bed.

“Iris!” a second voice shouted. “You can’t ignore us! Open the door!” Then there was more pounding, probably for good measure.

Ava and Mary Ellen. What were they doing here?

I got up and stumbled to the door. When I opened it, they stood on the landing with wide eyes.

“Hot damn, girl!” Ava shouted. “You got you some!”

“Stop shouting,” I said, pressing my hand to the side of my head. “What are you talking about?”

“Look at you, in your sexy bra and panties. How big was he?” Mary Ellen asked, pushing past me and walking into my apartment.

“Come on in, Mary Ellen,” I said sarcastically, then turned away from the door, leaving Ava to follow. I desperately needed coffee. “How big was who?”

“Boner,” Mary Ellen said in exasperation. “The hot guy we left you with.”

The cobwebs cleared from my head, and the events of last night started rushing back. It was only then I realized I was standing in front of my cousins wearing a black lacy bra and beige panties.

“You guys ditched me!” I exclaimed, shoving Mary Ellen’s shoulder, then walked over to the kitchen counter to start a pot of coffee. I considered finding a T-shirt to pull on, but I was too desperate for coffee to bother. Neither of my cousins were modest, and it wasn’t any different than walking around in a bikini.

“To be fair,” Ava said, “We didn’t realize how drunk you were.”

“You wouldn’t have gone home with him if we hadn’t left you,” Mary Ellen said, plopping down on my beat-up sofa. “And in my defense, when I saw you with him, you didn’t look wasted.”

“How do you know I went home with him last night?” I countered, grabbing the bag of coffee grounds from the cabinet.

“How else would you have gotten home?” Her tone made it clear she thought I was an idiot.

I paused and tried to jump start my brain to remember the end of the night. A few mortifying memories came flooding back, along with my reason for running out of the bar.

“You both almost got me killed!”

“What are you talking about?” Mary Ellen asked with a frown, looking concerned.

“Billy was there.”

Their eyes widened again. “What?”

“Yeah, he was there, and he grabbed my arm and refused to let go until I had a vison for him.”

“But he says he’s changed,” Ava said with a frown.

“He hasn’t,” I replied flatly.

“Oh, shit, Iris,” Ava said, her face pale. “We never would have left you if we’d known he was there.”

“Wait,” Mary Ellen said, holding up a hand. “Where was Boner?”

“His name is Boone,” I said through gritted teeth. “And he wasn’t there.”

Alarm filled Ava’s eyes. “Where was he?”