My entire body went on alert. Colby Scott? What the hell? The guy who’d been at her door that night? After the incident, I’d run his name past the campus police and even the Raleigh Police Department, but his record had been clean. I’d tried to dig around for his address, but so far I’d gotten nothing.

Had she outright lied about knowing him?

“I know him.” Elizabeth’s face had turned ashen.

Nadia clapped. “Small world. Whatever happened to him? Is he as handsome as he was when he was ten?” She giggled. “I need to call him up, remind him he promised to marry me when we were kids.”

Elizabeth didn’t answer but looked down, her curtain of blond hair hiding her face.

“You okay?” I asked softly.

She lifted blue eyes to mine briefly before she dropped them again, but not before my heart stuttered at the pain I saw etched in her gaze.

“Did you go to high school with this Colby guy?” I insisted. “Is he the one who came to your flat?”

“Yes.” Her voice was whispery.

The tension ramped up.

I found myself leaning over the table to study her closer.

I looked at the bangles on her wrists. At the scars underneath. “Is he the one who did that?”

Nadia cocked her head, sniffing a secret. “One what? Did I miss something?”

Elizabeth seemed to gather herself, her hands fluttering around her face as she pushed hair back. She squirmed in her seat, fiddling with her purse and then drinking a sip of water. “I—I used to date Colby. It was a long time ago, and I’m sure he’s forgotten about me now.” Her throat worked, the only telltale sign she was lying through her teeth.

I sank back in my seat, rage and anger building. Colby Scott . I repeated it in my head. My breathing kicked up and it was all I could do to sit in that booth and pretend like I wasn’t about to lose my shit.

Nadia seemed oblivious to everything, probably too caught up in her own issues. She looked at me “I’ve tried to call you a few times—left some voicemails and texted.”

“I’ve been busy.” I took a sip of coffee, trying to compose myself so Nadia wouldn’t see how torqued up I was.

“With Elizabeth?” she asked with a wry smile at both of us.

“With everything , Nadia.” I sent her a hard look.

What the hell was wrong with her?

But I didn’t care. All I wanted was to get Elizabeth out of here and figure out what was going on.

Ninja Turtle stood up from the booth. “I’m going to the car, Nadia. I have to make some calls. Make this quick. I won’t wait all day.”

He stalked off and out the doors of the diner.

I focused on Nadia. Exhaled. “Look. It’s obvious things are rocky with you and Nin—your boyfriend, but you shouldn’t involve me. You’re only making things worse by continuing to chase me. Especially when I am here with someone.” I kept my gaze off Elizabeth, but I knew she was watching us intently.

Her face fell, tears blooming. “God, I made such a mistake, Declan, a stupid mistake. I was trashed and angry with you when I slept with him. I didn’t know what I was doing. I—I thought you’d forgive me. Just—I still love you.”

Her face twisted with tears and she nibbled at her lips, and my eyes went straight there. It was a reflex, and it didn’t mean jack, but there it was and I knew the moment she saw it because she got a knowing gleam in her eye.

“You might try to deny it, but you still care about me.” She leaned over. “Let’s talk. I can come to your place or you can come to mine? Please, Declan.”

Elizabeth suddenly commented, “Uh, Donatello just pulled out of the parking lot.” We all turned to watch as his red Porsche spun out in the gravel and pulled onto the street.

Nadia wailed. “And now I’m stuck in this godforsaken diner. And I can’t walk in these heels. This is just perfect,” she said bitterly.

I tossed my head back and groaned at the cocked-up situation.

Elizabeth let out her own sigh of exasperation and shooed Nadia up until she could scoot out from the booth. She faced us both. “Well, I don’t blame Donatello,” she said. “You guys obviously have a lot of history to talk about anyway, and if I’m here—”

“That would be great,” Nadia murmured, wiping her eyes and sending Elizabeth a grateful look. “Thank you for being so nice when I obviously crashed your breakfast.”

Elizabeth’s lips tightened. “I’m not nice. You’re simply extremely annoying. You’re like a cat in heat when it comes to Declan and frankly, I’m sick of it.”