AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As I walked, I idly skimmed my gaze along the storefront windows. There were many bright SALES signs, which I was sure would please Cat—she loved a good bargain.
Quite a few of the retail stores were outdoors, but most were inside. The mall sold everything from soaps to luggage, and the indoor food court was so vast and varied that it covered an entire floor. So, yeah, this mall was both my default and favorite place to shop.
Nearing the bench, I smiled at the sight of my friends. Cat was using her thumb to scroll down the screen of her phone while idly fussing with her long, blonde ponytail. Izzy and Inaya appeared to be playfully bickering about something—there were snorts, eye rolls, dismissive hand flicks, and the pointing of fingers.
Inaya’s bodyguard, Adrian, wasn’t too far away. If she was only heading to a grocery store or something, she tended to go without protection. But when at huge, packed places like these, she often brought him along to ensure she didn’t get swarmed by fans. The sunglasses and cute little summer hat that she’d donned wouldn’t fool everyone.
To look at Adrian, you wouldn’t guess that he was a bodyguard. Not at first glance. He was well-built andverytall, but he was also an expert at blending into the background and not earning anyone’s notice. It was his walk that gave him away. He moved with the fluid prowl of a hunter.
Cat’s mostly silent guard stood beside him, just as hyper alert. Duke had been assigned to her by Danton, who was incredibly protective of her and took absolutely no chances—and for good reason. The man had a lot of enemies, and the males in her family couldn’t be trusted anywhere near her.
Duke tended to hang back and keep a slight distance during girly days out. He’d even grunt and scowl and act all put-out if we spoke to him. But none of us bought that he felt as annoyed as he liked to appear.
“Hey all,” I said as I finally reached my girls.
Inaya lifted her sunglasses slightly to steadily meet my eyes with her own before giving me a quick once-over. “You got fucked this morning, didn’t you?”
My lips parted in surprise.
When I didn’t deny it, Cat blinked at me. “Wait, she’s right?”
“Of course I am. It’s totally obvious.” Inaya righted her glasses. “She has that FFV.”
Izzy’s brow pinched. “The what?”
“Freshly fucked vibe,” Inaya elaborated. “So, Briar, who was the lucky guy?”
“Was it Flynn?” Izzy asked me, her eyes lit with intrigue.
I recoiled. “Hell, no.”
Cocking her head at me, Cat slipped her cell phone into her purse. “That was one really, really emphaticno.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, well, he’s an asshole.”
“Why?” The light in Izzy’s eyes faded. “What did he do?”
I felt my expression harden. “He spiked my drink Friday night.”
Inaya’s jaw dropped. “That motherfucker.”
As the other two girls joined her in cursing while gathering close to me, I lifted a placatory palm and said, “Don’t worry, he never got me out of the Vault. Though it wasn’t for the lack of trying.”
A bunch of questions were thrown at me uber fast:
“Are you okay?”
“Why didn’t you call one of us?”
“Did you go to the hospital?”
“What drug did he give you?”
“Did you report it to the cops?”
“Who stopped him from taking you out of the club?”
Easily able to envision us standing in this one spot for hours, I suggested, “How about we walk while we talk?” I immediately began a slow walk, and they instantly followed.
