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Teller’s was busy. Jace informed us that the band playing pulled a rowdy crowd and advised me to stay off the dance floor. Of course, I didn’t listen. People pressed in around me me, caging me in, while I bounced to the beat. I cast a backward glance at Evan and Jace. They’d insisted I stay near the edge of the crowd. Evan had wanted to tell me not to go—I saw it in his eyes—but he didn’t. Deep down, he knew I needed this. I needed to feel free, and the only place I could do that was here.
The beat thrummed through me, vibrating in my bones and pulsating through my chest. Tiny beads of sweat trailed down my neck. The noise was intense. Loud and intrusive. But I soaked it all in, letting it silence my mind. The guys here looked a little scarier tonight. More piercings, hair angled into spikes, and lots of black and leather. But oddly, I felt safe. Safer than I did at school.
Unable to stand the stifling heat any longer, I wound my way through the wall of bodies and sagged against the bar. “Water. I need water.”
“Here you go.” Jace unscrewed the cap and handed me a bottle. “Looking good out there, Becca.” He smiled, and I felt Evan tense beside me.I laughed, throwing him an eye roll.
“They’re intense.”
He nodded. “They pull in a crowd, though.”
Evan wrapped his arms around me, pulling me back between his legs as he perched on a stool. “Are you okay?” His breath tickled my neck.
“I’m good. I just needed to rehydrate.” I placed the bottle on the stool and turned in his arms. “A couple more songs?”
He searched my eyes, and I could see he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. Evan nodded, capturing my lips with his. “Two more and then I’m coming to get you.”
Jace laughed as he wiped down the bar. “You have your hands full with that one.”
Evan cracked a small, tentative smile. “Something like that.”
I went back to the dance floor and threw myself into the crowd. I jumped and swayed and rocked as much as every person around me.
Before I knew it, I’d been jostled farther into the crush. I spun around to find Evan. He wasn’t at the bar. My eyes darted around the room and landed on him talking to an older guy by the door. I didn’t recognize him, but it looked serious. Evan’s jaw clenched as the other guy got in his face. I started to move, pushing my way through the crowd, but the song switched, and the whole room exploded. I was knocked back by a hulk of a guy pounding the air with his fist. My body collided with a group of younger guys all slamming into one another, and I reached out, grasping for something to steady myself as panic rose through me.
And then I felt him.
Evan’s arms slipped around my waist, pulling me into him. My back pressed against his solid chest, and I could sense his agitation as his mouth dipped to my ear. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
I folded my arms on top of his, hugging us tighter. Everything slowed down. The music, the crowd around us.
“You don’t need to do this anymore. I’ve got you, Becca.”
The adrenaline drained out of my body, and I felt exhausted. I thought I’d wanted to come here to be with Evan, away from prying eyes and mean whispers, but was Evan right?
Was I here because I was still running?
He turned me in his arms, sheltering me from the riot unfolding around us. “Come on,” Evan said, taking my hand in his. “It’s time to stop running.”
All I could do was nod.
CHAPTER22
EVAN
Becca’s handtrembled as I led her out of Teller’s. She was crashing fast. Once we were outside, I wrapped my arm around her and led her to the Impala. It’d been a mistake to bring her here, but I hadn’t wanted to fight her on this. Not so soon after getting her back.
I fumbled in my pocket for the keys and unlocked the car, using one hand to open the passenger door. But Becca didn’t get in. She didn’t move.
“Becca, look at me.” I tilted her face up to mine. “Talk to me. What’s going on in that head of yours?”
It could have been worse, and I knew that. Becca hadn’t turned to drink or drugs, but watching Becca out on the dance floor, among a crowd of hardcore bikers and rockers, the look of bliss on her face… it worried me.
And Merk, one of Darryl’s associates, had spotted me and decided it was a good time to ‘talk business.’ It was a slap in the face which confirmed that I didn’t want Becca near a place like Teller’s. Jace seemed like good people, and Malachi had vouched for the place, but if Merk was hanging around, that meant bad news. And I didn’t want Becca anywhere near that.
As if she sensed my thoughts, Becca said.“Who were you talking to?”
“What?”
