Regan
My phone chimed for the hundredth time, and like all the times before it, I opened the text and shut it, not ready to read whatever Rook had to say. It had been two days since I walked into the garage, and while I wasn’t nearly as mad about the situation after talking to Harper, I still wasn’t sure what I would do about Rook.
Another minute passed before his name popped up again, calling this time.
“Will you please stop calling me?” I said through gritted teeth. “What is your problem?”
“You,” he said, the word drawn out. “You’re my problem. You keep being my problem.”
The words were just slurred enough that I paused before ending the call. “Are you drunk?”
“A bit.”
“And why are you calling me?”
“Because I want you to come here.”
“Where?”
“Hellfire Bar.”
“And if I don’t?” I asked, already knowing he would have a plan if I didn’t.
“I will go find my bike in the parking lot and come there because they want me out.”
“You can’t drive it drunk. And what the hell are you doing to get yourself kicked out of Hellfire?” I asked. The place was notorious for trouble, and I imagined it would take a lot to get thrown out.
“Can and will. And the owner is mad because I want him to pay his tab with me before I pay mine with him.”
“If I come get you and take you home, will you stop calling?”
“If I remember not to.”
“Fine. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Don’t move.”
I quickly changed into jeans and a hoodie, grabbed my keys, and pulled out of the garage, heading straight for Hellfire Bar. I knew the location of Hellfire Bar enough, but I had never been inside.
I walked in expecting a mess, but it was worse than I had been expecting. The music blared, people dancing in the center of the room, girls screaming and guys grabbing to drag them closer. The dark lights made it impossible to see everything clear enough, and it was starting to make me uneasy. I didn’t like going to a place I didn’t know well, and being here alone only made that worse. I scanned the crowd, not seeing Rook.
It took one more lap around the bar before I found him tucked away in a corner booth. He held up his head with a hand as he looked at the person across from him. I couldn’t see who it was as I walked up behind the booth, the tall backs hiding them completely. He seemed a little bored, and I wondered if one of his friends had come out with him. I turned the corner, blood draining from my face as I saw a beautiful woman across from him.
She dressed up to get any man she wanted tonight, and it seemed obvious enough that she wanted Rook.
I stopped a few feet away, listening as Rook spoke, the words even more slurred than when I had talked to him on the phone. Three empty shot glasses sat in front of him, and I’m sure more were littered around the bar because of him.
“Like I said, I have a girl. I don’t need a stranger to get my dick wet,” he said, his dark hair falling over his forehead. “Didn’t I tell you that already?”
I couldn’t hide my snort of laughter. “You think I’m yours?” I asked, his attention snapping to me. “I thought that ended days ago.”
“Regan,” he said, pushing himself up and kissing me before I could stop him. Even drunk, I didn’t mind it, but I was still a little mad, and that didn’t need to change yet.
“Come on,” I said. “I’m not in the mood to hang out here tonight, and our ride is out front.”
“You still mad at me?” he asked, not giving me time to answer. “You should be. I’m using you, baby. It has nothing to do with Harper. I didn’t even know Harper until she walked into your room.”
“How are you using me, then?”
Rook grinned, ignoring my question and throwing an arm around my shoulder before looking back at the woman in the booth.
