Page 36 of Her Crew

I kind of liked it.

“She’s a pup and a princess now?” Ace gestures toward Tye and takes the joint for himself. After several smokey exhales, he hands it to me again.

I take a shallow hit, then another, and a pleasant haze soon hangs over my anxious brain, caressing me with the relaxation I crave. When I turn around, Tye has disappeared, but I’m too high to care. I sit back, and Ace and I finish off the joint together.

“How old is Tye?” I ask.

“Twenty-six.”

“He’s almost ten years older than me.”

“So am I. Does that bother you?”

“Maybe you’re just taking advantage of me.”

He stands up and leans down to whisper in my ear. “In every position, every angle, and every way.”

My cheeks flush with warm heat. I want all of that too.

His lips inch closer to mine, and I close my eyes and wait for his kiss to steal my breath. Instead, a scream and the sound of flesh hitting flesh snatch our attention away from the moment.

Ace and I look at each other for only a moment before we both recognize one of the voices as Tye’s.

“Go!” I yell to Ace, but he’s already on his feet. When he glances back, I say, “I’ll be fine. Just help him!”

He hesitates, but he finally runs toward the shouting.

I’m alone, and panic gnaws at my stomach. The voices still carry, snaking through the air and finding my ears, even when I cover them. They’re fighting, and someone is liable to get hurt. Seriously. I wish I could do something, but I’d only be in the way.

That doesn’t stop the anxiety from tearing through me, though, so I head toward the vending machines in search of something that can help me cope.

My legs feel unattached as my high smacks me in the face the moment I turn the dark corner. The whistle of the wind sounds like quiet voices, and a dizzying wave crashes over me. I pull money from my pocket and lean against the machine as I study my options. A bag of cookies, some chips, and a candy bar should do the trick. I pull out the candy and two bags that fell into the tray, then stuff a cookie into my mouth.

“Hey,” comes a voice from behind me. “What are you doing over here without your little watchdog?”

I don’t recognize the voice at first, but then I realize it’s Rolo when I turn to face him. He pulls something from his pocket and drags it across the back of his hand, leaving a white line of powder behind. He leans down and snorts it, then sets up another line. His eyes bounce between me and his hand as he inhales round two. He offers the third line to me.

I’ve tried enough things for one night, so I shake my head and turn back to the vending machines to select a drink. The machine whirs to life and spits out a bottle of Sunkist. I pull it from the tray as a bead of sweat drips down my spine.

As I screw off the cap and take the first sip, Rolo stands behind me. Silent. Watching. He sniffs behind me again, and I squeeze my eyes closed. This uneasy sense before something really bad happens isn’t a foreign feeling. My body very much remembers this. Alec and Tye have protected me since I joined the crew, but now? Now I’m alone with what is essentially a stranger.

Before I can turn around, a heavy weight slams into me. I collide with the wall, and my junk food falls to the ground as I struggle against him. The soda bottle explodes and sprays sticky orange liquid across our scrambling feet.

I open my mouth to scream, but a hand covers my lips and silences me. His skin smells smoky, which makes sense. Rolo was tending the fire all night.

My legs buckle, and I try to use my weight to my advantage, but my attacker is too strong. He easily holds me up with one arm as his other works to unfasten his belt. It’s another familiar sound. Another familiar feeling. And just like every other time, there’s no one here to stop it from happening.

Ace probably hasn’t realized I’m missing. I just have to hope that he does before it’s too late.

Chapter 20

Alec

I pull Tye off Billy—a young, miserable kid who recently joined the crew. Tye’s chest slams against mine as he tries to get back at him, which is odd, because Tye is the most level-headed guy I know. Whatever caused this fight would have been something worth fighting over.

“Tye! Come on, he’s not worth it,” I grunt as I hold him back. A bruise forms over his eye, but it’s nowhere near as bad as Billy’s face.

“Yeah, go back to that fat bitch!” Billy yells, and Tye’s chest hits my back as I turn toward the kid.