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Feet land on mine, crushing my toes and bruising my metatarsals despite the heavy boots I wear.
“What do you mean you can’t?” I demand, nearly growling as I step us backwards and bump into dancers who throw curses my way.
But I don’t care. I need out of the horde. I need Aria safe.
“I—” Aria’s words are cut off as I use my back as a battering ram and haul her to the edge of the dance floor. I stomp on feet as I go, but the sea parts and we emerge near the exit.
Taking my chances of being noticed, I grab Aria’s hand and bust through the side exit, inhaling the fresh air deep into my lungs.
I waltz us down the building with a firm grip on Aria’s wrist, turning into an alley where darkness envelops us.
My ears ring when I spin her into the brick and box her in, both of my arms pressing against the wall above her head. Her chest rises and falls in rapid succession to her breathing, her hairsticking to her forehead from the sweat that cools quickly and leaves her looking sexier than ever.
“What the fuck do you mean you can’t?” My breath is labored, my tone harsh as I glance over my shoulder, eerily aware of the presence down the way.
But I need answers and I can’t wait for that.
“Rex, I can’t just give up my life for you, fuck.” Aria scoffs, her red hot rage making my cock twitch.
“I’m not fucking asking you to do that.” She darts under my reach, stepping back into the light from the streetlamps overhead.
“You did! You just fucking did.”
“No, I—“
“You need some help with that?” Snide and greasy, the voice reverberates chills down my spine and raises the hair on the back of my neck.
I watch Aria freeze, her sight darting over my shoulder to the asshole I should have known was going to be a problem.
Hands up, I glance over my shoulder slowly, a grin pulling at my lips.
“Touch her and you die, motherfucker.”
Please give me a reason to knock your lights out.
The laugh that echoes from his body is sickly erratic as he steps toward me. His hair is long and disheveled—not in the good way—his torn clothes covered in dirt and oil stains.
He’s either homeless and desperate, or damn good at blending into the part.
And there’s no fucking way to tell if he recognizes me as Rex of As Above or if I just look like the type to have a couple hundred in my wallet.
Aria moves in my peripheral, inching back into the busy street, closer to the light.
Good girl.
She’s fully illuminated when I feel it against my spine, the cold steel seeping through my shirt and chilling my bones.
“I think … that maybe … you’re mistaken.” He singsongs his words and the undeniable click of a fucking gun cocking echoes through the alley as if it’s the only noise on this entire block.
It feels like slow motion when I meet Aria’s terrified eyes and mouth for her to go.
Run.
She takes off at a dead sprint into the light and crowded street, safe from me and this shitty place I put her in.
“Aw, she didn’t want to play?”
The moment she’s out of the trajectory, I spin on the guy.
