AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Are you concealing?”
Strange question. “I don’t really wear much makeup, and this lip gloss isn’t—whoa!” I yelp when he slaps his open palm against my butt cheek. My eyes catch the couple next to us. The girl gets the wrong idea and winks at me.
“I’m talking about a gun. A weapon. Anything you could use to hurt me, sweetheart.” I don’t know how to answer his question. I’ve never had any intentions of hurting anyone, let alone a stranger with a sudden grudge. I’m horrible in awkward situations.
“Are you sure it’s me we’re talking about? Feels like you’re the one who’s got a weapon in your pants.” Oh, Jesus. I deserve to be a spinster forever. His eyes narrow. His lips thin. The gun in his pants jerks. Oh god. “Fine! You win! I’m just a gossip columnist! I’m here to get the scoop on famous people! I stole the invitation from Francesca when she rammed into me at a department store.”
My mouth becomes super dry. Gulping a huge mouthful of air only makes it worse. He keeps staring at me, and his eyes narrow as if waiting for me to confess—
“Okay! I stole her lip gloss too, but she had a million—oh god, that’s not appropriate!” I yelp as he bends down, and his hand dips between my legs, lifting my dress. “So much for dinner before—hey!” He snatches the thin ID wallet and recorder strapped to my thigh. “That’s mine. You can’t just…” He pockets my recorder. “Okay…well, it’s an old recorder anyway.” He stares at my license, his eyes anchoring on the one thing everyone always focuses on.
“You gotta be fuckin’ kidding me,” he hisses, flipping my ID back and forth.
“I know, right? My parents had to be smoking something when they named me. And overly obsessed with To Kill a Mockingbird. I mean, who does that to a kid? A girl especially. I asked for a new name every year for my birthday, but, you know, you can’t technically change your—oh, never mind. If you’d just give that back to me, I’ll leave.” I extend my arm to grab my license, but he pulls it out of my reach.
He cocks his head at me. “Your name is Atticus Finch?”
Well, no need to remind me. “I actually just go by Addy—”
“Fuck,” he hisses, tension causing rigid cords in his neck. His blackened mood has a cluster of knots forming in my stomach. I cup my hands together tightly to keep from fidgeting. Maybe I should just snatch my ID back and run. “Whoever the fuck you are, Atticus, you need to get out of here. If anyone mistakes you for—”
“It’s just Addy—”
“Justice, I see you’ve found yourself a toy for the evening.” We both turn as a man walks up to us, rudely shoving the couple making out to the side. Just like Logan, he’s dressed top-notch in a fitted, black tuxedo. Logan’s grip on me tightens, bringing me closer to him as a protective shield. “Is this Francesca Vaugh—”
“Ye—” I start to answer, but Logan cuts me off.
“No. I haven’t seen her yet. This is my girl.”
Girl? As in girlfriend? Is he on crack? I stare at Logan while his friend glowers at me. “And tonight’s the night you decide to bring your girlfriend around? Is this some kind of joke?” he snaps, unhappy at the mere sight of me.
I push my hand forward. “Actually, it’s not his fault. I’m—”
I’m tugged back into Logan’s chest as he growls at the man. “And I want my girl here. You got a fucking problem with that? Say the word, and I’ll gut you right here. No one will miss a lowlife piece of shit like you.”
My mouth falls to the ground. Then two floors below that. I’m not up-to-date in the romance department, but I’m pretty sure trying to win a girl’s heart hasn’t resorted to gutting people.
“Fuckin’ chill. Just didn’t think tonight was the night.” The man eyes me, then diverts his attention at Logan’s intense glare. “Vincent’s looking for you. Everyone’s ready.”
This is my cue to leave.
Logan’s body tenses. He grabs my arm, tucking me under his armpit, his lips back at my earlobe. “If you want to live past tonight, do exactly as I say.”
Guess I’m staying a little longer.
Logan drags me across the dancefloor. As we pass Justin, his expression fills with envy. He thinks I just got lucky catching a huge lead. He gives me a thumbs-up, and I awkwardly smile back. Logan witnesses our exchange and squeezes me tighter against him. “Who the fuck is that?”
Not wanting to get Justin shanked, I lie. “No idea. Maybe he thinks I’m going to get it on and is giving me a thumbs up for good luck.” He grunts, pulling me forward. Reaching a back door, the man with us scans his wrist under the black box. There’s a click, and the door opens.
