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I’m on my way. Meet outside?
I textedLilly as the bus turned down the road leading to the club. My service was already depleting, but my cell phone vibrated straight back.
We’re already inside. Come and find us. Battery almost dead.
Great.I was hoping I wouldn’t have to go in alone again. The bus stopped at the end of the street, and a couple of guys got off before me. The line was shorter than the last time I’d been here, and after a few minutes of waiting, the security guy beckoned me forward.
“Over twenty-one?” He gave me the once over, and I nodded, too nervous to speak. Flicking his head toward the door, he let me past, and I slipped inside.
I walked into the same wall of heat and music that had greeted me the week before. My eyes immediately went to the section of the club where Scarlett and the guys had been at last time, only they weren’t there. Walking the perimeter of the room, I strained my eyes to catch any glimpse of Lilly or Jay or even Vin. But by the time I’d done a full lap, a sick feeling had taken root in my stomach. It left two options: the dance floor—packed with bodies—or the bar, which was three people deep.
I checked my cell phone to see if she’d texted again, but a blank screen stared back at me. Something nudged into my back, and I stumbled forward, gripping an unsuspecting guy. He glared at me, practically shoving me off. Muttering an apology, I moved over to the wall next to the bar, pressing against the brick. Adrenaline pumped through me, but it wasn’t the excitement I’d felt earlier.
What if…
No, Lilly wouldn’t do that to me. She was nice. There was no way she’d play such a cruel joke on me. But as the irrational thoughts swam around my head, I caught a blur of red.
Bright red.
Sure enough, Scarlett, Lilly, and the guys were moving through the club toward the familiar group of seats. Jay hugged his girl close as she laughed at something Scarlett said. Even Mischa and Eric were there, Vin and Malachi too. In fact, they were all there… all except me.
My heart quickened, dropping into my stomach, and a rush of tears burned the backs of my eyes. Blinking them away, I slid along the wall using my hands to guide me. I needed to get the hell out of here, fast. When my hand found the corner of the wall where the main room met the long hallway leading back to the entrance, I turned to make my escape, slamming straight into someone.
Amused eyes glared at me, cutting me to the bone. “How sad. Did you really think you could play at being one of us and fit in? Even your so-calledfriendsdidn’t really want you here.” Kendall stepped up to me, toe-to-toe. I moved back instinctively, but someone closed in behind me, forcing me forward. Her breath licked my skin, churning my stomach. “No one wants you here. No. One. So why don’t you do everyone a favor and disappear.”
Kendall shoulder-checked me hard as she barged past me. Her friends followed, each throwing me a look that could kill. I ignored the curious stares and the snickers of pity as I all but ran out of the club and into the cool night air. I’d seen it the second my eyes collided with hers. Smugness shining in them. Lilly had never texted me inviting me to The Vault—it was Kendall. She’d set me up, and I’d walked right into it.
“Whoa,” a deep voice said. “You’ve got to be shittin—” The words died on Evan’s lips as he took in my disheveled appearance. “What the fuck happened now?”
Now?There wasn’t time to stand around dissecting his veiled words. Shaking my head, I kept walking. I didn’t know where I was going. But I couldn’t be around him—not now, not on the verge of tears.
“Becca,” he called after me, but I kept walking. “Becca.” This time, it was more of a growl, and then I felt him. Behind me. Catching my wrist, his fingers imprinted on my skin. His grip tightened, and I stopped. “Fuck’s sake! Just tell me what happened.”
I sagged back into him, letting him catch me. One hand still grasped my wrist, the other held my waist awkwardly. It was pathetic—Iwas pathetic. Evan didn’t want to be here, not really. I could feel his irritation building, rolling off him in angry waves. But right now, I really needed someone—anyone—to restore my hope that people weren’t all total jerks.
“Just give me a second,” I whispered. “And then I’ll be fine.”
We stood there, at the end of the abandoned parking lot, my back against his chest while I fought against the tears still threatening to fall. His hand released my wrist and slipped around my waist, and he held me. It was awkward and uncomfortable and so freaking embarrassing, but Evan Porter stood there holding me while I silently broke and time stood still. He didn’t press me for answers or brush me aside like the emotionally unstable girl I was. And when I finally felt able to pull away from him and turn around to meet his steely gaze, hestillstood there.
“Come on.” He motioned to his car. I hadn’t noticed it tucked away under the shadows of the far wall.
“It’s fin—”
“Becca, get in the damn car.” His tone was final, and I followed him to the Impala, slipping into the passenger side. “You hungry?”
“I guess I could eat.” Eating meant not talking, which was something I definitely didn’t want to do—not with Evan, not ever.
He gunned the engine and peeled out of the parking lot.
CHAPTER10
“I’ll getthe double cheeseburger with chili fries, onion rings on the side, and a large chocolate milkshake, please.”
“And for you?” The waitress struggled to tear her eyes away from Evan to get my order, but I sensed her judgment.
What was a girl like me doing here with a guy like him?
