Page 16 of Code Violation

The dress is in the bag. It only cost $3,000, but my brother can pay for it. He earns more than the net worth of a small town.

June

Anyone heard from Vesper?

Drew

Not since she left the players’ bar with Silas …

June

Ooh … so my instincts last night were right.

Me

I know these text messages were sent, like, an hour ago, but I’m going to jump in here and say that unless your instincts told you that I’d be spending the night coloring before falling asleep on my couch with The Devil Wears Prada playing in the background, then you’re wrong.

P.S. The dress is insane.

June

That doesn’t change the way that the Rogues captain was looking at you.

Drew

No comment. Vesper already knows my thoughts when it comes to her and Silas.

June

Vesper … are you into Silas Stanton?! I can’t say that I blame you. That forearm tattoo alone is hotter than hell.

Closing out the text thread—because I’m not about to admit how hot Silas’s only tattoo actually is—I pull my robe from the hook on the back of my bedroom door and step out into the hallway.

There’s no sound coming from the rest of the apartment, and as I move into the living space, there’s no sign of Silas, aside from a handwritten note left on the coffee table.

Hey, Ves.

It’s just after five a.m., and you’re still asleep.

You crashed pretty hard last night, so I carried you to bed and tidied up your pencils. Some needed sharpening, so I did that too.

I’m heading to the gym for a while, but I’ll message you afterward.

Silas

P.S. It was good to see you smile last night, and you’re right; coloring does make you happy.

P.P.S. I’m pleased my pathetic attempt at coloring amused you. I think I’ll stick to hockey.

Setting my cell down on the coffee table, I pull open the drawer where I keep my coloring books and find the one I was using last night.

Oh my God, he used my sticky notes to label each of the illustrations he liked the most. I skip toward the back and see Silas left another note, asking me to color this one next. It’s probably the simplest drawing in the book, but I could definitely make the scales on the mermaid’s tail something special.

I slide the book back into the drawer and open my pencil case. He didn’t just sharpen some of my pencils; he did them all.

A smile aches in my cheeks as I pick up my phone and type out another text message.

Me