“I think I’m going to go. I’m not liking the vibe here tonight,” I tell Sean, my eyes narrowed. I haven’t made it this long without being smart. And a smart girl knows when to retreat, especially when she doesn’t know what she could be up against.
Maybe Gunnar showing up at my house wasn’t an accident. Maybe he lured me here. Sean takes a step back, his brows pinched. “You sure you don’t want a drink?” He’s trying to keep me here.
“No.” I put some force into my word.
He dips his head and nods once. “Whatever you like, my lady.”
“What did you just say?” I seethe. Gunnar said the exact same thing to me. Now Iknowhe has something to do with this.
Sean tries to recover. “Whatever you like.” He licks his lips in an almost nervous fashion.
“Why did you call me that?” I step a little closer into him.
He runs his palm over the back of his head—definitely nervous. “It was just a slip.” The truth.
I deflate a little, since he’s not lying. I take one last look around the room before heading back toward the door I just came through a few moments ago. I don’t rush, I would never want to give anyone the satisfaction of thinking they could run me away from some place.
I focus on putting one foot in front of the other until I reach the main entrance. No one tries to stop me or keep me here like I’d been worried about.
There’s a different guy on the door to the club, but Mick is still manning the outdoor entrance. “Leaving so soon?” he asks when I pass.
“Yeah.” I give him a wave over my shoulder without an explanation. The line to get in is even longer than when I arrived, so I know he’s too busy to press me for more. I doubt he even would anyway.
Betty is waiting for me when I round the corner of the parking garage, but she’s not the only one. Gunnar is leaning on the pole I parked next to. My steps might falter, but I recover quickly. “Did you forget something in my car?” I take note of the dark t-shirt he’s wearing. Wonder where he got that.
“No, I just wanted to make sure you made it out here okay,” he answers, as he pushes off the pole.
I plant my hands on my hips. “I think I told you I can take care of myself.”
“You did, and I know you can.” He’s not lying. “But I wanted to be sure.”
“Why did you come to my house?” I should have known there was more to him showing up on my bedroom floor. Of course I did, I just didn’t really worry about what it was.
“I didn’t intend to. It just happened.” His big shoulders move in a shrug. Again, it seems as if he’s telling the truth.
“But why?” I urge him.
“I can’t answer that.” Gunnar opens his hands.
“Can’t or won’t?” I demand.
“Can’t.” He rolls his lips in like he’s already said too much.
“Well, that’s not at all cryptic.” I throw my hands in the air and head toward my car. When I move to pass Gunnar, he reaches out like he might grab me, but I freeze and glare up at him. He pulls his hand back slowly and gives me another one of those stupid head nods, like the security guys at the club gave me.
“Have a nice life, Gunnar,” I say with a whole lot of snark. I don’t wait around to see if he would have responded.
Betty greets me like an old friend when I climb inside and slam the door shut. I give her dash a quick rub in apology then fire her up. When I check my mirrors to make sure it’s safe to back out, Gunnar is gone. “Good riddance,” I mutter, and speed out of the parking garage.
I don’t bother worrying about the speed limit on the way home. I’m still borderline pissed off and a little out of sorts from what happened at the club.
Sean was acting strange. I bet it all goes back to Gunnar. He’s the only common denominator. He seemed to be pretty familiar with the security from the club. I bet he was the one that sent Sean after me.
“Dumbass. I told him I could take care of myself.” I glance at the clock, it’s still early enough that Aeson may still be at the house, maybe even Dare. I push the gas pedal a little harder, ready to put this night and all the strange shit behind me.
* * *
“What do you mean,you’re leaving for a while?” I toss the hand towel near the sink. Radmon lingers near the door, floating a few inches off the ground. Her grayish dress is all torn near the hem, letting you see the way her ankles are in an unnatural pointed position, allowing her toes to almost drag against the floor.
