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He is true to his word and stays in the patrol vehicle, hidden but within viewing distance. Taney hasn’t texted with a precise meeting location but I let her know when I’m there and make my way to one of the lone benches along the walking path. There’s no sign of her anywhere. I don’t like it.
I don’t like that I felt the need to text Gabriel on my way here and let him know what’s going on. I like even less the stupid text I got back from him about the park being sketchy. Between him and Devan voicing their concerns, it’s like being sandwiched between two assholes, and I can’t handle both of them at once feeling like I’m someone they need to protect.
I want to talk to my friend and I want to do it on my terms.
I stare at my phone’s black screen: no new notifications.
Finally footsteps grow closer and I glance up to see Taney hauling ass toward me. Her normally wild hair is held tight to her head in a bun and her arms are wrapped around her midsection. She’s wearing jeans and a pair of flats, her posture hunched forward.
I can’t help thinking she’s so small. Small and delicate and almost fragile. The same way Devan and Gabriel, AKA the two jerks, must see me.
Except Taney isn’t like me.
She doesn’t have a gun and she doesn’t have all of my mental issues. She started working at the club because she wanted a safe space to be able to explore new things. She’s submissive; she’d never hurt a fly and always looks out for everyone else around her, even if it means putting up with my crazy ass or giving half her paycheck to a coworker who needs a cash advance.
She’s just like that.
The closer she gets, the easier it is to see the bright spots of color on her cheeks, and her dark pupils much larger than normal.
“Hey.” I reach for her immediately and pull her toward me in a fierce hug. She’s shaking. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”
The sense of something wrong increases when Taney reaches for me.
Her arms go around me automatically and her head falls right into place between my breasts. Without heels she’s about the perfect height for me to rest my chin on top of her head and I do so now. Taney is clearly distraught.
“Layla.” She squeezes me tightly to the point of nearly losing my breath.
“Your text scared me.”
She leans back far enough to meet my eyes. Her pupils are so dilated I see nothing but black circles. “I have to tell you. You can’t come to the Velvet Underground anymore. You need to stay away. Please.”
“What? Why?”
What does her fear have to do with the club?
She draws in a deep breath, her lips thinning into a harsh line as she steps to the side. “I thought about telling you a dozen times.” A sharp prick of alarm runs along my limbs. Taney sounds panicked. “I think that there’s—”
A shot rings out in the fading afternoon twilight and in the next instant Taney slumps forward, warm blood soaking through her clothes into mine.
“Taney?Taney!” Her name erupts as a screech, terror turning my voice raw. I’m clawing at her as we both sink to the ground.
“Don’t go back,” she whispers. “Promise me, Layla. Don’t go back there.”
“No no no. No!”
Taney stiffens, her body an unyielding weight, and her eyes close. She’s not breathing. Not shaking anymore, not breathing, not moving—
No. No. No.
No no no.
The word stays on repeat in my head and in reality I’m screaming.
Shock. The part of me trained for this kind of situation knows I’m in shock and that part operates my mouth. “You coward!” I scream into the shadows. “Shoot me! Come back here and shoot me! I fucking dare you.”
No one is coming, and all too soon my screams turn into sobs although no tears sting my eyes.
Devan pulls the patrol vehicle onto the grass beside us with the lights flashing. Through a haze I watch him push out of the vehicle, running up to me as if in slow motion. Another hand falls on my shoulder first and before I understand what’s happening, Gabriel is there.
