"Jessi, have lunch with Gerry today," he said without looking up.
Jessi didn't acknowledge him at all.
If Xander didn't feed now, he was going to go on a rampage and slaughter half the apartment building to slake his hunger. While appealing, it would ruin his chances to figure out what Jessi was hiding. Not to mention, Ingrid wouldn't approve. Xander was enjoying his newfound status too much to sacrifice it now, especially when he had a line of women ready to please him. If Toni wasn't enough to distract him, all he had to do was walk outside his door for another snack.
*****
Jessi's hands shook from the fire in her blood. She was about to have a break down. Standing in the kitchen, she snatched a pen from her purse and hastily scribbled a note. She left it on the iPad and paused to reread it.
I quit. Don't call me. I'm not coming back. Ever.
It was pretty clear.
"What're you doing?" Gerry asked, watching her.
"Quitting!"
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but don't quit out of emotion," Gerry said. "We'll go to lunch and talk about it."
"Talk about what? The fact he bit me?" she demanded. Furious and freaked out, she grabbed her purse and strode out the front door, just as Xander came into sight through the glass doors from the direction of the beach. Toni's body was all but molded around his midsection.
Jessi grabbed Gerry's arm and slammed the front door behind them, marching through the hallway in a combination of disgust and envy.
"Lunch and talk?" Gerry prodded.
"Fine. We'll go to lunch and then I'm going home," she told Gerry. "You won't talk me out of quitting."
"Fair enough. We'll talk it out."
She gave him a sidelong look as they waited for the valet. She wasn't going back. She was serious. Trapped between Jonny and Xander. There was no way in hell she wasn't packing up the kids and leaving.
Gerry smiled in encouragement. She reached for her purse and dug around for her phone, intent on telling the cousins to pack. She pulled out one phone, the one assigned to her by Ingrid. Hers was …
…sitting on the counter next to the iPad.
"Dammit!" she muttered. "Wait here. I gotta get my phone."
"Sure."
Jessi hurried into the apartment building. She was pretty certain Xander would be too occupied with Toni to notice her. Just in case, she waited a full two minutes outside his condo before typing in the code. The last thing she wanted was to see him again. Ever.
The condo was silent. Cat sat at the top of the stairs, as if waiting for her. Jessi hesitated once more then ascended.