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“Bossy, I know. It’s a helpful trait. And it’s fun to wear people down. You know what’s more fun? A girls’ night out.”
I rolled my eyes. She wasn’t going to drop this. I could tell. There were times when she’d fold, but this would not be one of them.
“If I didn’t think it would be good for you to go, I wouldn’t pester you about it. Probably. Actually, I can’t be entirely sure. Anyway, you need this, even if you don’t think you do. If the situation were reversed, you’d encourage me to do the same thing.”
That was in fact true. I wouldn’t like the idea of her steering clear of the Vault to avoid one guy; wouldn’t like her giving him that much power. I’d want to drag her back to the club and remind her how much she loved the place. I’d be sure that such a thing would be good for her. So just maybe it would be good for me.
I sighed. “You only want to see a show? You’re not going to afterwards say something like ‘oh, how about we go to the basement for half an hour?’” Because I wasn’t ready for that.
“No, I promise. Even Izzy won’t be going there tonight—she’s meeting Cole at his place later. It’ll just be us girls, and our only intention is to go see a show.”
Rubbing at my temple, I asked, “What time does it start?”
A pause. “You’ll come?”
“I’ll come.”
There was a low squeal of excitement. “Great! We’ll have a ball! It starts at eight. We’ll pick you up in a cab on our way to the club, so be ready for seven-thirty.”
Grabbing my purse from the passenger seat, I said, “All right.”
“Awesome, see you there!” She hung up.
Puffing out a breath, I dropped my cell into my purse and gripped my keys tight. I really wished I shared her eagerness. But though I’d agreed to go out, I couldn’t muster up any real enthusiasm about it. I was genuinely dog-tired and eager to relax. Plus, I knew that memories of the times I’d shared with Danton at the Vault would crawl all over me the moment I stepped foot in the club, whether I went to the basement or not.
Mumbling a curse, I exited the car and hooked the strap of my purse over my shoulder. I didn’t worry that I wouldn’t handle the situation well. No, I worried I’d do something stupid while tanked up on alcohol—my friends were sure to get me drunk so I’d unclench. I’d hate myself tomorrow if, absolutely shitfaced, I ventured down to the basement and sought him out to confront him and his new toy.
God, why had I agreed to this again?
Spitting out another curse, I headed to the rear of the car. I needed to get my shopping bags out of the trunk before—
A large hand slapped over my mouth, an arm curled around me from behind, and someone roughly hauled me backwards.
I froze for the briefest moment, shocked. Then I screamed into the palm, twisting to escape the arm that held me in place. But its grip remained painfully tight.
And then whoever the arm belonged to started to drag me away from my car.
Fuck.Adrenaline pumping through me,I struggled, scratching at the back of the hand that covered my mouth. My breathing went to shit. My heart raced at a panicked beat, slamming against my ribs.
A growl sounded into my ear. “Behave,” said a deep, male voice that I didn’t recognize. “Stop fucking struggling.”
I bit into his palm.
He hissed, his hand flexing. “Bitch,” he spat.
I lifted my foot to stomp on his instep but then almost lost my balance as he stumbled, his arm still clamped tight around my waist.
I went to try it again, but then the hand he’d slapped over my mouth disappeared.Yes.I pulled in a long breath and opened my mouth wide, ready to scream for—
Something cold and metal dug into my temple.
I stilled, terror forming a lump in my throat.
“Now be-fucking-have or—”
He was suddenly gone. Just gone.
Free, I staggered backwards. My hands instinctively flew out at my sides, and one landed on something solid. A car, I realized as I looked to my right. Its trunk was wide open, and my stomach rolled as I saw what was inside. But my attention quickly snapped back to the sight before me.
