AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I sighed and looked over at her for a moment. “But what if the bad thing they do is to you?”
“It’s a risk you take. I mean every time you get out of bed you run the risk of breaking your neck!” she said with a soft smile. “It’s always so strange to see you like this. You’re so outgoing and fun with me. You’re always taking risks, but when it comes to people, you’re just so damn hesitant.”
I set my jaw, not wanting her to know what was really going on in my head. I was hiding again. Even now I was hiding from my best friend. I shrugged a little and shook my head.
“I guess it’s just one of my quirks,” I said simply in a tone that indicated the conversation was over.
Gina opened her mouth to continue but shut it after a moment, sighing and shaking her head. “Whatever you say darling,” she murmured.
She didn’t bring it up again for the rest of the trip and we rode in silence, tapping away at our phones in order to avoid uncomfortable conversation. When we finally reached our destination, we shuffled off the tram and started walking down the sidewalk, our hips swaying and Gina’s heels clacking on the cement.
Gina smiled and looped her arms with mine, “Are you going to be angry with me all night?”
“Not all night. Just most of it,” I said, though I offered her a small smile and kissed her check.
It was Friday night and the streets were busy with people, laughing a little too loudly and drinking a little too much. That was probably going to be a running theme for the night, but I tried to not let it bother me.
We wandered to the doors of the bar and flashed our IDs. The man glanced at them before handing them back, not even giving us a second look. Our IDs weren’t great (though Gina insisted they were flawless) but bouncers didn’t really pay much attention at the end of the day, especially to girls in short dresses.
The bar was crowded and a bit too loud. As we walked through, I could feel all eyes on us and it made me more than a little nervous. I gripped Gina’s hand and followed her through the bar, less afraid for myself and far more afraid of letting her out of my sight.
“Girl, will you calm down? It’s going to be fine.”
Chapter Four
It was as if the cruel forces of the universe took my fears and transformed them into physical reality. We were barely there for two hours before I lost track of Gina. I prided myself at being able to reel that girl in and tonight I was failing miserably. I’d already pulled her off a complete stranger in the bathroom, but at some point between then and now, she’d disappeared and I was in a bit of a panic.
I was walking through the dimly lit bar on my own, trying to ignore the stench of whiskey that completely filled the bar from floor to ceiling. Despite my ‘leather jacket wearing bad girl persona’, I wasn’t much of a drinker. I’d watched both my parents suffer with alcoholism and a range of other problems so I wasn’t really interested in booze.
As if the smell of liquor wasn’t bad enough, every step I took was accentuated by a cat call that made my skin crawl. Most of the men in the club were old enough to be my dad and the ones that weren’t looked like heroin addicts. This was not the kind of crowd I wanted to be in to find a partner.
I walked along the bar, looking around the crowd and trying to spot my friend. I was so wrapped up in my search that I didn’t notice the man that reached for my ass. The slight pinch made me scream and I turned around, my hand snapping out on instinct. I connected with the man’s face and my nails managed to dig into the skin a little.
The man stared at me, blood starting to trickle into his beard. I immediately felt my heart start to beat a million miles a minute. “You little-” his words faded as he raised a glass and aimed it at my face.
I ducked just in time but the glass slammed into the back of another man’s head. This wasn’t good. Soon enough there was a heady brawl going on. People were yelling and screaming and others were starting to throw things. Glass broke overhead and pool cues started snapping.
Everything was happening so fast and I had no idea what to do or where to go. This was everything I’d been afraid of. Every fear I’d ever managed to come up with in my head was coming to fruition now and I didn’t know how to handle it.
My eyes darted to the bar and I gasped, managing to crawl over to it and crawl under the little piece of wood that swung up to let the bartender in and out. I pressed my back against the bar, my heart racing and eyes wide. I could hear men screaming and glass breaking. I wanted to make sure that Gina was alright but my heart was pounding in my ears and tears were starting to stream down my face. I felt like a coward but I was too scared to move.
I covered my head with my arms and let out a few choked sobs, hoping the police would come and end the fight. I could imagine the guns be
ing pulled and bullets flying around me. My heart stuttered a bit and my eyes snapped open. I knew I needed to get out of here.
My gaze darted around the dusty, smoky room and landed on an emergency exit. If I could make it out that door, not only would I be out of the bar, but it would also set off alarms and possibly stop the fighting. Everyone might run out, thinking there was a fire or something.
I took a deep breath and decided I had to do it. I could be helping Gina by getting out that door. I jumped up and leapt over the swinging door, tripping and stumbling forward. The door was nearly in reach and my hands reached for it. The little ring of light that snuck in around the door frame was like a halo. I was so close.
Before I could reach the door, strong arms snatched me off my feet. I screamed and struggled against the man who had a hold on me, my eyes wide in terror. As I turned I came face to face with the man I’d slapped earlier. He had a wicked grin on his face.
“Where do you think you’re going, little girl?”
Chapter Five
I stared at the man, his face inches from mine. I could see the few crooked and yellowed teeth he had left and I could see the little brown spots along his face. They told the story of a life spent baking in the sun, though I could have guessed that just as easily by the leathery look of his skin.
God, I wanted to say something smart. I wanted to rip him a new one, but the fear in my belly was stronger than my desire to be a smartass. I hated the way I felt right now. I’d spent my life being a petulant teenager and living on adrenaline. I’d always thought of myself as invincible, but here I was, being held in the air by a man who was ready to kill me. I honestly didn’t see myself getting out of this in one piece.
